Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-06-10

SilgnI impeachment IN my speech from
my years of silence, but expect that
will be remedied.''
Board Denies SmaIPs Charges.
Charges made against the Wiscon-
sin highway commission and A. r.
Hirst, it's chief engineer, by Gov. Len
Small of Illinois were refuted in a
statement issued by the commission.
wisconsin has won it's high stand
ing as a good roads state through its
development Of patrol maintenance and
gravel roads," says the statement.
State Highway Engineer Hirst is
probably the foremost advocate of
gravel roads among the highway en-
gineers of the country. The policy
with which his name name is identi-
fed and which he has frequently
reiterated in public addresses is that
we should not spend all of our funds
OF the major part of them IN building
a few miles of expensive types of sur
facing, but that traffic must be served
now, and this can be done only by
developing and maintaining large
mileage Of the lower type of road.
Because of this policy Wisconsin has
attracted nationwide attention and
delegations from other states have fire.
quently visited our state. Recently
the governor of Illinois and a large
number of members of the Illinois leg
islature visited Wisconsin to investi-
gate the patrol-maintained gravel and
dirt roads. In the matter of concrete
surfaced construction, the Wisconsin
idea has been to build this type of
road only when and where economical
ly justified, and any statement that it
has been the policy Of the commission
or Of State Highway Engineer Hirst
to build them regardless of cost is
wholly without foundation, as the
records show. Because of the high
prices asked for concrete construction
last year the department cut the con-
struction program in drastic way, in
many instances refusing to approve
contracts because of the price asked,
even when local communities wished
to carry on the work. When the ce-
ment manufacturers refused to reduce
their price sufficiently early in 1921,
Mr.. Hirst Informed them that the
price must be cut as had the price of
other commodities. At his request
the Wisconsin highway commission is
sued specific directions that unless the
price was reduced below last years
crete roads. The result was a re-
duction that will save the state over
100000 on this years construction.
At Mr.. Hirst's suggestion the joint
highway committee of the assembly
and the senate has introduced bill
in the legislature to permit the coun-
ties which have bonded to build con-
crete roads to change to other types
of surfacing where the price of con-
crete is too high. Contracts let in
Wisconsin for 18-foot concrete roads
from January 1 to May % of this
year range in total cost from $22,50O
to $4O,800 per mile and the average
is S31, 900 per mile. This cost is the
total, including grading, bridges, Gull
verts, guard rails and all other items.
Grading costs vary from few hum
dred dollars up to over 81, 600 per mile.
Culverts and bridges cost from 5000 to
So, 100 per mile. Published figures in
dictate that the average cost per mile
of contracts let in an Eastern state so
far this year is over 100000 mile. If
state wishes to select only the cas-
lest and cheapest stretches of high
way for construction it can show a
record of low cost, but it thereby
leaves unbuilt a mileage of high cost
road which must later be built
Farmers to Dictate Cheese Prices.
For the first time in the history OF
the $90000,0OO cheese-making indus
try of Wisconsin, farmers will have
direct voice in setting the price they
shall be paid for their product. The
farmers Of the state have perfected
plans to market by direct dealing the
foreign grades of cheese, which in
clude block, brick, swiss and limburg-
err. The state produced more than
61OOO,OOO pounds of this cheese in
1919. 1t is believed the saving to the
farmers under the new method will
mount into the millions of dollars.
Would Make Position Appointive.
That the superintendent Of educa-
ton should not be an elective posi-
ton. but should be appointed by