The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-03-05
LEGISLATURE SPEEDS TO CLOSE
THAT HIGHWAY COMMISSION REPORT

Whether the legislature acts favoraby otherwise
the majority report of the legislative committee which has
administration enough has been shown to indicate the
sty for complete change policies and business methods
Its findings untnged by malice vituperation. They
can be briefly summarized:
First:-Great losses have been sustained in the hand
ling of war surplus materials, not only by the present but
previous highway administrations The the state gets
out of handling junk the better No complete inventory
found of the states property valued than $1oO0Oo
mobiles in the of 500 or more and their value for
department service for sale placed low $780, for in
stance the Cadillac placed at the disposal of T. R. Atkinson
Recommendations this head merely busnesslke
Methods Of handling the surplus materials loose
that will take great amount of legislative white wash to
cover up the defects in such policy
Second: stricter methods should be followed in the
handling of road contracts Careessness is found has
OF public interest has been shown in fixing the value of
tras claimed by contractors to be outside their contracts
The Rchand county project in which Twche involved
seems to be the outstanding example No couson fraud
found merely loose business methods and Indifferent
checking Not political finding surely but good sound
business suggestion that state department should well
Thrd-The committee finds that Mr.. Blacks testimony
concerning comparison concrete specifications on the Man
dan job and proposed Bismarck to Penenary job was
continuous attempt to misead and confuse the commit
majority committee report finds that the subgrade required
in the Bismarck to Pententary proposed paved highway
tcay equal that of the soft type because it has
to be of value the type of concrete used
the andan road 1t generally conceded that the Spec
atons used for the Mandan paving had been used in call
ing bids for the Bismarck to Petentary road $4,000
or more cheaper bid could have been obtained Surely the
legislature wants open and competitive bidding state
highways and ample opportunity given for each class of
paving to stand it's merits. The Black specifca
tons the committee finds did not give the strictly concrete
type any show against the bitulithc.
Fourth:-1t has been found by the majority committee
that engineering services be performed much cheaper by
the highway commissions engineers and that the plan
of farming OUT the work to favored engineers in private
practice should be discontinued Merely an economical
suggestion fully proved by the facts which have been known
little stretch of the Mandan paving for instance On this
road e. r. Griffin Blacks former partner paid $7004Ol
The cost of surveying the few miles ST..
867.60; designing $246.03 and some $4,S9O.38 for
supervision All this work done within easy of
the highway departments main office at Bismarck The
committee is justified in the following finding:
1T peculiar to this committee that of the
engineers at the capitol could not have spared sufficient
time to have supervised this job and saved the
state the of $4,89O.38"
No political angle should befudde the legislature in ref
to these cold facts They will not escape the axpay
of the state regardless of the action of any legislator who
may may not have had the of highway commission
trucks and secured other avors from the commission
The report shows that Black farmed out in 1924 the
gineerng work 498.71 miles of state highway work
follows:
Engineer Miles
Dakota Engineering Company of Valley City 9o2s
T. r. Atkinson ..... -. Observation-Disclosures. . 1868
f. J. Thomas Observation-Disclosures. 4122
H. H. Pike Observation-Disclosures. 5000
H. H. Hurning Observation-Disclosures. $3.50
E. r. Griffin. Observation-Disclosures. BOTS
Stevenson, Miller & Lucke ke................... 1874
ingram q OInlIn ll1o'