The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-25
THE BETTER STREET WORK SYSTEM.

errors may have been made in the pro-
ceedings that no contractor will bid except
at figures which will compensate him for
risks he runs. Led by the solicitor the
| property-owner signs a contract If it
were not for the solicitor therefore many
streets would remain unimproyed.
This argument was a good one few
/ years ago. but OF late years the solicitors
have not been so active in promoting the
work of improvement. Instead, they
work principally on streets on which i'm
provements are already contemplated and
for which resolution of intention has
already been passed. The unfortunate
property is badgered to death,
and is besieged at home and at
his place of business to sign by
men representing rival firms. So long
as the solicitor was harbinger of i'm
proyement he was not an unnecessary
evil. He is now merely middleman, and
the economy of nature makes no provision
for the middleman. He is a growth in the
nature of an excrescence.
Three-fourths of the owners on the street
sign private contract, and the City Conn-
Gil is requested to abandon further pro-
ceedings. It is held that the resolution of
intention was passed to inaugurate pro-
ceedings looking toward the improvement,
and the property owners having signed a
contract, which guarantees the work will
be done, there is no need that the Council
proceed further. Until recently the Su-
pervisors of this City have listened to the
property-owners, and allowed them to do
the work themselves. But the custom has
become nuisance.
But the advocates of good work must
not imagine that with the adjustment of
private contracts will come radical i'm
provement in the quality of the work done.
1t is only one step forward.
Good work will only come with good
specifications. well and truly followed.
Good specifications are easily secured.
There is danger only in their amendment
and in the character of the men selected
to see they are enforced. The inspectors
of street work are responsible principally
for the poor work done.
1t is easy to bride some inspectors and
much bribery goes on. 1t has been a
source of wonder that bribery could -four
ish when the contractor took work at
lower prices than it was possible to do good
work for, and when the profit was a mat
ter of speculation there seemed to be no
surplus for corruption fund. The man.
ner in which the inspector is bribed points
a place where some need of improvement
isfelt. The inspector is paid by the day
and is supposed to look zealously after the
interests OF the owners. On each Satur-
day evening he goes to the contractors
Office and receives his pay.
When the work is completed the Street
Superintendent makes an assessment and
delivers it to the contractor. In this as
sessment is put down the inspectors time
and the amount paid him. 1t is one of
the incidental charges with advertising
and engineer fees. The number of DAYS
with which the inspector is credited is put
down from his sworn statement. If he
happens to make mistake and swear in
a few more days than he was actually en-
ployed the contractor should of course call
the attention of the Street Superin-
tendent to the error and have it rectified.
But If he is in any way under Obligations
to the inspector it is not gentlamanly
thing to expose the mistake, for it might
make the Street Superintendent think the
inspector is dishonest.
So the extra days money is collected.
The inspector soon finas out the mistake
and calls on the contractor to give him the
money, presumably to return it. But it is
awkward to return it, as quite number of
people may have paid, and to return the
small amount to each which he paid makes
it more awkward still. The clearest way
out OF the difficulty is to pocket the money
and endeavor to thereafter keep the time
books more carefully. There have been
no instances on record where the inspector
swore to fewer days than he worked
The only way to prevent occurrences of
this nature is to put the inspector on
different basis. A few days work now
and then and no certainty Of regular en-
ployment is discouraging. It is enough to
make any man absent-minded or blind his
eyes on occasions. Take man of little
honesty, with no trade, and give him
few days work each month at a job where
men have the name OF having no good
name at all and the ultimate result is not
difficult to see. The only remedy lies in
some form of civil service reform.
But better than all the specifications in
the world, prepared though they may be
with great care. and better than all the
competent men who may be secured for
inspectors would be some method whereby
the contractors themselves could be re-
lieved of the odium which uniustly attaches
to their business, and the dealings of the
public with them could be on more busi-
ness-like basis. Contractors should be re-
sponsible men, and every man should be
required to guarantee his work for GER
tain period of time. Bondsmen should be
responsible and there should not be such
thing as straw bond.
1t is so easy to discover mans stand
ing that any official who accepts a straw
bond should be liable for damages. If the
contractor waits to secure his bondsmen
until the time is too short in which to in
vestigate them before signing the contract
he should be disqualified to bid on any
more work. Corporate bonds should lie
accepted when the contract is awarded.
When the bids go in certified checks in
stead of bonds should be insisted upon.
Nothing will assist more in determining
the lowest responsible bidder.
With uone Init NON hla b;J1ar.