Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-03-26

Do Next'-Meanwhile the Interests
Of the Public Stand a Very Poor
Show.
The beautiful mess into which the
Committee on Health and the City
Council have gotten the matter of let
ting a new garbage contract would af-
ford the public a good deal of amuse-
ment were it not for the fact that not
only the convenience of citizens and
the cleanliness Of the city, but the pub
lie health as well, are all being jeop-
ardized by the course Councilmen have
been pleased to take in this important
matter.
In fact the interests of the public do
not appear to have been seriously con
sidered at any stage Of the proceedings
in Council while it is difficult to ac-
count for the course of the Committee
on Health upon any reasonable
grounds.
To start at the beginning, the Com
mittee, on the night it opened the first
set of bids, held a secret session, after
the style OF the lamented "investigat-
ing" committee. and reported to Coun-
ell a recommendation that the contract
be awarded to Mr.. Becker, the present
contractor. at his bid of $12 100, which
was the highest submitted to the Com
mittee. In Council, after wrangle
and a series of votes in which it was
apparent that the interests of politi-
clans and of bidders far Outweighed in
the balance any considerations OF pub
lie good, the whole thing was referred
back to the Committee. Then bids
were again asked for by an advertise
ment which did not contain the usual
provision by which the city reserved
the right TO reject any or all bids, and
nineteen new bids were sent in. When
these We're opened, at a public meeting
this time, the Committee went
TO the other extreme and
recommended the lowest bid
der, Mr.. Thomas Coifey, to Council
As nothing had happened between the
two Committee meetings TO make it
apparent that the work could be done
50. 300 cheaper at the second meeting
than it could two weeks before the ac-
ton of the Committee certainly re-
quires an explanation In other words,
if the work could be satisfactorily done
for SS.S00 the Committee made a very
bad break when it recommended that
the contract be let to Mr. Becker at
Sl2.1O0. and if the latter figure was the
correct one. then at its second meeting
the Committee recommended that the
contract be lei, at a price for which it
could not possibly be done. The Com
mittee can take either horn of this
proposition it chooses. and its eXplana-
ton Will be none the less interesting.
When the last recommendation of
the Committee came into Council, Tues
day night, the Second Branch, which
had the first whack at it. refused TO
either confirm the recommendation OF
the Committee or accept any of the 9th
er bidders, although half-a-dozen
names were voted upon, and it was
very evident that the only thing which
concerned a very large majority of the
members present was to get some GER
tain bidder into the job and keep all the
rest out Of it, while such little matters
as the interests Of the city, q proper
and adequate price and the insurance
of a proper performance of the work
cut a lamentably small figure. As a
result of the blanked foolishness then
and there displayed the entire matter
IL,
tract is not nearly as far along after
two sets of bids two Committee meet
ings. and two Council meetings. as it
was al the outset and The only thing ac-
cOmplished has been to give the public
a renewed assurance that Council is
negligent. careless. irresponsible and
incompetent.
What will be done next is a pretty
large question 1t would appear to be
useless to again ask for bids and 90
through the dreary routine of Com
mittee meeting and another session Of
Council for although the Committee on
Health might be depended upon to
again demonstrate its agility in recon-
mending a bidder at a figure radically
different from the highest and lowest,
heretofore endorsed by il. COuncilmen
would probably come no closer to a Sc
lection on a third trial than at the past
two. and it might possibly be at least
as good a method as any to quietly al
low the whole matter TO drop and lei
the present contractor go right along
doing the best work the city has eve
had done in the garbage collection line.
This is only a suggestion. however,
born of fear that any change will be
very much worse.
Another suggestion which is entitled
to some weight was made yesterday. i'm
the course of one of the many discus
siOns Of the action of the Committee
and Of Council. and that was for the
city 10 drop the contract system alto
gether and collect the garbage itself.
This idea in detail was for the health
department to build stable for twelve
horses. at a cost Of say $500 or $500. buy
carts. horses and harness and hire col
lectOrs at a dollar and a half a day,
the obtO he bOssed by superintendent.
responsible to the Health Officer and
the Committee on Health. and who.
with his men. would be liable to lose
their Jobs al any time if the work was
not properly done. The cost was fig
ured in this way, for the first year.
which, as a matter of course, includes
the cost of the plant:
stable. Observation-Disclosures. 5 500
10 horses n Eo..................S so
10 carts ~ observation-disclosures. 720
10 sets harness n Sl0......... 20 $40
3 men. 120 days (winteD d..
$3.50 ....-..----- 30
s men. 120 davs Spring and
f3lO 4 Si5o................. 40
% men 1oa DAVIS (sflu,D1prO T