The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-02-03
ROADS PROBE
IS WELCOMED,
SAYSENGINEER
Hopes it Will Extend to In
clude All Money Spent on
ROadwOrk
CLAIMS GOOD RECORD
Says Highway Commission
Figures Shows Lower Cost
OF Engineering in N. d.

Inc state highway commission Will
welcome the senate investigation pro-
vided in the Eastgate resolution "if
it is thorough, fair and impartial,
and extends down into the county
and township expenditures" w. II.
Robinson. chief engineer of the COM
mission, asserted today.
Such investigation, he declared,
would be of great value to the state,
"it will show just where the money
is spent on our roads,"
The highway commission spends
but 4 small part Of the money spent
on road work in the state, and has
supervision of but 4 small part of
the money expended, the chief engi-
neer explained.
Out of a total of $26,536,877.l5 of
county and township funds spent for
road building between 1921 and 1922
the highway commission expended
under their supervision but $2,976,-
SIT, or hut IL per cent of the total
amount. Mr.. Robinson declared
Total Expended.
The highway commission, he ex-
| planned only participated in road
work, when requested to do so by
the counties. OF the total of $780,
536, 6,877l5 levied for road fluids in
the five-vear period, the amounts
were divided, he said, as follows
county road, $9,753, ,OO3.35; county
bridge, s5,34s, ,462.79; township, road
and bridge fund, $l0,714,61s.65; city
town and village road fund, $780,
1926.
Cost of engineering and super
vision of work under the state high
way commission is less than in mos.
Estates, Mr.. Robinson asserted.
Cost of plans and surveys in Nortl
Dakota are S1l9 per mile on the ave.:
age, compared with $l37 per mile il
Montana: $3.50 in South Dakota ant
$185 in Minnesota, he declared.
Average cost of supervising al
classes Of construction in North Dsa
kota is 4.45 per cent of total cost
gravel roads, he declared, comparing
this to the following; Montana, eartl
7 per cent; gravel 5.93 per cent
South Dakota, earth, per cent
gravel, 5 per cent. Nebraska, 10 pei
cent; gravel, per cent. Indiana, al
classes, 4.22 per cent. Kansas, earti
7.8 per cent.
States which are building chief!
concrete roads may show a love-
cost, he said, explaining that "th'
niger the class of construction th'
lower the cost percentage of super
vision due to the greatly increased
amount expended per mile for sucl
types"
Pays Own Way.
Two-thirds of the money spent b!
the equipment section of the stat
highway department was earne'
within itself, according to H. O
Wray Of the highway department
} During it's short existence, he says
the equipment section earned $241,
406. It did this when it found it
self faced with a shortage Of fund
which meant loss of all the equip
ment offered by the federal govern
ment, he adds. :.
The earnings were made by :cceiv
ing, repairing and distributing 81,
zoo, 900 in value of trucks, tractor
! and other tools to counties and stat
} institutions; by gravelling 25 r,ile
of road and whatever other odd JOB
, it could find, Mr.. Wray says.
, He also refers to the Missouri
river Bismarck -Mandan bridge as tn
t largest single federal aid projec
completed in the United States t
date.