The record-union., 1897-03-30
RUNNING sew AGE PUMP.
Mayor Hubbard Refuses to Approve the
Contract
Saws the Trustees Have Ignored the
Chief Executive of the
City.

trustees Mayor HUBBARD sent III the
following communication, giving his
reasons for declining to approve the
contract entered into by that body for
operating the sewage pumping plant:
To the Honorable Board of Trustees
I herewith return to you, without my
approval the contract entered into by
you with Campbell & Son for operating
the pumping plant. My reasons for
not approving this contract are five
fold, and 1 think are substantial.
First-Your board asked for supecif-
cations to be drawn showing what
would be required of any contractor
who should secure a contract to run
the pumping plant. These specifica-
tionS were so drawn as to make the
contractor responsible to some one who
could give him directions and require
him to take proper care of the ma
chinery, etc. These specifications, how
ever, you entirely ignored, and you
have had other specifications prepared
which virtually require nothing of the
contractor, except that he keep the
sewerage down so that, at all times,
the flow from the lateral sewers will
not be obstructed. If repairs are re-
quired, or if connections have to be
made with the sewer, it may be neces-
sary to lower the water in the sewer
considerably more than would be nee
essary in order to prevent the obstruc-
ton Of the flow from the lateral sew
ers; but under this contract the con-
tractor could decline to keep this water
lower for such purposes, and no one
could compel him to do it In fact, the
specifications under which you receiv-
ed this bid are absolutely worthless, so
far as the interests of the city are con-
cerned
Second-I am unable to understand
the action of your board in this matter.
The citizens of Sacramento have put
in large sewer in connection with this
pumping plant as an outlet, at cost of
$4,000. The system has hardly got
into full operation before you vote to
turn it over to a contractor. 1 know,
and you know, that to give this con-
tract to Campbell & Son is, in reality,
to give it to the Sacramento Gas and
Electric Railway Company. Several
members of your board have, on all
occasions, been loud in denouncing cor
porations, but in voting for this con-
tract you openly belle your own words.
You have voted to place the most i'm
portant property of the city in the
hands of corporation, reserving hard
ly any control over the plant or the
contractor. And besides it must be
conceded by you that if that company,
through Campbell & Son, can enter in
to said contract and make anything out
of 1t, the city can do equally as well
and save the difference for the city.
That the Sacramento Gas and Electric
Railway Company does not enter into
contracts with the city for the city's
benefit must be admitted, even by you,
when ii is remembered that the con-
tract recently entered into with that
company for lighting the streets of this
city Will yield it a profit of from $4,000
to S13,0O0. | do not believe that the
citizens of this city would have voted
to raise $4,000 to put into sewer sys-
tenn and pumping plant if they had
known that it was to be turned over
almost as soon as it was completed to
the Sacramento Gas and Electric Rail-
way Company.
Third-Your contract specifies that
the contractor shall perform the work
to the satisfaction of the Chief En-
gineer of the Water Works and the
Board of Trustees. The provision was
particularly intended to prevent the
Mayor or the Street Superintendent
from having any control over this prop
erty, or from interfering in any manner
to protect the city's interests. You pro-
pose, in this contract, to place the Chief
Engineer of the Water Works over the
Mayor, and, whila the Mayor is the
chief executive officer of the city, YOU
have carefully worded the contract that
the property is taken entirely out of his
hands. In this connection / desire to
call your attention to Section 80 of the
City Charter. That section provides
among other things, that He (the
Mayor shall see that all contracts and
agreements with the city are faithfully
kept and fully performed; and to that end
shall cause legal proceedings to be COM
menced and prosecuted in the name Of
the city, against all persons or corpora
tions failing to fulfill their agreements
or contracts. either in whole or in part"
1t will be perceived. therefore from
reading of that portion of said sec
ton above quoted. in connection with
that which Immediately precedes that
If the said contract or agreement is
performed TO the satisfaction Of the
Chief Engineer of the Water Works
and the Board of Trustees, even if. in
the opinion of the Mayor, it was not
faithfully performed, the city could
not recover under said contract Such
a contract, therefore, would practically
nulhfy that portion of Section 30 Of the
charter above quoted. and | respect
fully submit to you that it cannot be
done by any contract which you may
see fit to enter into and | shall siren
uously insist upon this point, should
this contract be passed over my OBJ
jections
Fourth-You have voted to give this
contract to a corporation to run these
pumps for SS.145 for the year ending
April l. 1898. which is at the rate of
S12S per month / am satisfied that
erty in a business way the city can
operate the plant at a cost of less than
5000 per month for the next nine
months. OF course, from January 1st
to April 1st. it is difficult to estimate
just what the cost would be Since
the plant commenced to handle the
sewerage and flood waters OF the CITY
which was about December 16 1896
everything has been in confusion and
we were not able to run the plant eco
nomically or with any system The
sewer then was only partly completed
but we have handled successfully the
E9-DlV MAI ARIA CITRE1