The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-03-01

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ment; authority was not centered
administration expenses were inor-
dinately high; too much maintenance
was charged to construction on the
subterfuge Of reconstruction; the de-
partment did not keep records on
whereabouts and condition Of equip.
ment and that the whole program
was reaching . stage of financial
deadlock and bankruptcy due to the
mounting costs Of maintenance leav-
ing too little money for further con-
struction, while federal, aid used on
bridges still further, decreased the
construction resources Of the depart
ment.
1T shows" he said, "under the
present system the highway depart
ment is nearing a complete financial
flop"
The senator said the department
was oversupervised and overengin-
eered. He cited enginec mwmghwmw
$4,000 as evidence of his conten-
ton. Just as much engineering could
be obtained on two-thirds of that, he
said. Meals and hotel room expenses
Of $4,000 he said was too much.
One district engineer had expenses
OF 5000, while another got through
on $l,10O.
The senator criticised the fact that
the department is 1900 miles behind
on crawling, which means, he said,
that the graded links will deterior-
ate and will require reshaping, add
ing still more drain on funds for
maintenance.
One way out, he suggested, would
be to cut about 1000 miles off of the
7,5OO-mile program. North Dakota
was trying to do more than Minne-
sofa despite Minnesota's $17,OOO,O 900
budget.
Faces 100000 Deficit
The senator said the department
hardly would have more than $685.
600 available this year for construc-
ton and that, with federal aid
matching this, it would be able to
build about 200 miles of road. When
the final 500 miles of the program
are completed, the department will
be in the hole $4,000, 900, he said.
The department as conducted, the
senator asserted, is a buck-passing
organization. Callers are sent from
one functionary to another when
they have business with the COM
mission. Eighty per cent Of the time
Of the commissioners is taken with
delegations and callers, giving them
that much less time to keep in touch
with their department business.
Staff men sit about with feet on
desks, waiting for orders from SD
periors, the office girls are busy
talking over the night before, while
it takes two boys to deliver a letter.
Some Of this sort of administration
has cost $21, 1878, while, in his opin-
ion, a $1,000 clerk could have rem
dered the same service.
Commissioner Moe said he was OPP
posed to the bill because North Da-
kota had no Babcock (one-man COM
mission in Minnesota and he didn't
think the state could get a high
grade executive commissioner for
the salary Of $4,000 named in the bill.
A man might be developed in two
years and then it might be wise to
slider such bill.
Says $4,000 Too Small
Myhre said that the $4,000 ap-
provided for administra-
ton of the department would not
be sufficient. The department has
been using $177,750. He reduced this
to percentages by itemizing the uses
for administration, construction,
and other purposes,
none of the percentages running
above 2.6 per cent. This was low
overhead, he held.
As to the report that the depart
ment was using 300 cars, he said
that was an cxaggeration. The de-
partment has 20 car licenses only.
Some of the staff men use their own
cars and charge 10 cents a mile trav-
FL expense. Whether this was cheap
sr or higher than using department
cars with no mileage charge he could
not tell.
As one means to economy, the en-
rineer favored combining the posts
of chief engineer and secretary.
O'Neil took up the charge Of ex-
,essive costs per mile Of moving
dirt. He said If this were calculated
On yardage basis, the average cost
would be found to be 29.6 cents,
while in Minnesota it was 81 cents.
He could not give the comparison
with South Dakota, where Senator
Bonner said the terrain was similar
10 this state and where moving dirt
vas done at about four cents q yard
over than here.
Says Department Efficient
s. r. STARTS gave q general APP
prevail to the North Dakota commits
lion, saying it was as efficient as
hose IN the other states Of the Min
leapolis federal highways district.
North Dakota heads all the states Of
he district in mileage Of highways
to higher grade, he said. It
s the third state in highway eff
:iency, he added, while thirtieth in
resources for highway building and
Moe attacked figures from the re-
lort Of J. ]. Ermatineer, secretary
Il the commission, which Bonner cit
ID. He said that this report had not
ret bsen accepted by the commission.
3onser charged inefficiency in the
department. 4 its report could not be
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