The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-09-27
Some Very Peculiar Acts Of the
Water Commission.
THROWING ALL TO BoNDsMEN
John Hahn was Appointed Receiver
y of the Pacific Paving Co. by
the Court Yesterday.

drifted into the courts and from all ap
pearances that Is where It is likely to
stay for while. Every attorney in the
city is "in the case" and for the time
being the affair has overshadow wed much
of the regular work on tine circuit court
docket The Italian laborerS are being
talked to about "injunctions'' and re
ceivers'' and hundred other legal terms,
when the only thing they are able to
understand Is that they are in need of the
barest necessities of life and are being
kept out OF their hard-earned wages.
An day yesterday little detachments of
these men were being taken by kind
hearted citizens into restaurants and
given meals, and 1t speaks well for them
that, though large number were pre-
sented with liberal gifts of money, they
applied 1t to the purchase of food and
none of them visited the saloons Mr..
Herman Wise went to a local grocery
| store early in the morning and guaran-
teed payment for $50 worth of groceries
which were promptly sent UP to the wa
| ter works boarding house at the top OF
| the hill. This generous act gave great
many laborers the first decent meal they
had eaten for nearly week.
| 1t was apparent all forenoon from the
excited actions of number of attorneys
/
| mission who seemed to be making stump
speeches at every corner, that there was
something unusual in the wind, though
! nobody seemed to know exactly what
was going to happen. At noon the doubts
were dispelied. The Clatsop Mil Co.
petitioned Judge Mcbride, by consent and
In the presence of attorneys for the other
claimants to appoint Mr. John Hahn
receiver Of the Pacific Paving Co., fixing
his bond at $1,000. The Judge promptly
granted this request, and Mr.. Hahn i'm
medlately accepted and uqaified. Sub
sequent to the appointment of this re-
ceiver, and at about O'clock the Pacific
Paving Company notified the water com
mission through its clerk, of the aban-
donment Of the contract This document
was fled Immediately afterwards the
company put in an assignment to its
bondsmen, of all goods, chattels and
moneys belonging to it in the hands of
the commission, less the amount of as
sgnments previously made by itself
At 2 o'clock a joint meeting of the
water commission and the city council
was he'd in the council chamber to dis
cuss the best way of providing for the
destitute laborers. At this meeting the
members were notified that Mr.. Hahn
had been appointed receiver, and had
qualified A copy Of the order of APP
polntment was exhibited After the ad-
journment of this meeting the water
commission held private session in
Judge Bowlby's office. Here the bonds
men appeared and stated that they were
willing to go on and complete the work
from where the Pacific Paving Company
had left off, thinking it better to finish
it themselves than to let anybody e,se
come in and do 1t at a greater expense
After all assignments up to the present
time in the hands of the commission
have been accounted for there remains
on hand in available cash the sum OF
$3.50, with which to pay over $1,000 worth
of labor bills. The bondsmen stated
that they would start the work by neXt
Tuesday. or before; they would as nearly
as possible keep the same men employed
and would pay off their labor every ter
days. The commission, after hearing
this statement, adopted a resolution di
recting the payment to the bondsmen Of
the 81 $40 remaining in their hands (out
side of the money called for by the as
signments) upon the discharge of the re
ceiver The attorneys for the bondsmer
and the Pacific Paving Company it i:
reported, went and settled the claim o.
the Clatsop Mil Co. for S400, in which
action the receiver had been appointed
obtaining from the attorneys TO: tht
Clatsop Mel Co. a motion authorizing
the dismissal of the suit. Up to 4 lat
hour last night this motion had not beer
fled but 1t is believed that action in tht
matter will be taken this morning anC
the discharge of the receiver asked for
1t will be seen that il this statement Il
correct the bondsmeh's attorneys pait
800 for a worthless calm which coul(
preferred creditors (the laborers) hat
been paid.
The water commission by their action
in adopting a resolution giving the bonds
men $3.50 on the discharge of the re
ceiver, have created great deal of ad
, verse comment in this city and man!
people are very bitter against the com
mission for what they believe is mos
, reprehenslb.e conduct. The result o
their action means a cooperation will
the bondsmen, wi.ful or otherwise, t
shut out every other claim against tn
estate of the insolvent corporation in
Guiding laborer's accounts. and only &C
! cepting that class of claimants who's
demands were secured by previous as
sgnments, the bondsmen agreeing to rec
ognize and pay these assigned claims
thus relieving the commission from an
Inability in the matter. This scandalou
r and unheard of action is all the NOR
J strange when it is remembered how sew
eral OF the water commission have bee
| urging for many days the appointment o
| a receiver for the pretended reason tina
r such an official would protect the la
borers.
In preferring the bondsmen to the det
rment OF the claims of labor the com
: mission shows very plainly desire t
? have the work Of construction completed
and look on 1t as a very secondary con
, s!deration that the men who have tole
e hard for poor pay should be given wha
/ is due them.
! zThe city council yesterday appointe
' Messrs, Welch, Schernecl1au and BERG
: man labor committee with full powe
to do everything possible to relieve tn
l distress among the unemployed wor+lme
: in the city. The committee starts Gu
I today. They wiz begin by trying to fin
work for as many of the men as possib.,