The record-union., 1896-02-25
NO new SPRINKLING CARTS.
The City Must Stump Along the Best
She Can.
Mayor Hubbard Declines to Ratify the
Meister Contract for Five
New Wagons.

In letter to the City Trustees last
evening Mayor Hubbard gave his rea-
sons for declining to ratify the contract
made by that body with Meister & Sons
for the construction of five new and
modern sprinkling wagons to augment
those already owned by the city
The Mayors reason for not approving
the contract is that no provision was
made therefor in the last tax levy, and
that the calls upon the city funds this
summer for other and pressing needs
will take all the available money He
recommends that all sprinkling beyond
what the city's eleven wagons are able
to do can be done by contract with the
| owners of the old-style wagons. He
says:
ITO the Honorable Board of Trustees
I herewith return to you the contract
with A. Meister & Sons for the con-
struction and delivery to the city of
five sprinkling wagons for the sum of
81, ,S72 80.
II feel compelled to return this con-
tract without approving the same.
fully realize that the city needs these
wagons. l also realize that there will
be a demand upon our funds for other
important matters, and, in my opinion,
they are of much more Importance to
the city than are these carts.
I'm the estimate for the tax levy made
last August no calculation was made
for the cost of placing the new pump at
the Water Works, buying additional
ground and altering the building. This
will draw ON the general fund for over
$4,000, and we are now also struggling
under a proposition for the construction
of sewer and pumping plant which
will require all available funds. and
make it necessary to economize in every
department.
THE cost of these five wagons, under
the contract, would be $1,S72 so. The
amount of funds that will be available
for the sprinkling department this year
will be about $4,000. After deducting
the cost of these wagons there would be
left balance of S12, ,127 so for the pur-
pose of sprinkling the streets during
this year, and this amount will be about
$500 less than we expended last year.
The repairs ON the wagons this year
will be much more than it was last
year, so that if we were to purchase
these new wagons the sprinkling funds
will be short about $1,000, and it would
necessitate drawing on the general fund
to make up the deficiency.
"The Street Superintendent can con-
tract with parties to do the sprinkling,
and they will furnish their carts at the
rate of fifty cents per day for the use of
them. It is true they are old-style
sprinklers, but they will do the work
very satisfactorily on the graveled
streets. The repairing of the new wag-
ons would cost the city as much as the
rent of the old ones. No doubt it would
be very pleasing to see these new and
improved sprinkling carts on our
streets, but in my judgment this money
could be expended more judiciously in
other directions.
1.-THE city now owns eleven sprinkling
carts. all in good condition. The
greater portion of the city can be
sprinkled with them, and the Superin-
tendent of Streets can arrange with
parties owning their own carts at
much less cost to the city than if
it owned them.
This is only question of what we
can afford, and whether it would be
judicious for you, under the circum
stances, to invest the sum of $1,872 so
in new sprinkling wagons without
which the city can get along very well. !"
Devine asked President Leonard if
Meister & Son had gone to any ex
pense in preparing for the manufacture
of the wagons.
Mckay said they had expended about
81 900 already.
Devine said if that were the case it
would not be just or fair for the city
to go back on its contract.
Leonard said they should not have
done so until the contract was ap
proved by the Mayor. If they did it
was at their own risk, and they would
have to take the consequences. The
question was simply one of whether the
city could afford to buy the wagons or
not.
Devine insisted that not to take the
wagons would be an injustice to the
contractors.
No action was taken in the matter.
Appointed Assignee.