All roads, after a careful survey and proper advertisement, 

 will be let to the lowest bidder who will give the proper bonds 

 assuring the county and the State Highway Commission that 

 the work will, be done satisfactorily, and in accordance with 

 the plans and specifications of the State Highway Commis- 

 sion. 



It is expected under this plan of procedure to interest large 

 contractors who have the proper machinery and equipment 

 of every kind for grading and building roads, thereby saving 

 the county under our present plan of building roads from 33 % 

 to 50 per cent. The time has passed when the farmer de- 

 sires to work on the road, as he can make more money by 

 attending to his farm duties, and the man of large experience 

 with proper machinery can do the work for from one-third 

 to one-half of what it will cost the farmer to do the same 

 work. 



Then, too, the large contractor with his heavy machinery 

 traveling over the road while it is being built, will be able to 

 roll down a new road so that when completed, it will be as 

 compact and as good for travel and heavy hauling as an old 

 road. This has already been demonstrated under the provi- 

 sions of the Elwell law in Winona county where the first con- 

 tracts were let for practically $116,000. The contractors have 

 demonstrated that they can haul, with their up-to-date ma- 

 chinery, gravel and road material for from ten cents to thir- 

 teen cents per yard per mile, when the hauling from the same 

 pits .and under like conditions costs from thirty-five to fifty 

 cents to* haul with teams. 



The large contractor has the advantage of using his heavy 

 machinery 23 MJ hours out of 24 each day without crippling the 

 efficiency of his plant; and where all of the material is han- 

 dled with steam shovels, and wide-tired wagons with self- 

 dumps, it can readily be seen it is easy to do this work for 

 from one-third to one-half the ordinary cost and yet be able 

 to pay his men who do the work large enough wages to sat- 

 isfy them and to insure their earnest and faithful co-operatioij 

 in completing the work. 



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