Weekly journal-miner., 1921-06-22

al Q highway program, coupled with re
 jection of all bids on another projec marked the activities of the highwa, commission yesterday as an officia ] body The issuance of a statemen concerning recent criticism of thu
 majority of the commission for it.
 policy of employing consulting engi neers on the project was the out
 standing feature of the commission
 unofficial work of the day.
 Chairman Winchester Dickersor
 and H. w. Lewis and R. w. Wing
 field, members of the commission
 yesterday defended their attitude on
 the engineer contract and made pub
 lie their argument in behalf of that
 stand. While refusing to engage
 themselves in any controversy they
 declared 1t was due the taxpayers
 and citizens generally, to let every
 one know why they had taken the
 step that last week raised tempest
 and wound up by bringing out the
 report that grand jury investiga- ,tion would be asked.
 The majority members of the com mission maintained silence except for brief statement by Chairman Dick erson to the Journal-Miner last week, following publication of an assault on the agreement made between the board and the engineering firm of Olmsted & Gille1en. That silence was broken yesterday, the commits sioners explained, because friends of the three members had urged them not to let statements of those op- posed to the award of the contract proceed unchallenged. One prom inent businessman here, well ac- quainted with big projects requiring engineering skill, and informed rather well as to the work the com mission has done Up to date, de- clared that the employment of en- gineers was the most intelligent measure passed by the commission since its organization.
 The Journal-Miner was curious to know the customs of organizations engaged in great works, regarding the employment of specialists, and asked the United Verde Copper company, for one, in its double ca pacity of the county's largest tax payer and an organization engaged in works of great magnitude, for in formation on this point
 Assistant General Manager R. E. Tally, in reply to the inquiry, au- thorized the following statement;
 Replying to your inquiry concern ing my opinion in the matter of em- ploying consulting engineer to di- rect the work of the highway com mission: I take pleasure in stating that the commissions policy in this regard is good, sound business judg- ment and will effect a material say ing for the county.
 The commission are certainly to be congratulated for this stand, which I am sure required consider able courage in face of the opposi- i ton, as public money is not always spent with consideration for the tax payers interests.
 "The policy is i'll line with that of private business which recognizes the value and necessity of securing special consulting advice on big jobs."'
 The United Verde employs a large staff of surveyors, civil, mining and engineers. Salaries of the men in this department run around $260 a month, the chiefs be- ing paid much more. But for special work, the company pays the highest priced experts It is understood that for the purpose of constructing a monster rock crushing plant, the has engaged David Cole of Fl Paso, an expert in this work, at a high fee to advise the company on the proper manner of expending what may amount to as much money as the highway commission has to spend
 George Kingdom, general manager of the United Verde Extension, was quoted in the Verde Copper News recently as of the opinion that "the would make d great if they attempted to build all engineering organization of their own" and he commended highly their decision i'll securing the serv- ices of Olmsted & Gillelen.
 It is understood that MT. Kingdom added that the consultants would be able to save the county 10 per cent or $l5O,0OO on the job.
 Frank Olmsted, senior member of the firm, which has been checked