St. Paul daily globe., 1895-12-24

The cost of work and materials for
construction and maintenance, re-
spectively, was as follows:
Construction ........... .S29o 5d9 81 81
Total . ............. .S41S, ,639. %
Engineering and inspection We're: For
construction, "A per cent of the cost
tenance slightly above per cent.
From 1887 to 1894, inclusive, the en-
gineer's annual pay roll was as fol-
lows: 1887, SAT, ,031. SO; 1885, $53, 4S5, 81;
919,6S; 1892, $35, 1876; 1898, $29,sO3.s7; 1884,
$27,999.96.
STREET. BRIDGE AND SEWER.
For the above work the city is au-
thorized by the charter to eXpend not
exceeding $15O,OO0 per year, to be raised
by general tax. At the beginning of
each year the common council is re-
quired to fix the amount to be spent;
and no expense for them must be in
CURED in excess of such amount.
In the year 1894 the expenditures out
of the city funds for these purposes
were as follows:
Repairing dirt streets, ,$39, 142. 20;repair-
ing paved streets, S3867 cleaning dirt
streets, ,S12, 763.1 .16; cleaning paved streets,
SIG, 1924; sprinkling dirt streets, $42;
cleaning sidewalks, s267 repairing side
ST, 63S. .1S; sanding sidewalks, 1924; build
ing crossings $2,679, material $27S. 5S, total,
81, ,975.53; repairing crossings, $2,39O, ma
terial $2,577.0S, total $4,967.0S; cleaning
crossings $1S4; building boxes and cul-
verts $1,666.S4 material $S51.S5, total $4,-
9lS.69; repairing boxes and culverts ST.
669, material 3,O67.26, total, $4,73S.26;
cleaning boxes and culverts, S344; re-
pairing bridges $634.3S material $176.U.
total $S11.10; cleaning bridges, $3.50. 73;
,i,.i11
ers $2,30325, material $50, %, total 81, ,35S.47;
cleaning sewers S4,76702, material 10c,
total $4,76772; repairing catch basins,
$449; cleaning catch basins, S4 ,O79. 09
parks, $74375; drinking fountains S2o3,
material 1926, total $2O625; police de-
house, $134; shanty, material, $27.73
fences, material, $S9.72; lights on Broad
way bridge, $3.50; stone quarry, $2.6o4;
flood protection, material, $132 68.
In addition to the above sums, $lS,9lS
out of a special fund, made up from
various sources to furnish employment
for INDECENT inhabitants, were expend-
ed for labor upon the same objects.
During the first eight months of the
present year, expenditures for labor oo,,
and materials for the same purposes
were made as follows: 49, -. ..
Street maintenance, $63, ,765, material
81, ,963.31, total $65, 701.31; sewer mainten-
ance s13,S1.26, material 81 400; q, total
SIG. .272. .03; paving repairs $1,691.30 mate
rial $685. total, $1,95G2S; bridge main
tenance $2,071.12, material $765. 22, total
$2,S3634; cleaning pavements sl6,656. 20,
material $1,31277, total $17, 7,S6S.97; sprink-
ling, s99, material $685. total $12S.75;
sidewalks and crossings $l3, ,O0l.2o, ma
terial s7,SO237; total $40, s03. g.; culverts
Sc, $780, material $685. total $s,455; stone
quarry $1,439.53, material $4S7.ss, total
$1,S7751; drinking fountains $31O.7O, ma
terial 81, 1889, total 81, $50. 29; road roller,
material, $272.S9; miscellaneous, S4l6,
material $5S.22, total $474.22; grand total,
S13S. .270. SO.
The materials for this work are chief
ly lumber which is purchased by con-
tract based on competitive bids, invit-
ed by public notice.. but no adequate
system has been adopted for checking
quantity and quality of the material
delivered In practice, the bids of the
lumber contractors are Vouchered as
rendered. All materials and supplies
for this department are delivered upon
requisition approved by the city en-
gineeer; which should prevent exSes-
sive waste, If the proper attention is
given.
Work In this department is under the
immediate supervision of the inspect
or of sewers and the street commits
sioners mentioned above. Contracts
for work are not let. Labor is all
performed by days work of men en-
BY sec. 169, page 152, Municipal Code
1898, it is provided that eight hours
shall constitute a days work in the
street force; that the common council
shall have the power to fix the rates
of compensation therefor, and that no
no men or teams shall be employed,
unless the men and the owners Of the
teams shall have beeen residents of
the ciyt for at least four months pre-
ceding.
The rates of pay for the street force
have, for the past two seasons, been
as follows, per hour:
Cents.
Foremen of street work .28 Ia
Foremen of sewer work .......... .37 1-2
Inspector paving repairs. 81 IA
Registering clerk ...... 81 IA
Carpenters rs and gutter, sidewalk
and crosswalk layers ............25
Carpenters ............ ..............20
Common laborers 1884
single teams .................'.....a .as 20
Double teams ......................37 81 1-2
OF the foregoing prices, those for
fixed by the council In the year 1892.
Those for the rest of the list have
been fed practically by the en-
gineeer
These prices for common labor and
for teams have for the past two years
the market price for similar service,
paid by private employers and con-
tractors for public work in correspond
ing periods. Those for the remaining
classes of workmen on the list, while
not quite so much above the market,
have been largely above 1t, PROBABLY
from one-fourth to one-third.
In excuse for this astonishing mar
agement of public business, whereby a
very large sum of money has appar-
emily been wasted during the past TWO
seasons, it has been said that the street
fund was expended, not so much upon
business principles as for a relief fund
to assist the needy unemployed, who,
otherwise, would have become direct
charges upon the poor fund of the
city. In defense of the rates in the
list fixed by himself, the city engineer
claims to have been guided by the
standards fixed by the council for COM
mon labor and teams
A conservative estimate of the loss
| to the city by the scale of street work
| prices alone would be not less than
| S25,0O0 per year, and probably would
| be near s3J, 900,
While the charter fixes eight hours
| as days work for the street force, it
| is silent regarding wages, and does not
| prohibit the fixing of rates per hour
| upon the basis of the existing marbe Ell
| rates.
For a municipal body to pay its en-
| ployes at rates substantially above the
ments is not merely unbusinesslike