The daily gazette., 1875-02-22
SECOND EDITION
For Me GazetLe.
CITY Work vs.. Contract work. .


In our last letter we maintained that
the building of the basin by contract
would be a saving of from $15 TO $780,
600 to the city, should the difference
in favor Of the above system be $780,
600 it would not surprise us, for we
know that labor on any public i'm
provement, as q general rule is paid
for at high price VIII lie under the
control Of the peoples corporation, for
the people determine TO furnish only
time not labor, for the money dis
bursed, each one claims that as the
city proposes to expend certain sum
for the construction of particular i'm
provement each tax payer or inhabi-
tant is entitled to his share OF the dis.
bursement-and the very fact of hay
ing his name placed upon the time
roll gives him the key to the trea-
sury.
Let US in order 10 illustrate, cite
case--iu 1878, the aqueduct from
SENECA Falls, to Washington, D. c.,
was built ia order to supply the in.
habitants of Washington and George
town, with pure wholesome water, the
solons of the nation also coming in for
their share of the improved beverage
the best engineering skill of the coun-
try was called into service, and the
whole distance II miles of main, in
cluding receiving and distributing
reservoir, was constructed by contract
iv-that part of the work inside of the
limits of the two cities was reserved
for the benefit of the Inhabitants and
was constructed under the immediate
supervision Of the powers that be and
was kept as q pasture field, for the
hackneys Of both political parties who
could find senator or member of con-
gress to let down the bars, and allow
them ingress.
That portion built by contract, was
surveyed examined and criticised each
day by the engineers, and either pas
ed as substantial, or condemned az in
!, secure, and ordered to be brought to
the proper standard; the consequence
was that the contract portion of the
work built at the small cost of less than
$500, 900, stands to day the most sub
stantial piece of art In modern times
that portion within the city limits al
. though began long prior to the bal
lance was unfinished until the matter
gained public notoriety, and the gov.
arnment ordered the work to be
brought to close by placing the later
under control of some of the engineers
who had control of the contract of the
upper works.
In the construction Of the "Cold
Spring Reservoir" ii the City Coun-
ell will resolve itself into committee
of the whole; advertise in all the city
papers, for proposals take supreme pow
er reserve the right to accept, or reject
all bids, also the same right as to ac-
cepting the contract when finished
holding in their hands enough of the
contractors fund to let him (or thcm)
know that business is meant,
In tho meantime your chief engineer
and surveyor III. c. Uonwell who is g
! graduate of Yale college and second
to none in his profession can be the in
strumcnt through councilto keep guarC
over tho city's interests and who will
, prohibit all shams and reject all work
not up to the standard adopted do thi
first casting aside all political consid
+, erations) and instead of this job beint
as now q huge shuttlecock it will whel
finished be lasting monument to tn,
honesty and economy of our present
= city government TAX PAYERS.