Omaha daily bee., 1922-04-21
Costs
of Federal and
County Roads
State Engineer Shows At Loup
City County Paid More
Than State aud Got
Poorer Highway ..

eial Telegram, 1.-The committee ins
yestisatlng the relative cost oi ted-
etal aud county highways came
nearer 10 finding roads which could
he compared on that basis AT its
hearing here today than Al any
previous time.
Sherman county supervisors bull,
q road near Li,ehiield which. so iai
As grading was concerned. compared
iayorably with a federal aid project
running from Loup City to Rock
vile. The drainage on the county
road, !, Was admitted. was not as
good but grading costs per mile
could be compared.
The official figures presented to
the committee showed tina, the
county grading cost $1,000 A mile
agains, SS,jls mile for grading On
the federal aid ruli,
Taxpayers Misled.
George Johnson, state engineer.
declared that someone had misled
the taxpayers OF Sherman county
into believing the estimated cost was
the actual cost. Johnson showed
that the contractor was paid for the
actual yardage removed instead OF
the estimated yardage, and the con-
tractor left the job before the state
was actually satisfied with the road
but wished 10 wait and ascertain
where more filling was necessary
after traffic had passed over the
highways.
Johnson showed that the cost OF
the road advertised by anti-fcdcrai
aid agitators was approximately
$4,000 more than the true, actual
cost. There was a dispute as to
whether as much yardage per mile
was removed on the federal aid as
on the county road. Figures on
removal OF dirt were compiled TO
ascertain for the committee later
whether this charge were true.
Johnson asserted no comparison
could be made between a blade
grader road built by counties and
federal aid roads. He presented
figures showing that blade grader
work done by counties for from $3.50
TO $500 mile had been done on
l,500 miles by the state as cheaply
as the counties did the work.
Resolutions Compared.
THE federal government will not
extend financial aid TO counties for
roads which can be built satisiac-
torily with bladc-gradcr." Johnson
explained. "The government aids
and demands compliance with speci-
fications on roads requiring difficult
engineering, solution OF bad drainage
problems and were heavy fills and
heavy work are necessary.
Johnson showed the committee
resolution passed recently by the
board asking for more federal aid
on one of its highways. He also
showed the committee a resolution
which was passed at a previous date
branding federal aid as extravagant
and demanding laws putting the
handling of all road money back to
the counties.
Nov gentlemen" said Johnson,
you all know that on your last
federal aid job you had an opportu-
nifty to bid and subcontract the work
or do it yourself and on the next
job you can do the same thing. II
you think private contractors are
getting too much put in your bid at
a lower figure at the next federal
aid letting and we'll give you the
opportunity OF doing this work
cheaper"
Probe Engineering Cost.
The engineering cost was delved
into. Johnson explained that the
state department couldn't or hadn't
exceeded the 5 per cent allowed by.
law. In some instances, one job
called for more than 5 per cent, as
much as IS per cent in certain jobs
and as low as per cent on others,
but his department was obliged to
come within the 5 per cent provision
on the average work.
Engineering in road building is
like architecture in house or store
building" Johnson said. "You
couldn't build good house without
an architect and you can't build
good road without an engineer"
Johnson presented figures which
he declared were compiled from
books Of the county clerk and coun-
ty treasurer. Johnson's figures
showed that in FIVE years taxpayers
had paid $247,554.l3 for county
roads and the county clerks books
showed where only $l5,146.43 Of
that amount had. been spent.
No Graft Suspected.
IF I had kept books like that
they'd had me in the psnitentiary,"
Johnson said.
Now is there anyone who be-
licves the contractor on this job
moved less yardage than he was paid
for" Representative Hohmeister
asked.
There was no reply.
OCNS Luluh tllC NOllllo oNk
price for yardage at the time of peak
prices was too much in this county,
he asked.
No reply.
DO you think there was any graft
or mismanagement," ne continued.
No." members OF the board re-
piled.
State First Aid.
Governor McKlevie asked w. 0.
Brown, member of the board OF
for 20 years, when the
first definite road building plan in
the county was inaugurated.
"When the state took hold of road
building and the government aid
started" Brown said.
"The county didn't do much be-
lore that along those lines?" the
governor asked.
Brown chuckled.
a.