The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-12-07
"More Work Better Roads
Plan Bringing First Results;
Many Contracts Let
IMPORTANT AWARDS in
THIS SECTION LISTED
Contracts for Winter Work Are
Far Below Average Awards
~. Last Season 4.

Contracting for over $50 miles OF
gravel surfacing at $4,000 mile OF
about half Of last seasons prices
and rs miles of paving one-htth
cheaper, Charles NJ. Babcock, state
highway commissioner, this week
awarded the first lot of trunk high
way Improvement projects under the
s.more work-better roads" move
tment, as recently announced IN Inc
+ Pioneer. ,... .3... g*s
, Prices are lower than the best es-
Inmates and the savings are, attrlo-
uted to wide competition, there pelng
an average Of rs bidders for each OF
the more important projects, COM
pared with 10 or II in ordinary com
petitions. Gravel surfaeing was let
at, $4,000 a mile average and yard
mile haul figures ranged from l6 to
30 cents at the recent letting, against
80 to 60 cents during the last season.
The best paving bid was about ~
per cent or more than $4,000 a mile
less than the best regular season price
of $4,000. ~.
"Each contract was awarded on the
best bid" said John F. Mullen, depu-
tv commissioner and chief engineer.
"A call will be made soon for bids on
additional winter work, both to re-
i1ieve unemployment and to protect
against possible raise in prices next
spring when, it is reported, large
railroad construction jobs will be let
in the. Northwest The department
will try to take advantage Of every
opportunity to get the biggest posi-
BILE in exchange for road funds"
Successful bidders were ann ounced
promptly to allow job seekers to APP
ply. to them for work, the highway
department having no jobs to fill.
Operations on most jobs are to start
at once, highway officials said, and
the big part of the work will be COM
pleted April / or earlier. o..
I The most important awards in this
section of the state follow. Idle men
are urged to pick the nearest jobs.
T.. H. No. S-Swan River-Black.
berry, 11.8 miles gravel surfacing;
Division A, to Northern Road Con
struction company, Minneapolis, at
$19,897.89; Division B., to Floan &
Sundstrum, south Hibbing, at ST.
564.S7. -. Is : IL
i. H. No. 8--East Grand Forks
Fisher, Is miles Of gravel surfacine
to Peter Mortenson, Hibbing, at
14,246.28.> IT'D -.
/ T. H. No. 8 and 65-Bagley- Clear.
brook 157 miles ORG dino. 5Winstro,,1
Bros, Minneapolis, grading $685. 64.
80; Schn1itz & Mayer, Frazee,: mono.
culverts, $20,0S9.70;. Minneapolis
Bridge company, Minneapolis, bridge,
.$4:500. Total $119,469.01. -.
! t. H. No.. 8-Bemidji east and
west, 1876 miles of gravel surfacing
award later. >..,s- -s:.:..'....-y o.,
! T. H. No. MISUNDERSTANDING, 4
miles Of gravel surfacing, to Clusian
& Lidberg, Grand Rapids, at ST.
O17.9O. >& Il. Es.:s -
7: H. No. s4-Nevis through AXE.
ley, 1914 miles gravel -surfacing to
Dobbleman & Rasmussen, Minneapo.
lis, at $18,79O.38.. &5. =:
y 7. H: No. 34-Park Rapids Nevis,
PAT miles gravel surfacing, to Will
kins & Pettijohn, Minneapolis, &c.
546.37. =
.. T. H. No. ,35-Aitkin-Bennetts-
vile, 9.8 miles grading; Winston
Brothers, Minneapolis, grading, 1884,
,472.42;s Roach Construction com.
>pany, Gaylord, mono. culverts :$16,.
Continued on page g.