The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-07-19
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ty matters and fail to find where 1T
was necessary to single out any partic-
ular county commissioner as a goat
or where all the verboSity was required
to appraise the public of the fact that
the range commissioners were buying
supplies and labor at home instead of
sending all orders to the Twin Cities.
1t is true, that several cents or dollars
can be saved by taking advantage OF
cut-throat bidding on the part of the
city SlickerS. The taxpayer should re-
joice over every dollar saved.
From a saving point of reasoning
this sounds swell. However, it will be
noticed that every dollar leaving any
community or county for supplies or
work that can be furnished at home,
never returns. With this thought also
comes the realization that If the local
wholesaler or laborer does not get the
dollar in return for his goods or labor,
it will be very short time when he
will be unable to meet his tax pay
mentS and rejoice over the dollar saw
ed. Contracts awarded to outside firms
cut the earning capacity of local sup
plyerS of goods and labor while every
dollar that remains at home goes from
Peter to Paul and pays first one then
another Could contracts be so worded
that local labor and supplies were
specified, it would not be so bad but
when big city contractors bid and Sc
cure a job at few cents less than the
local contractors it means that labor
will be imported from the big centers
at less than the home products Be-
sides losing the wages, the home man
is supposed to pay the taxes to pay the
imported help. ss.
Also, the city contractor with his
cheap labor recruited from the con-
gested city districts, makes more money
on his job and can well afford to bid
a few dollars less on his contract,
Where the local men receive 81 day
for common labor, plenty of men can
be hired in the city for from $3.50 to
$500 per day. His low bid is made up
in the first few days Of work after
which the balance increases the profit.
And, the dollar is sent cut of town.
The local man is forced to pay for the
bread and butter that is taken out OF
his mouth and the mouth of his family.
Is it any wonder that the range COM
miSsioners voted to give paving con-
tract to the local bidders instead OF
a Twin City firm even if the price was
several thousand more. The money
would have been spent locally and ev-
eryone would feel better.
There are several things in the re-
port that are good, or partly good.
One recommendation made was that
equipment such as material, supplies,
tools and machinery be purchased in
lots to. supply the seven districts and
that control be vested in the county
highway department instead OF indi-
Vidual commissioner districts. And
that's that. Each commissioner has a
problem of hls own and if he is any
kind of man he takes pride In solv-
ing his individual problems. This is
done with the assistance of the county
highway engineer and his colleagues
on the county board. Centralize this
activity under one head and the COM
missioner loses his identity and also
his pride in solving problems. Recent
proposals made and knocked into a
cooked hat were to appoint commits
sions for everything and in place OF
the county commissioner drawing one
salary we would have a plethora OF
commissions drawing multitude OF
salaries.
We may be wrong but it strikes US
that the districts who elect the COM
missioner to represent them in county
affairs would not be satisfied with
this method. It also strikes us that
this would mean monarchistic methods
of country government and the lost
identity of the commissioner. At the
next election put this matter up to the
people for a vote. Leave Duluth out
of the voting as that city does not
come under the jurisdiction of the
commissioners. It is safe to say, 1t
will never submitted as the big city
at the lower end of the county is con-
tinually working to dominate the sit
uation, not only In the matter OF
supplies but also in roads, taxes, etc.
This desire to dominate has become
so strong that the range towns are
talking county division as check to
the aspirations of the Zenith City. So
far the range towns have only talked.
Some day, and not so far away,
the range towns will act and then 1t
will be up to the legislature to grant
what is wanted. Some day, 1t Will
also be necessary to divide the state.
Should this happen the range county
would be one of the richest counties
in the new state. In this latter con-
nection we have a suggestion to make.
Cut the state in half on line between
Minneapolis and st. Paul. Make
Minneapolis the capital for the new
state of Superior-or Ely-and let the
lower state keep st. Paul as its CAPT.
tai (Some one pinched us and we
woke up0
1t certainly was pleasure on
Thursday to again meet with the old
timers on the Vermilion range. Every
year the ranks of those who blazed the
trail into this section are thinning
and it will not be long before they
will have passed. They will be gone
but not forgotten as long as the Old
Settlers Association keeps up its Gus
tom of meeting once year ana pay
ing tribute to the memory of those