The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-12-21
C,REE'NSAT WORK
UNDER WINTER
R()ADPR0GRAM
Number Of Outfits With Big
Crews Of Men Starting
Road improvements
UNEMPLOYED BENEFIT
VI. II. IN MOST COMMUNITIES \ l:L1l VT y
More Winter Work Now Being
Prepared for Letting
in Short Time

MANY camps finished and more
nearing completion, actual work IS
starting on the first forty contract
projects let by Commissioner Charles
3 III. SBabcock, Of the state highway
department, under the more work
better roads, winter program on
trunk routes to cut forced ldleness
i; Bound by contracts to finish by
April the biggest part OF 300 miles
OF gravel surfacing and SO miles OF
grading on the first list of jobs, the
contractors already are getting
crews in action in almost every sec
tion Of Minnesota. An un official es-
innate is that more than 800 men
would be given jobs on a team work
basis. Special maintenance work
partly for the benefit Of local farm
ers in advancing some sections, one
district superintendent reporting 38S
men and teams on his December pay
roll. .sa ..5.s (. 49, 4. .@ a
. Commissioned Babcock closed bar
gains with low bidders on his return
from Omaha where he was elected
president of the American Associa-
ton Of highway officials. The numer-
Gus bids checked again in the mean
time, the commissioner made awards
according to the tentative list pub
lished, except on one culvert job
on which a lower figure was found
Also, he let to the Butler Brothers
Building. company, big contractors
Of st. Paul, the contract for IS miles
Of paving between Mortified and
Westcott on trunk, highway No. i
at about $4,000 a mile. 5 Il u T.. II
i This pavement will connect with
that south Of St. Paul and the IA
maize strip between Mortified and
Faribault and is part Of the plan to
extend Minnesota's longest continu-
. Gus pavement next year to more than
100 miles. Benton county has con-
Etracted for 90 miles from ST. Cloud
to Royalton and 10 miles on to Little
Falls is to be let this week by Morri-
son county, all under the reimburse
'nlent bond law. ~ : Il. E :, IS q
John H. Mullen, deputy commits
sioner and chief highway engineer,
expressed the satisfaction Of the, de-
partnlent with the bargain prices on
are on the same low level with those
on grading and gravel surfacing,"
said Mr.. Mullen, "and big values are
being given for the taxpayers money,
Savings will enable the department
to extend improvements more rapid
%ly.'' g... IS II. .s s.1 III - !.
Protests that contractors are tax
ing work at less than cost were made
by truck owners at meetings in Min
%neapolis and St. Paul. Commissioner
Babcock said that bonds will guar
antee performance on contracts and
added that the state was not direct
ly interested in the controversy. 1t
was pointed put that efforts we're
made to use teams rather than trucks
toward giving unemployment relief
jim various localities. Hs5.@ u;
K Commenting on the truck owners
protest, The St. Paul Dispatch said:
"All evidence points to the fact that
{ Mr.. Babcock has driven a good bar
gain in these contracts for the people
of the state, and that our roads are.
being built under the contract ssys-
tenn at "a minimum cost to the tax
payers. He is to be congratulated on
his success ,s- Is il
In the highway department more
winter work is being prepared for
early letting. It will consist mainly Of
grading and garvelling again and will
be widely distributed over the state.