Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-02-20

ssvsss, Essey ~ seessasoa NJ ejetasos olsa0l
that i, cal, from Font 70. Third streets,
p,triouda' the Cbnneiits pave nat portion
Of said street 81 The expease % the owners
of Pr operty fronting on the same. The City
Eagine~f, acting undoubtedly in the very
best faith, made . contract therefor, under
The din ecfion Of the Council. Unfortunate
~ the person ~iti. whom he closed the
contract was wholly unfit for the perform
ace Of il, and before cne quarter Of the
work had been done, he succeeded, by an
estimate Of the City Engineer, in drawing
from the City Treasury . large amount OF
money and tLen abandoned the contract.
The property owners then declined to pay
mere money until the work was finished or
wac under such way as would insure its
completion 81 Al early day. Al the request
Of majority OF the property owners along
tina, street the wsrk was afterwards chang.
ed from grading to macadsmizihg. II 10
now let 10 NJ. k,nseiia, and from the
prompt and satisfactory manner 10 WHICH
he flashed hts contract on Front street, !:
10 believed that IN early spring the work
vail be completed. If the property OWNERS
along that street act fairly ant promptly, az
ae believe they will, the City will be able
10 close up this matter, bu, with loss Of
some $500 90, unIes, the same can be recov
cred from Mr. Phelps. The contract was
not made with Mr. Phelps as the ordinance
establishing the Office Of City Engineer re-
CURED. We ieel confident also that the
Cty EogInee' gave Mr.. Phelps larger Is
innate st the time he received his last order
on the Treasury, than he should have done.
BIT as has already been SAID, we think be
acted IN good faith and is only culpable for
a want Of care, but this one error should
be landmark for the guidance of ali future
officers The rule should be, that al con-
tractors FOR city work should be held to q
strict fuIillrnent " all contracts made with
the city, and IN TO case should they be al
| low d 10 receive Que cent from the Treasui Y
unless by the terms of The contract il 10
/ certainly due.
Again, wemus' condemn il the sti ongest
terms the paymen, by the Council OF the
twenty per c. ut retained to secure the per.
fotmahc, of the contract with Mr.. Mitchell
e.. lie grading and filling up OF the steam
boat landing. The city has now less secu
riiy fos The completion Of THAT work. II
h made a bad contract il was his own mis-.
fortune, the city was under no moral or
legal obligation 10 pay the amount appro'
ITla'ei until the work was completed. II
this Is 20 b. the rule of action, what will BE-
the certain result, Simply this, that when
the City makes Goop contract, IL will throw
away the beushis OF IT, and when it makes
q rooR one i, must submit 10 the loss. We
cannot understand the policy or justice OF
such a course. When work is advertised
every bidder must b. his own Judge Of the
cost and when the coatr act is thus fai.ly and
s''c' perforna nee.
There is also about Ss6,727 behind on
thf front street Improvement but with The
exception Of about $500 il Will be paid by
the time this report i. filed. We suggest the
ptoprlc'y Of ordering the Marshal 10 sci
the property Of all deI.nquen's at once ard
make The bAiance due Tie ,iIy a, the eaili
est possible moment.
i viii be seen thai we have received
s. 900 90. proceeds of sale OF 10 city bonds
OF lhp loan oi $4,000 90. This was mo &
particularly for accourt OF grading and fill
inr ont the stesmho u laod,n:. OF this SUN
only 81, 1871 % has been expended on ms
Improvement. The balanc. OF this sum,
saw 81. SO2 Oe, should sil be III the hands
% The CITY Treasurer, bni by the order OF
the Cdv Council II was PAID 1u' on The Ger
! ificat,s - H.. Street Commissioner. As
| soon ~ the GAL fuai is received from the
County Treasurer. il should not be used for
ordinary rurposss but n.iA and applied Ia
the comrlction OF this work.
In this co, nection your committee .esir'
TO speak % the RS snd manae ement OF the
Street Commas oner for the past wear.
We woul' 70. rNs-~o him win bad faith,
hut he has most c.rtaisly greatly transcen-
ded what lie shouid have considered whe'
err il be legally 20 or no') HIS powers. and
plunged the city inty an expense which
no eitv officer, acting carefully and ludici.
ously with reference 10 the interests
/ Of the CITY would have done. A lAIgs
amount of wor. certainly has been done on
the streets, more in all probability than te
fore TO three years, but il has not all beer
IL the proper places, nor The right KIN : oi
work, Besides. TO moro should have been
done th'n the money belonging to the Road
fund would IL. In view OF the manage
nel' 81 this fund not only fer the past yea
bu fer other years, your committee earnes
ly recommend the passage IT . stringent
ordinance which shall provide among othe'
things, for the making Of full report By
h- Street Commissioner every month; tina
no money excep, the poll tax be allowed
10 20 into his hands, that all road work b
| paid for as per monthly reror, of such com
missioner, by order Of the City Cornell
npon the Treasury, as in ell other cases
that lie shall be furnished with an annual
estimate BY the City Council Of the proba'
Bile amount Of the road fund tor that year
and making il penal for him TO issue orders
or road certificates in any case, and FOR in.
curing any liability Tor and in behalf OF
the city beyond the amount Of the estimate
so furnished.
The City has paid the past year 1851,
81, Interest exchange and commission on
the NJ Il M X r bonds of $4,000 90 and
have received no diviends on the stock.
We are informed By Mr. Cook one Of the
directors OF that Road, that there will
probably be a dividend of about 4 per cent
sometime this spring, but ais not vet
certain, Ihad the road has earned dividend
over and shove the current expenses but
the company has purchased large qaan,i'
| ties A. mateSinl Ear es snsa~ III road IN o.