The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-11
COSTLY TO TAXPAYERS
MISTAKES MADE BY OFFICIALS OF
TAGGART ADMINISTRATION.
Board of Works Leads with Clerical
Errors That Have Proven
Very Expensive.

The mistakes that the present admins
tration has made has done much to deplete
the city treasury. Most of the mistakes
were inexcusable. If they had been made
by clerks in the employ of private concerns
instant dismissal would have followed. A
mistake in the Board Of Works gave a pre-
text for abandoning the Bell-street sewer.
AS the mayor has since said that this sewer
will not be made the expense stopped when
the case in the Circuit Court was dismissed,
but the proceedings, including the cost of
advertising, the employment of engineers
and assistant engineers to make plans, set
stakes, make profles compile estimates,
ETC., created a big bill. Numerous other
cases might be mentioned where some de-
feet in the clerical work was discovered
after plans had been prepared at consider
able cost and trouble and the legal adver
Using had been paid for by the city. When
proceedings are suddenly stopped and the
board ordered a Reimbursement for bids"
as the minutes explain, it is said that there
was mistake in the papers"
Another case in point is the Capitol-ave-
nue. pavement, where property owners
brought an injunction suit because the
board had tried to provide in the speciica-
tons that dirt should be hauled to desig-
mated point by the contractor. In this case
property owners believe that they escaped
the "creosoted block" gouge, and there is
no disposition to shirk the extra cost of adj
vertising, preparing plans. setting stakes.
making proiles blue prints, etc., as they
regard themselves lucky to escape the block
pavement hold-up. All the expenses of such
errors. however, have to be paid out of the
general fund. 1t might be said that all
these expenses are covered by the regular
salaries paid employees in the engineers de-
partment, but if it were not for so much
needless work being done the clerical forces
might be reduced and considerable money
be saved. Questions of economy cut no par
ticular figure. however, and where there is
a chance to make two places for favorites
it is taken advantage of, even though the
work of both might be done by one, as it
would be in a private commercial establish
ment, for instance.
And yet this is called a business" ad-
ministration.
COST OF THE PARK MIDDLE.
There is one point of the park muddle that
has not been touched upon. Mayor Taggart
suddenly discovered, after an outcry was
made, that he did not regard the system of
making assessments for paying for park i'm
provements as just. That was after very
large sums of money had been spent to
make those assessments. The park as
SCISSORS went on junketing tour to see how
assessments were made in other cities. They
did not pay for the trips out of their own
pockets. Any one who knows Joseph Flack
will understand the force of this assertion.
The park assessors were not supposed to
work for nothing. Their labor extended
over months of time. Whether they have
been paid since the injunction suit was
brought is not known. After months of pre-
liminary work large force of clerks was
put to work making blue prints, compiling
assessment rolls and preparing for the first
publication. The publication of the names
alone cost over 81, 100. After the publication
began another force of clerks was put to
work making plats of the property that had
been assessed for beCefits. Just what all
these different forces of clerks cost is I'M
known. That is one of the interesting facts
concealed in the seoret archives OF the park
board, now in the custody of Bert" Spen-
GER erStwhile Mayor Taggart'S private
clerk whose place il the mayors Office was
found that a place could be made for Spen-
Ger on the park board at salary of $1,000
a year, $500 more than he could draw as the
mayors clerk. A man who has paid some
attention to the mismanagement of the park
affair says that it has cost the city some
thing like $4,000 to have those assessments
suddenly found that he did not like them
and determined to have them all set aside.
If he had come to this conclusion, say, thir-
ty days sooner all this needless waste of
money would have been avoided
BERT SPENCER'S SNAP.
There is one young man who has found 1t
to his great advantage to stick to Mayor
Taggart 1t is Bert Spencer. He began
writing letters on a typewriter for the
mayor when he held county office, at
something like $50 month. When the
mayor got out of that job he got Spencer
a place as librarian of the Supreme Court
at $500 a year. When ne was elected mayor,
Spencer came back to carry on his CORE
spondence at a salary of LOCO year. Later
a place was made for him on the park board
at a salary of $1,000. Although the park
board is practically out of business, Spen-
Ger still holds the place He is keeping the
secret archives of the board. 1t costs the
city 500 a month. Taggart'S faYoriteS must
have jobs so long as their pay comes out of
the public Golfers. Spencer is not alto
gether idle. He is valuable to look after the
most private and confidential work of the
syndicate campaign. Then he has to stamp
the vouchers of the park board employees,
now that there is no longer a board The
men who cut grass, sprinkle the lawns, etc,
in Garfield and other parks get little pieces
of paper with some figures on them and
stamp bearing the words, III. c. Spencer,
clerk" which Controller Johnson honors
last as he does the warrants of the Board
of Works signed by three members. 1t is
not necessary to keep the usual check" on
the accounts Of the park board, as Mr..
Spencer is known to be perfectly reliable.
In the old days, when nth there was "a; sure
amount of circumlocution before bill could
be paid, even if it were only for a dozen
lead pencils. 1t is not every young man
that can fill the place of Il whole park
board But then it is not every young man
that can be private factotum to the mayor
Of big city.
SALOON KEEPERS ASSESSED.