River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1921-12-01
uded under the general title of over

Guided under the general title of over
head.
The total expenditures in 1921 for
the construction of roads and bridges
under state and county supervision,
will be just about $25,0O0,000. In
cluded in this total are the following
Federal Aid road and bridge con-
struction.
State Aid road and gridge con-
struction.
County Aid road and bridge con-
struction.
| Money expended for machinery,
and for the purchase and equipment
Of gravel pits and stone quarries.
There will be expended for the main
tenance of the State Trunk Highway
system over $2,0OO,OOO and for the
maintenance of County Trunk High
ways and State Aid roads and bridges,
approximately the same amount, or
81 ,000, 900 in all. 1t may be incidental
ly stated that of the 100000 con-
siderable amount is to be used for
surfacing operations in many counties.
In fact, it is expected that approx
mately 1000 miles of road will be re-
graded and probably 400 miles of road
surfaced with gravel out of this So
called maintenance fund.
The total construction and mainte-
nance actually involved in 1921 will be
therefore, in round numbers, $4,000
900.
This does not include the cost of a
part of the supervision but is in gen.
eral actually expended in the perform
ance of work, exclusive of overhead.
Therefore, if the statement made
were true, and the amount actually
expended in work was $1,000 out of
every $1,000 available, the amount ex-
pended for supervision on this total of
construction and maintenance would
be, approximately, $35,OOO,0O0.
Let us now examine the approximate
correct figures as to the amounts ac-
tually expended in supervision by all
units of government concerned, which
include, approximately, the following
correct items:
/. Undistributed State over 7?
head, $168,000
2. County organizations,
including county
committees, 505,OOO
3. Federal Aid surveys "
and plans and gen.
eral overhead inspec-
ton, 100000
d. County SURVEYS, $4,000
S. Inspectors located on
work, 100000
6. Checking and inspec-
ton by Federal Gov
eminent, 100000
Grand total, $1,273.000
Of this total approximately S4OO,0OO
is included in the cost of work above
given and should be subtracted from
the grand total of. the operation; so
that there will be expended in con-
struction and maintenance, and all
items of overhead and supervision, in
round numbers, $29, 100000 which, di-
vided into 81, 900, the total cost of
all items of overhead, would give al
most exactly Az per cent as the per-
centage that the overhead is of the
total expenditures on the state and
county's highway program. AS COM
plete figures become available, it is
easily possible that this per cent may
go up or down as much as "A OF 10,
SO that the actual total may fall any
where between A per cent and Az per
cent but it will not vary more than
this when the actual facts are dis
closed.
Of course the foregoing is taking
the operation in the mass and deduct
ing general percentage, but this IS
fairer than taking any single opera
ton and drawing an analogy from
that. | believe that the highest per-
centage that has carried on any sim
gle job this year is approximately III
per cent. The lowest that has hap
pened on any single job is approx
nately 21a per cent. The high per-
centage jobs are invariably grading
Jobs and sometimes surfacing jobs
where the engineering questions in
VOWED were intricate, or where the
job dragged over long period. 1t
must be obvious to anyone that mas
much as the surveys and plans cost
about the same per mile, whether
road is to be simply graded and
drained, or graveled or surfaced with
concrete, that the percentage of over
head on the low cost jobs will always
be higher than on expensive types OF
road such as concrete.
Taking the two jobs with which
your people are familiar: On the
Elllswo rth-Rive Falls road we will
have expended when it is completed,
approximately $113,500.OO. The cost
of engineering, supervision, inspec-
49,. 81 4oc+;coe ;nc1,1dnd in the above