Omaha daily bee., 1922-04-18
Missing State Highway
Field Notebook Found
tCsatiaued Prem r.ss oss,l

Atohtihurd bto" tsao ossi
right that Mr., Eppsrson tell where
he got H." said Senator u, h,
I Bushee,
The governor said the committee
i pressed ioF time. but would Sc
into that later.
Epperson jumped 10 his feet.
Refuses TO Tell.
II told the man who gave NE the
book would not tell where ! go,
Il, providing no one accused me OF
stealing H." Rpperson said.
Az the FIRST hearing OF the road
investigation committee iour weeks
ago, 7, W, Hamilton. engineer em-
ployed by the state department. ap-
peared and stated that while he was
supervising work on Project No. 20
IL Douglas county. he saw the con-
tractor making excavations different
from those called Tor in the field
notebook,
Asked 10 produce the notebook.
he said he had turned j, over to
Johnson's Office.
JpiNe'H naih HN Elah Hpls
Johnson Accuses Hamilton.
Johnson told the committee he
learned that Hamilton had mailed il
out OF the state, and said that in order
TO recover the notebook he delegated
a man who knew Hamilton. met him.
told Hamilton he was sore" at
Johnson and worined from Hamilton
the fact that Epperson & Marsh go,
the book.
Johnson also has charged tha, the
cement trust, angered because he led
4 boycott on cement until the price
fell. had. according TO his infornia-
ton. put man i'll their employ on
lohnSon's payroll TO get something"
on him and he said he believed Ham
.l,on's charge is the result.
Johnson admitted that in Clay
county, which is governed by the old
supervisor system. with seven men
sitting on the board. there had been
a seeming unending friction between
the board and II. A. Sheets. county
engineer. and state engineers. Il
have sent six men to this job down
here in an cndcavor TO find someone
who could get along with some Of
the supervisors" Johnson said.
These men had no difficulty with
any other county board"
, Refutation OF Costs Made.
Epperson has spoken often OF a
county road constructed with a blade
grader for Sl37, against state roads
built in the same way at nine times
.hs cost. Johnson admitted the first
work done by the county cost only
Sl57 a mile, but before it came UP to
standard specifications which the
supervisors by contract agreed to
bring it to. the road cost $3.50 mile.
Johnson also charged that when it
came TO the hilly. difficult stretches
the county was waiting for the state
TO supervise and build the roads. 1t
was not disputed.
Complaint OF one supervisor was
that state engineers constantly
changed grade stakes on the road he
worked on. Johnson denied original
stakes were changed and explained
stakes once put in had been replaced
because work wasn't up to specihca-
tions. However, Johnson pointed out
that eight miles Of county contract
work done by other supervisors had
met specifications and were approved
by the state. +.
Johnson declared that one county
job failed to meet specifications for
three years. So the state last sum-
mer put gang Of convic,s on the
road under competent supervision
and specifications were complied
with in four weeks.
Sidesteps Davis Query.
Attorney General Davis asked the
board if it cared to discontinue the
building Of state and federal aid
highways and return to the old coun.
ty system. The board declined to
80 on record.
The supervisors failed to present