Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-05-12
PROMPT ACTION TAKEN.

l PROMPT ACTION TAKEN. i The Water Committee VIII Insist That 1 Contractor Gaffney Employ Home Labor | The Dam to be Built According to the Original Specifications.
 At the meeting of the committee on ad- i ditional water supply last night there were present Messrs Rice, Wade, Cairns. Daly, l Burpee, Kelley, Fitzpatrick and Barlow, Mayor Kiiduff presided.
 | Bids were received for few castings for use at the dam, as follows: G. s. Scovill, SSS. .75; Farrel foundry, S160. The con- tract was awarded to G. s. Scovill.
 It was voted to pay to C.. E. Newell the sum of $56 for gravel to be used fer cover ing of pipe.
 Here there was a pause for few mo- ments. Finally the mayor said he wished to explain to the board that he had been called upon during the week by commit I tee representing the unemployed of the city who claimed that the contractors were not using Waterbury workmen right and he deemed it highly proper that the board l should take some action in the matter. He did not think MT Guffney was employ | ing as many men as he ought to. The job | he has on hand is convenient to the city | and if Waterbury workmen are going to l get any benefit out of it, it is time they were getting it. MT Gaffney's contract was awarded with due regard for the in- terest of home labor and if it's provisions have not been complied with it was the duty of the board to see that they were fully carried out. The mayor said that he went over the ground the other day and found that there are only about twenty-five men at work. He thought there should be one hundred.
 Mir Cairns suggested that some one be appointed to see that the conditions of the contract are enforced.
 Mir Wade asked if there is any provision by which the board could compel the con tractors to employ more men.
 The mayor said that the committee could insist on a rigid compliance with the con- ditions of the contracts, and if the work was not completed within the time speci- fled, demand the forfeit.
 Mir Cairns thought it would be a good idea to pass a vote to that effect and on motion of MT Rice it was so voted.
 MT Daily asked if these idle men had ap- piled for work to the different contractors.
 MT Kelley said he had reason to believe that they had. He had been along there recently himself and could see no Water bury men at work and knew that they had asked for it repeatedly.
 "It is q fearful condition of things that confronts us, said MT Fitzpatrick. ''There are over S200,000 worth of contracts let out and yet we have 1000 men who be- long in our town who could all be em- ployed in half day and still there is no signs of putting one of them to work. It looks bad, moreover, when we consider that it is the peoples money that is being paid out"
 MT Barlow asked if anyone could tell what was the sense of bringing in so many out of town men when there are so many idle men in the city.
 Here the whole board joined in the con- versation and while there was no on- saught made on nationality it was plain that every member of the board was in sympathy with the home workman and opposed to bringing into the city a class of laborers that cannot be looked upon as fair competitors in the labor market.
 MT Rice said: Ut would pay to appoint a man to look after the whole business and see how things are being done, to , compel the contractors to discharge non- : residents and put the unemployed men oi the city to work. He also suggested that the contractors who are not obliged to em. ploy Waterbury help might be spoken te and told that before their contracts are finished they might have to ask some favor of the water board, and thus succeed in getting many as possible to work. Ii forty or fifty men whom the town would have to support can be put to work during the summer months it would pay to en- ploy some one to see that it is done."
 It was voted that MT Fitzpatrick be ap- pointed to go over the ground once ol twice a week and see that the Waterbury men get their share of the work
 Mir Gaffney submitted the following statement
 WATERBURY. May 7, 1894. Waterbury Committee on Water Supply:
 Gents: We will submit the following proposition for your consideration: To build the dam of granite facing according to specifications for Placing Stone Ma sonry" section 37 to A, inclusive. for the following consideration: To add to the price on rubble work, $4 95, S2 05, making the whole price $7 per yard instead of S495.
 JOHN w. GAFFNEY < Go.
 In order to bring the matter before the meeting MT Fitzpatrick said he would move to rescind the vote of the previous meeting, so that the board might take ac- tion on the matter. The motion was lost, Messrs Cairns. Kelley, Hauser and Fitz- patrick voting for it, and Messrs Rice, Wade, Burpee. Barlow and Hart voting against it. MT Daily not voting. A recess WAS tueu tdheD anu tu6 Iueul- bers grouped together to discuss the mat ter. On re-convening Mir Gaffney sub- mitted two different estimates as follows: To do the work according to specifications, as they now stand with granite facing, for $17, 600 extra, and to build with granite facing on both sides for $20, 300 extra.
 It was evident that the board did not wish to pay any more for the work, still Mir Wade thought that the difference be- tween what Mir Gaffney asked and what the city was willing to pay was not much when the magnitude of the work was con- sidered. The mayor thought If the dam as already agreed upon would meet all re- quirements; it would be folly to spend $22, 900 more on it.
 MT Fitzpatrick argued in favor of the granite facing on both sides and said there was as much difference between the two kinds of dams as there is between @ ready made suit of clothes and getting one made to order.
 Mir Rice wanted to know which kind was most in use.
 The mayer said: "You can get pretty good suit of ready made clothes now. Some people who buy ready made clothing now are often asked the name of the tailor l who made them"
 The board caught on to the joke and in dulged in a good laugh.
 Mir Hauser, who occupied a seat in the rear of the meeting, listened with great interest to the mayors remarks and nodded his approval of his peroration on the merits of ready made clothing.
 No action was taken on MT Gsffney' s proposition and the board voted that the dam be built according to the original specifications.
 MT Cairns was given permission to ar range for special castings from firms other than those now furnishing them.