Omaha daily bee., 1922-03-04
Fur Flies at State and
County Road Probe

ter than the county roads and per-
manent. besides. We realize the
thousands OF dollars spent by the
counties on slipshod road work each
year. which had TO be done over the
next year. We are thankful TO the
state Tor permanent roads"
Cannot Investigate Counties
The committee discussed asking
all counties which had not complete
records of the Sl7,500.000 expended
by the counties for roads to call for
an audit TO learn where the money
went. 1t was decided the commit
tee had no such jurisdiction and il
was matter for the counties TO de-
eide. The LYDIA request was turned
down for that reason.
Johnson charged that complaints
purporting to come from official
county sources in Sherman county
had really been made by certain
persons with "axes TO grind" who
obtained the Sherman county clerks
stationery. The committee intends
TO visit Sherman county and probe
to the bottom of the trouble there.
Representative Henry Book or
Butler county, democrat, appeared
before the committee to complain
how the federal aid money was ap-
portioned in various counties.
Mr.. Book" said Representative
Fred Hoffmeister, democratic mem
Der OF the probe committee. 'that
money is apportioned as the federal
and state government decided It
should be. The legislature OF Ne
braska is responsible for it and this
committee is not.
Charge Publicity Seeking.
Even if you are fellow demo-
ocrat, must say that you are out
of place with objections of that kind
before this committee. The legisla-
ture asked us to probe relative costs
of county and state roads, not to
make laws. Do you know anything
about the cost Of roads which will
help u.s."
Book had no information about
road costs.
"He wants to get in the news
papers; let him CO." said Johnson.
Federal aid grading work on the
Lincoln highway from Omaha to the
Dodge county line was drawn into
the probe when t. w. Hamilton, an
assistant state engineer, was called
by Charles Epperson, a member OF
the probe committee, who has been
attacking the state and federal road
methods.
Notes Were Changed.
Hamilton testified that he was
given field notes on the excavation
necessary, prepared by J. H. Hine,
an assistant Douglas county engi-
neer.
Hamilton said none of the notes
had been erased, but that additional
notes had been added from which
one might assume that contractors
had been paid for more excavating
than they did
He said he took this UP with
Thomas Allen, then United States
attorney, that Allen wrote to Gov
ernor McKelvie and that McKelvie
and Allen then summoned federal,
a state and county engineer who
checked up everything and found that
no contractor had been paid for
more work tnan he did.
Does the fact that government,
state and county engineer checked
this matter up and found it all
straight satisfy your" the governor
asked Epperson.
No" he replied,
Epperson Hard to Please.
will you outline some method
of investigation that will satisfy
you?" the governor then asked.
II will not" exclaimed Epperson.
Hine was then called and ex-
planned that the additional field notes
were put in because of a dispute be-
tween the county and the Union Pa
cific railroad regarding where the
road should run at certain points.
Engineer Johnson said he has
never been able to find this field
note book.
Engineer Hamilton testified re-
garding one job in Boyd county
where the first contractor got SO
cents yard for excavation, the first
2S cents and second
for short stretch |
only, IS cents. The Ter knew moth
ing of bidding and went broke" on |
the job and disappeared from it, he |
said.
Hamilton said he believed that in
Pennsylvania and Michigan subcon-
tracing is not permitted.