South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-02-18

CONTINUED FROM PACE cNE2
Amounting 10 &2.552.646.08. from
March .. 1920. to Jan. 81. 1921.
s. That as a result az this per-
sonal checking system there is due
the state as interest on the fund
S443.97. which probably cannot be
recovered.
The report says the average cost
per mike OF maintenance is $265.5b
and that the average cost Of con-
strucuon IS S35.611.G4 @ mile, with
contracts let for 49, miles.
startling Figures.
The details of all disbursement Of
the commission az shown in the re-
port reveal some startling figures.
For instance. the commission spent
s1S.19335 for hotel bills and meals
during the year The details Of all
disbursements, which show "a total
of S2.522. 1889. including main
teuance and construction costs. fol
low.
Salaries. s442.692.511; hotel and
meals. S18.193.25; auto hire and IL
censc. S3.960. telephone and tele-
graph. S11.445.07, railroad Pullman,
etc. S5.976.15; auto storage and re-
pairs $43.819.93: gasoline and oil.
&54.358.58. freight and express. ST.
1855; postage. S1,%64.90; member
ship fee association. $40; typewriter
rent S25; supplies, $9,471.25: furni-
ture and equipment, S10,1 26.97; en-
cheering supplies anG expenses, So
STAFF: engineering equipment, S.
242.19: legal advertising, S1,1S759;
testing materials. 25.460.68; photo
graphs. S4.8O; right-of-way, S246;
dirt, S74.94; automobile license, 81
1880: Nash Quad materials. 81
013.16, auto truck bodies, $132,-
9341S: new garage In IndianaI oils.
$71.41451; medical aid, $50; bridge
and road materials, S141, 525,l0i
tools and equipment. S43.416.41; re-
pair of equipment. Sl808.69; main
tenance by contract, $15,37G06;
payments on contracts. S1,423,322.-
90: j. u. Wright for rotary fund,
75,22TSO; miscellaneous, $311.S9.
Costs Vary Greatly.
In The maintenance of roads a
large divergence OF costs in various
counties is shown. The maintenance
cost per mile, including overhead,
ranges from S7443 in Franklin
county to s76O.4S IN Morgan county.
In three counties Switzerland, Per
rv and jefferson. the overhead OF
s42.25 is charged although no work
was done.
The commission questions very
seriously the legality of tho action
Of former Auditor Klaus i'm turning
over enormous amounts o. money
10 Wright personally for disbursc-
ments. it points out that the law
provides for such a pro .edure in
emergencies. but questions whether
emergencies wou'5 necessitate 5hc
expenditure of the sums drawn. II
also points out that Wrights bond
does not provide surety for these
sums.
While the letting of the contract
for tho garage in question. the com
mission did not go So far as TO ask
for hills or materials aud supplies,
according 10 the report.
Thousands of dollars have been
expended by the commission TO per-
init the director TO buy cement for
road construction. To warns that if
material is bought 1t must be con-
tIacted for after competitive bids
have been received.
Another questionable expenditure
the report points out. is that of a
payment of $4,000 for the testing
of materials whereas the law pro
vides this shall be done by Purdue
university.
Accompanying the report was q
special finding on an investigation
made by a. L. Donaldson. civil en-
gineer for The state board of ac-
counts. ON the road systems in Wis
consin and Ohio.
IL was shown where the overhead
expenditure IN Indiana were nearly
so percent, the overhead i'm Ohio
amounts 10 only five percent. in
Wisconsin the average cost per mile
for maintenance is $243. and in thi;
state it amounts 20 S265.96