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About The Alliance herald. (Alliance, Box Butte County, Neb.) 1902-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 27, 1921)
TWO XJht Alltanrr Hrralb TUESDAY AND FRIDAY BURR PRINTING CO., Owaeri Entered at the postoffice at Alliance, Keb,, for transportation through the tails aj second class matter. - GKORGE L. BURR, Jr. Editor EDWIN M. BURR Business Mgr. t Official newspaper of the City of Alliance; official newspaper of Box Batt County. I Owned and published by The Burr, Prlotinff Company, George L. Burr, Jr President; Edwin 1L Burr, Vic President SAVING THE STATE'S MONEY. The announcement Is made at Lin coin that no general contract for the construction of the new state cnpitol "will be awarded, but that the state capitol commission will itelf super vise the work, and thereby effect a Having of at least 10 per cent George E. Johnson, secretary of public works, vand the grand poo-bah as regards the location of state and federal aid roads, la also the secretary of the state capi tol commission, and the chances are that he will be in charge of capitol construction. The estimated saving through the tse of Mr. Johnson is given at a quar ter of a million dollars. But it is ex tremely improbable, judging by the estimates of the cost of roads, whether there will be any saving at all after the capitol is completed and the bills re paid. Mr. Johnson is an estimable man, and one who takes the duties of his office seriously, but somehow or ether, it costs plenty of money to build permanent roads in Nebraska. The fault, Is due, in, great part, to federal officials. It may be that Mr. Johnson, in building the capitol, will cut out a lot of red tape, but habit is , strong within most of us, and the pub lie works secretary has never given any indication that he is a superman. The fellow who bosses the biggest con struction job in the history of Nebras ka will need to he a superman if he is , going to save any great amount of money at it. "A week or two ago, the county Clerks and commissioners met at Om ttha in annual convention. At this meeting there were a number of rpeeches. Mr. Johnson made one, and o did several other state officers, The speeches by the hoadliners and Thursday il THE JOE BREN those who spoke highly of state offi cials were reported by the state dailies at considerable length. But there were a few speeches made by some of the commissioners which received about two inches in the writeups. Among these was a calk by a commissioner from Cherry county. The Cherry county mandidn't i-peak about the wonderful assets that good roads are to the community. He didn't spread any salve at nil. There was something on his chest and he proceeded to get rid of it. -The presid ing officers of the convention attempt ed at least four times to stop him, but without success. The Cherry county man told of actual experiences in building roads, and of the unnecessary expense cause to his people by the state highway department. Cherry county planned a twenty four mile strip of state and federal aid road. The estimated cost was around $200,000. Actually the road has cost over twice that amount, in exces of $400,000, with some county money in addition. The state first sent out a middle aged man as supervisor. He was an old Union Pacific engineer, who knew his business thoroughly and while he waa on the job there wa3 plenty of progress. This engineer wns pulled off, and taken to Lincoln, and a twenty-year-old boy placed in charge. After some months of construction work, another twenty-year-old youth appeared. He announced that he was the federal representative. He asked the commissioners to drive him over the project. "I'm the lather,'' he told them, "I'm going to lath this road." Lathing consisted of driving over the route and sticking clown a lath every mile. ."Some day," the federal repre sentative said, "there'll be a milestone where I put these lath." The commis sioners told him that the mileposts were all prepared and the party would jusfas well set them while they were at it "I'm paid for doing this work," the youthful expert said, "and 111 do it my way." The road was not fenced and by morning cattle had rubbed down most of the lath. The expert, the Cherry county man said, was a most pleasing lad. He got out. and opened gates for the party. In every instance he managed to shut the gate so that he was on the wrong side, and each time cnlmly crawled through the fence. This road was lathed three times, according to the commissioner who told the story. On this twenty-four mile strip was a bridge across the Niobrara. This bridge was elated for a cement foun A imeneaia UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE JOE BREN PRODUCTION CO., OP CHICAGO, AT THE IMPERIAL THEATRE aiiit8xit;iiiixtiii-iii:iiii:tiiiitiiMHiiTi:ii:tiiniinii:ttriTn-tntimiit:mniTTTr 5 0-ALLIANCE PEOPLE-50 25-PRETTY GIRLS--25 CO. ARE THE PEOPLE THIS WILL BE THE ALLIANCE,' HERALD, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1921. dation. Another federal expert came along and this fellow was a sand man. He had a little sieve apparatus and after testing the sand announced it wouldn't do. The sand was used, de spite his expert opinion, the contrac tors simply using more cement and getting the right results. The Cherry county man said that a portion of the roadbed was listed as rock, and the excavators drew a larger price for working in it The state fur nished T, N. T. for blasting purposes. When the supply ran out, the commis sioners said that this "rock" had leen always moved with team and plow, and ! so the contractors used this means, ' but drew the higher price for it Clay was moved at 80 cents a yard; but the price for moving "rock" was $2.80. These are some of the facts that the Cherry county man told to the county officers in convention, according to men who Were there and heard him. The same man who is a part of the involved system that makes road build ing ro expensive, is going to save the state money on its capitol. Maybe so, but the Cherry county man is from Missouri, and there are a lot of others. It's just barely possible that the state might save money by letting this size job out to responsible contractors and holding them to it , TELEPHONE RATES ' The Northwestern' Bell Telephone company, which has, from time to time during the past few months, ap peared before the state railway com mission and received permission to hike rates to phone users, is running up against a snag in its latest efforts. From' all over the state, from civic organizations and plain consumers, there is a loud protest against further increases for this monopoly. Aside from the fact that the Amer ican Telephone & Telegraph company, its owner, is paying 9 per cent divi dends, there is a general feeling that it is about time for the state to quit guaranteeing returns to large corpora tions, especially at a time when tni vate individuals ore drawing smaller wages, if they are fortunate enough to be holding a job' at all, and when the owners of smaller businesses are glad to break even,, let alone show a profit on the investment The telephone company makes the point that if it cannot show a rea-, sonable return on the investment, it will be imDOssible to draw new capi- f ,tal into the enterprise, to provide for J needed improvements and extension of DON'T FAIL TO SEE o Mies A MINSTREL SHOW AND MUSICAL COMEDY, GIVEN O and Friday, Jan. 5 and 6 WHO PUT ON THE ELKS SHOW LAST YEAR WITH SUCH EVEN BETTER. EVERYTHING NEW, SO DON'T MISS IT. its, facilities. The objectors, for the most part, are concerned with noth ing but the undeniable fact that the service is costing more than it is worth. Independent companies over the state are able to furnish adequate sen-ice at a lower cost, and the aver age man cannot see why a huge con cern, which should be able to buy cheaper, should not also be able to sell cheaper. The railway commission has here tofore shown a decided willingness to grant the requests pf the Northwest ern Bell Telephone company. . Here tofore, however, the protests have been spasmodic and from quarters which did not count much. This time the commission will have no doubt as to the desires of the public for lower prices, and if, in the face of such a widespread sentiment, another in crease, however slight, is authorized, the public will be heard from and in no unmistakeable terms. Already prospective candidates for next year's, elections are saying harsh things of the railway commission, and it won't take much to crystallize sentiment. Any time that servants of the people undertake to become masters, it's a call for action. . THE WAY OF THE SLICKER. New tricks are developing rapidly these days, when the lush times of easy money is a thing of the past It's harder to get men to loosen, up with the co'n, and the confidence men are driven to use their wits more and more. y ? A New York da-ly newspaper tells of a recent stunt to put over sales of oil stock. Of oil stock salesmen there is no end, and each new crop seems to be more ingenious than the one that preceded it. The article is of value to Herald readers in two ways. In the first place, it shows that chambers of commerce are constantly on the watch to protect the interest of members; secondly, it goes to prove that high grade printed matter has a big value in helring to put the message across. The details follow: Chambers of Commerce rot only have their work to do, but they have to stand constant guard against pre tenders of every variety, including, usurpers who, with the aid of a ' printer, manufacture a chamber of of commerce out of paper, ink, and thin air. ' I The trick is easy. A good printing job is preferable, of course, on the assumption that a letterhead, if of sufficient quality, will almost carry conviction of its own strength and without a letter typed below. To bel TT of Legion t:iiiini::iiiiitmiir::t-.nnmiiiiin t sure, a letter is usually added as a means of conveying the special mes sage which the letterhead is expected to carry home. A recent example,! written as from one secretary to an- other, offers a wonderful chance to "shoot a few dollars with us" in the everlasting hunt for oil, with the' chance so little emphasis is placen upon the element of chance that it seems pretty close to a certainty that dividends will be paid at a rate of 300 per cent a month. A LIMIT TO SENTIMENT. Sentiment is a wonderful thing, but it seems that it can be carried to too great lengths. . Ever since in the crucial days of the war, Colonel John McRae wrote the poem about the poppie3 in Flanders fields, those who have read it have thrilled to the men tion of the very word. Poppies have been manufactured of silk and sold to help the disabled. The poppy is the emblem of half a dozen war organiza tions. And a beautiful emblem it is, too, carrying with it memories that thousands of men would love to have. But there are limits to sentiment, even over so beautiful a flower as the poppy, with all its significance in the world war. The limit has been reached in New Jersey, where the Sentimental ist brigade transplanted thousands of poppies from the Flanders fields. The flowers grew and multiplied in the unsightly spots in New Jersey, and the farmers living near the dump heaps, together with the city people in their cars, both street and motor, thrilled to the sight of them. The trouble with the New Jersey poppy fields is Jhat they spread too fast, and instead of beautifying barren spots, are now threatening to overrun good land as well as bad. The federal horticultural board has declared the poppy to be a pest, and has ordered them plowed under so deep that they'll never rise again. Of course, there is danger that the sentimentalists will arise and clamor against their destruc tion, but it isn't likely that they'll get very far. O NOBLE JUDGE. District Judge A. C. Wakeley of Omaha has done an unprecedented thing, and it remains only to be seen whether he will get away with it. In a suit brought before him by a com mon law, wife, 'in which she asked a divorce, alimony and uncovered a lot of rather sordid details, Judge Wake ley has entered an order which will enforce silence upon her. The case was settled out of court, BY THE O at. where all such cases should be settlerL In a decree, Judge Wakeley dismissed the petition, abrogated the alleged! marriage and enteral a decree in which the woman. U required to for ever keep secret airy letters she majr have received; refraini from, annoying? or interfering in any way with her al leged former husband; not try to talk;, or communicate with him in any man ner; and, last but by na means ensf must never repent to anyone the charges contained; in her original par tition. The woman's attorney says that hee believes she wilT live, up to the termsi of the decree. Should." she talk, it willl , be a case of contempt of court. But if a mere court order ean secure all these" things, then Judge Wakeley deserves the credit of a suffering world. He has Bolved the unsolvable; he has screwed the inscrutable. Wouldn't the world be happier and! a better place to live if all the folks like Clara Hamon, Harry Thaw's wife the principals in the Stillman mess,. Mrs. .Obcnchain and others could be effectually corked after all the excite ment is over? GOOD USE IS MADE OF STATE AID FUND LINCOLN The state aid fund ad ministered in the legion for needy ex service men is needed. Four cases have been observed in Lincoln in. which the applicants have had their claims in federal bureaucrats' hands for months, but have been put off fromi lime lo ume wiuie uio iiccu icinaiiipu.. An ex-service man working in the Burlington roundhouse developed' tuberculosis and was "flat on hi3; back"' when the aid fund reached nim. . He was given $9G of the state fund! and is to receive $48 a month in com pensation. He was sent to New Mex ico. Another man who had been trjing; for six months to get compensation will be given $50 within two months from the state fund One other case is similar. A fourth man,' ill with heart trou ble, will receive $20 a month for his wife to purchase the necessaries of life. Twenty-eight claims in the state have been allowed in December. F. B. O'Connell, state adjutant for iho legion, says that the state aid fund is peculiarly valuable to ex-service mens in these times of scarce money and' cold weather. If only what is beautiful and attrac tive is wicked, then the average girl1 with bobbed hair must be credited with. an, almost painful amount of right eousness. Wireless music has been provided!' for passengers on an ocean liner. One advantage of this scheme is that there is nobody to tip. 1 i a l T . L. .1 : i GREAT SUCCESS.