, 1877-01-28
HOGAN.
What His Plumbing Has Cost the
County.
A Charge Of Is Per Cent More than
Equally Competent Men.
Excuses for This Orercllarge, and for
Giving Him All the County
Work.
a Comparison Of Items in Hogan's Bill
with the Regular Charges.

A Comparison Of Items in Hogan's Bi
with the Regular Charges.
Last week one OF the bills Of Joe Hogan, th
County Plumber, was presented to the Com
mittee OF the County Board to be passed npou
and objection was made to 1t on the grount
that the charges we're excessive, hogan not hay
ing allowed the county the benefit OF the deduc
ton from the Hst-prices of lead-pipe, etc., Sc
cured by him. The result was that the Com
mittce failed to approve the bill, and specia
committee has been appointed, which will meei
this week, for the purpose OF investigating ant
passing upon the subject
IT IS NOT THE FRsr TINE
that complaints have been made, both regarding
Mr. Hogan's charges and the practical mo.
nopo]E OF the plumbing, gas-htting, and steam
hitting work which he has enjoyed since the
close OF 1872. The Grand Jury for the May
term o1 last year investigated the matter, and,
while unable to find any fraud, they reported
HAT, in their opinion, the prices we're far beyond
what they should be, and that things looked
badly, though there WAS no proof Of crminality.
The records OF the County Board show
that since the beginning of 1873
that il, since the County Board
began to slip away from the economic and hon.
est administration which marked its earlier his
tory-Hogan has been the sole and only person
who could get any Of the plumbing and gas
hitting TorK which the county had to do. Dur.
ing that time he has done the work at the
Insane Asylum, the old and new Hospitals, at
the county's part Of The City-Hall Building.
at the Jail and Criminal Court Building, and
wherever else work was to be done From the
close of ls72 to December, 1875, he
One Of the notable features Of this Is, that,
~ltn pnt lew exceptions, amounting to perhaps
IN all $4,000, the work has been done By the day.
NO PROPOSALS. HAVE BEEN INVITED.
no other firms, although there are many In |
the CITY rlralfng Hogan's in character and |
MEANS we're invited to state the prices for -!
which they would do the work. In the few in
stances where bids had been asked for. hy hoo,
or by crook Hogan has managed to secure the
work. There has been no break during the last
four years in bis uninterrupted chain Of trans |
actions with the county.
In yiew Of this constant emplorment IN h;a
part, there is possibly natural jealousy on the
part Of other firms at seeing themselves deprived
OF share in the public work aud the whole Of
II E!en TO rival hr1n. It is therefore ncces-
sarF in dealing with subject Of this Lind to
eliminate the possible influence of rivalry and to
oscertsln not what the opinions OF one or two !
>. y.oompetltors may be, but the practice Of the
trade. and what they would do as body in deal
ing with and charging for work similar to that ;
Which hogan has been in the habit OF handling
SINCE JULT, 1915,
hogan mas been paid for work done in the way :
o. plnmone, gas-dttlng, and sttam-fittinr 1t | =
the new County Hospital bills amounting to | :
SAol5, the last OF them having been approved ! :
NoE IS Of last year. There arc still few y
more to be rendered before the work on thu :
building is completed, which viii carry the total
cost up 70 the rather alarming aggregate of u
S30.00o All Of these bills have been copied by q
u iRInGSE reporter, and have been submitted ~ ~
1mous declaration is that Hogan has not maae the
county the proper allowance for the deduction u
whlsh ne gets from the listprices Of materials "
useo, 1nat |hle nc gets deduction OF 45 or 50 -
Per cent, he has allowed the county only Is or Il
Is per cent, while all other men are in tic habit ii
9; allowing Is or 10 per cent The response Of e;
fhe County Commissioners to this is, that Mr. u u
other men, that he has thrown SO much 6deiity tt
ana zeal into it, that it is better to 4,
pay extra prices on account Of the much 4 4
masns % proysn wo1f fbat so1 Hogtns 1t is By ne
plumbing stand the test Of time any better ~
than the work Of other men in the same business ~
an examination OF the bills on file in the Coun- IL
ty Board would show number rendered he VI
Mr. Hogan for repairing and keeping in order a. a.
work done By himself He is steadi1y employ th
eo at certain sum per month to make reT1a1s III III
n N certain lnstltutions,-rcpairs which would Ii
not be needed had the work been douc in The 49,
nrst place IN proper manner. 1T is also the "
UNANIMOUS OPINION OF THE EXPERTS NC
tnat there has been fraud in the plumbing at '
49, ~ oountf nosp4tal-NAlcn neither they nor ~ ~
ahy one else charTe-it has been donp IN fLo an
ray OF making bills for more ,nofor;aI +h, lo pei
ol.e Au4u!sueo. In order to determine | -
Huetnei an3 Lu1ng OIL Ills sort has hapurna1 II 1ot
i 1nquestioued Character VIZ q tuan Th
in none of tbese corntr wno nas been b
nac;fnati S .1 a!5 ou!lu1u5 Win the architects
,ta+;o ~ e., aou es1..liale, ana make the COM .,
~ tne 4udutlty OIL lead and iron ppc 81 -!
~ eount LIE number OF elbows, tees efe 40
men M nave been supplied, and then make the I
een rendered and apnrored ors - mncn nave ers
, thls E1nd comes within the PROVINCE of ths. but
boaTu and can be made by il without an, tina
l11lcQltT, While ia 1r1s