The record-union., 1897-01-19
SEWAGE PUMPING CONTRACT,
Mayor Hubbard Objects to the City
Trustees Action.
When the New Sewer is Completed
There Will be Little Else
to be Done.

AT last nights session of the City
Trustees the following message was re-
ceived from Mayor Hubbard in relation
to the Y-street pumping contract:
To the Honorable Board of Trustees:
At the last meeting of your board you
accepted an offer from w. J. Hall to
SIS per day for as long time as it
should be required to run.
1 object to your doing business in that
way. The charter gives you no author
ity to enter into any contract, unless it
is properly passed and presented to me
for my approval. If l should disapprove
contract and my reasons for doing so,
after being considered by you, were
found insufficient, you can then make
the contract valid by a vote of not less
than six members of your board. Under
the circumstances l believe that l have
the right to Surmise that you accepted
the offer of Mr.. Hall for the purpose Of
trying to prevent me from attending to
the business that clearly devolved upon
me to look after.
The contract with w. ]. Hall for oper-
ating the pump, etc, during the past
and he promptly stopped running the
pump at that hour, and on the follow
ing day he demanded S23 per day to
continue the service. l refused to con-
slider the proposition, and employed en-
gineers and purchased fuel, etc, and
since that time the city has been operat-
ing the pump.
The Superintendent of Streets reported
to you that the pump had run 152 hours
and cost the city 1852, which was the
fact, but the 152 hours covered nine full
days. and if Mr.. Hall had been operating
the pump at 500 per day the cost would
have been $207.
AS soon as the new sewer is accepted
as far as Seventh or Eighth streets the
whole sewer system of the city Will
empty into it, and consequently there
will be little for the Y-street pump to do,
and the expense will be only So or S4 per
day until the pump is removed and
placed on the S-street plant. II your ar
rangement with Mr. Hall was carried
into effect, the city would pay him SlS
per day for doing almost nothing after
the connection is made with the main
sewer.
With this statement l think you can
readily see that it was an unbusiness-
like arrangement for you to interpose
in this matter, and you certainly had no
authority to do so in the manner at
tempted by you. I have therefore notl-
fed Mr.. Hall not to operate the pump.
Respectfully submitted,
C. H. HUBBARD, Mayor.
Mr.. Hall being asked said he thought
the Mayor was right and should run
the pump.
Superintendent of Streets Croly, be-
ing asked, said it was costing Slo
day for twenty-three hours, and the
water was kept down.
Kent moved that the city advertise
for bids to run the pump for ninety
davs. the contract to be rescinded if
the sewer is accepted In less time. He
did not think it would be wise to ac-
cept the sewer till it was finished.
Devine said nine blocks were COM
pleted and he thought 1t should be ac-
cepted before heavy rains in February
and March come.
Superintendent of Streets Croly said
the contractor has made arrangements
to turn the Sixth street sewage into the
new sewer on condition that the sewer
be accepted to Seventh street. This
would drain the sewage lake. The city
cannot afford to accept the sewer,
however, until it is tested by turning
the water into it.
Kent's motion was lost and the mes
sage was ordered filed.