The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-05-12
STATE GIVES
CONTRACTS TO
INDICTED Man
Highway Board Deals With
Contractor Accused of
Robbing 1t.
ROGERS NOW ON TRIAL
Many Large Awards Made
Despite Charges of
Checkoff Padding.
BY DANIEL NJ. KIDNEY

Hundreds Of thousands OF dollars
in state material and paving con-
tracts have been awarded Ralph
Rogers. Bloomington stone contrac-
tor, since he was indicted March Is,
1890, on conspiracy charges growing
out Of alleged looting of state high
way funds, through padded material
check offs, statehouse records dis
closed today.
So large and numerous were the
state contracts that Rogers took the
stand in his own defense in Mon
roe circuit court Monday and cited
the contracts as evidence of good
character.
A peculiar angle of the case is
the fact that Rogers is using two
state departments to defend him
self, while the case is being prose-
cuted by deputies from the Office Of
Acknowledgement James M. ogden.
Indicted, But Gets Business
The defendant in the Blooming
ton trial is a partner in the U. r.
Price Company, Bloomington. At the
contract letting Feb. "a, 1880, this
firm was awarded a $280,000 con-
tract for paving between Columbus
and North Vernon on State Road Z.
William j. Titus, chief engineer
of the state highway department,
who has charge of such contracts,
explained today that Rogers stone
is not being used for the work.
But the stone business With Rog-
ers has doomed since his indictment.
Department records show that
numerous large contracts have been
given him by the maintenance de-
partment, the very department out
of which the indictment grew.
Large Contracts Awarded
Some Of the more recent stone
contracts given Rogers by A. H.
Hinkle, maintenance superintend-
ent, are as follows:
March 26, 1881, $15,500 maximum;
Jan. 81, 1881, $4,000 maximum, and
Nov. 10, 1880. $4,000 maximum.
Director John j. Brown of the
department, when confronted with
the fact that Rogers was using these
contracts as an Endorsement in his
own defense, said that he had
nothing to 90 with it. The stone,
he said, was bought by Hinkle and
the indictment of Rogers and Will
liam E. Sayer, former maintenance
superintendent for the Bloomington
district, grew out of their alleged
padding of the material check-off
in 1928, before Brown became direc-
tor.
Had Best Bid
Purchase from Rogers, despite
the indictment, was upheld by
Brown, on the ground that Rogers
had the lowest and best bid" and
also is not guilty Of any misconduct
until convicted.
This view also was advanced by
Hinkle, under whom Sayer was en-
ployed. Hinkle also pointed out
that his was not the only branch
of the highway department doing
business with Rogers since the in
dictment was returned. He referred
to the construction department.
But even with the trial in prog
ress, another department has done
business with him by contracting
for stone, Rogers testified. This is
the state conservation department.
Director Richard Lieber of that
department today showed that
Rogers had been $4,000 low on a
$4,000 stone order for the Brown
county state park road. Rogers had
testified that the contract had been
signed, but Lieber's records show
that it has been signed only by
Rogers and not Lieber so far.
It was expected that it would be
signed today, as agreement was
reached and Rogers had filed his
certified check with conservation
department engineers.