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Show I , asphalt jssocihtii ISSUES STATEMENT . Takes Issue With Contractors as to Allegations Concerning Concern-ing Utah Material OTHER SIDE IS GIVEN Producers Say That Material Is High-class, and in I Abundance. ' Members o Hio Utah Rock Asphalt association object to the reports -which havo been circulated by contractors i "who are-' doing public improvement work in the city in which, tho statement has been mado that the homo product cannot can-not bo iad cither in sufficient quantity to mako tho work practicable, or of bu-v bu-v i flcient quality to mako it acceptable to the city engineers. A letter has been received by The Tribune in. which is v outlined the position of tho association, t. The communication follows: In your Issue of yesterday ap-puared ap-puared an article entitled, "Utah iz Rock Asphalt Said to Be Scarce:" I ' Your article, as written, gives a - wrong impression to tho public by leading them to believe the fault Hc3 with the owners of tho rock asphalt rather than with the contractors. In justice to the rock asphalt people, peo-ple, who have spent thousands of dollars In developing the properties and placing- the material on the mar-, mar-, ket, and who, as a result of their ef forts, have caused a big saving to the taxpayers by reducing the price of asphalt paving, wo ask you to give space to this letter. First There Is no scarcity of Utah rock asphnlt. The quantity exposed for quarrying quarry-ing In three of tho properties has been measured and estimated by wcll- " known, reputable engineers to amount to over one billion tons. Many of our prominent citizens and public officials have visited the properties and know from observation that vast quantities of the material exist, available for use. Second On April 10, . this year, shortly after the contracts for paving calling for Utah rock asphalt had been "granted, the Utah Rock Asphalt association, through Its secretary, wroto to the successful contractors suggesting that they get their orders In early so that there would be no delay. On July 3 following, a letter was addressed by the association to IIIIWW lllll MHI II II II HI MB III I I III W I H Mi Willi IH III I tho city commission calling attention to tho fact that no orders for the material had been given to any of tho rock asphalt owners, and that If any delay was caused through lack of promptness In giving orders tho blame should bo attached to tho contractors and not the owners of tho rock asphalt. as-phalt. We aro Informed that tho commissioner In chargo of the street department Immediately notified tho contractors to get tholr orders In promptly and that no excuse for do-lay do-lay on account of failure to get the material In time would bo accoptod If they failed to do so. Notwithstanding Notwith-standing this, one contractor failed to put in his order until It was actually actu-ally required and should have been on the work, which, however, being a comparatively small order, was soon filled. Awaiting Removal. It is still piled In tho contractor's con-tractor's yard, where it has been for several months. The other contractor con-tractor has never given a written order for tho material. Not until ho was almost ready for the material did ho take the matter up with any of the owners of rock asphalt, and then only verbally stated to one of the owners that he would need about 10,000 tons; that he would take some material then on hand (about, seven carloads). About two weeks later ho said to send on two or throe carloada a day. This order wan given verbally verbal-ly In an off-hand way. The loose and lndoflnlto manner In which the , order was given would Justify any business concern In refusing to comply com-ply with It unless tho verbal order Hhould have been confirmed In writing, writ-ing, which in this caso was never done, hut tho owners of the Rsphalt properties, knowing tho antagonistic attitude of somo of the contractors and their deslro to defeat the use of Utah rock asphalt, and that th public pub-lic generally ia prono to bo critical with new enterprises, accepted tho order in good faith and started to fill It and aro now doing so. If tho order or-der had been given to any ono of tho owners of rock asphalt at tho proper time, there would have been no delay in supplying it The rock asphalt business is nol like the con! or other similar business, busi-ness, which has thousands of customers cus-tomers and Is running continually; yet If an order for 10,000 tons were given a coal company today it would require as much time to fill tho order as has been taken by tho asphalt owners. There Is never mora than ono or two' customers for rock asphalt, as-phalt, and where, as In this case, there am a number of concerns to furnish the material, no one concern, using common business prudence, would be Justified In anticipating the order and have It ready for delivery, knowing that its competitor may got it and that its supply would romaln unsold indefinitely. The owners receiving re-ceiving the verbal order from tho contractor have acted promptly, and the material Is beginning to como in faster than tho contractor can use It. If tho contractor had waited as long before putting In his order for a foreign nsphalt, there would probably proba-bly havo boon no paving dono this season. Refers to Opposition. The public has lately witnessed tho bitter opposition that, tho Utah marble mar-ble and tho Utah granite concerns have met in their struggle to secure tho use of home material and to establish es-tablish what bids fair to bo two large Industries if thoy aro only encouraged. encour-aged. Those Interested in defeating the home product will probably seek to lay the blamo on these concerns for any delay which may occur in supplying sup-plying tho stone for the capltol building, notwithstanding they havo been ready and willing for months past to get ready to supply tho material. ma-terial. Many false implications and statements state-ments havo been spread broadcast by thoso seeking to defeat the use of Utah rock asphalt. "Wo havo not always al-ways attempted to meet these statements, state-ments, feeling that the public fairly well understood the situation,, but lately several articles havo been printed In tho newspapers and many statements havo been spread broadcast broad-cast that have caused inquiries to come In asking for a true explanation explana-tion of tho situation. Rock a'sphalt Is not an experiment by any means. Thero Is moro of it used in street paving than any other form of asphalt. Treated as It should bo, It is tho most perfect , form of asphalt paving. Contractors familiar with it are willing to give guarantees doublo tho usual time, knowing its great lasting qualities. Much Work Done. The Utah rock asphalt ownors havo been attempting for years to establish estab-lish this industry and If given tho proper support will do so. They havo met with bitter opposition, which has sometimes stopped at nothing to accomplish ac-complish its ends. If tho rock asphalt industry is encouraged, It, together with Incidental Industries connected therewith, will eventually becomo ono of tho largest homo industries in the state. In the past and at the present tlmo much of the opposition has como from sources where least expected; In other words, from people who should bo supporting and not knocking knock-ing a home industry. In somo cases where the opposition has been followed fol-lowed up an ulterior motive has been i 1 discovered; In other cases ignoranco of the true situation and tho habit of criticism has been tho source. All that wo ask of tho public In proper encouragement and, where i criticism is made, to either requlro tho person making it to prove his assertion, or ,lf tlmo permits, to make Inquiry regarding tho truth or falsity of It. Wo Invito investigation. Tho owners own-ers now supplying Utah rock asphalt for contracts now In forco extend tholr cordial Invitation to all interested in-terested to visit tho quarries and see for themselves; accommodations will ibe furnished free. If tho property ownors along the streets calling for Utah rock asphalt will agree on a competent engineer to visit tho properties prop-erties and report on them and tho question ,of supplying tho material, tho Utah Rock Asphalt association will pay tho expense. UTAH ROCK ASPHALT ASSOCIATION. ASSO-CIATION. By A. V. Taylor, President |