The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-06-01
LETTER THAT is XII
CAUSING TALK
Was Addressed by the Street Com.
missioner TO Couucilmen.
HE QUOTES A CITY ORDINANCE.
1t Provides That He Shall Employ
Such Laborers, Foremen and AS
sistants as May. BE Necessary--He
Calls the Attention of the Coun-
cilmen to the Fact That They Have
No Right to Hire Meh to Work on
the Streets.

Street Commissioner Dunning on
Saturday mailed q letter to every coun-
Gilman In the city. Most of them did
not reach those to whom they were ad-
dressed until yesterday and when they
were read many uncomplimentary
things were said about the new street
commissioner by the city fathers. The
letter is apparently a very harmless
document and was penned in a most
courteous manner. Here it is:
Scranton, Pa, May 20, 1897.
Dear Sir:-I desire to call your attention
to Section A. page 22S, Laws and Digest
of Ordinances, 1894, which reads as fol-
lows:
HE shall employ such laborers, fore
men and assistants, as may be necessary
to carry on the business aforesaid, and
shall make contre cts for the purchase of
the mate terial necessary for use in his de-
partment, where no. otherwise provided by
law or ordinance; but in no case shall he
incur liability beyond the amount appro-
priated for the street department; provid-
ed, that no foremen, laborers, or assist
ants shall be employed, and no contracts
made, materials purchased, or work done,
in any ward of the city, except by and
with the advice and consent of the select
and common councilmen of the ward in
which the material is to be used or the
work performed"
1 have been unable to find any other
authority for labor on the streets.
POWERS OF COUNCILMEN.
You will observe from the reading of
this section that no authority Is vested In
the councilmen to employ foremen or la
borers unless they have first conferred
with the street commissioner. 1t thus be-
comes the duty of the street commissioner
to take charge of all street work.
l intend to assume the duties of the i'm
portant trust imposed upon me in ac-
cordance with the letter of the section
quoted above. To do this 1 solicit your
hearty cooperation.
Hereafter when any street work is to
be done in your ward 1 shall be pleased
to meet you by appointment and agree
upon the foremen and the number of men
to be employed in that work, thus avoid
ing any difficulty in the approval of the
pay roll. Respectfully yours,
A. B. Dunning, jr.
Street Commissioner.
If Mr.. Dunning succeeds in getting
the councilmen to allow him to practi-
cally name the foremen and laborers
to do repairs in the various wards he
will have inaugurated one big reform
that will save much money for the city.
He must be prepared for some fighting,
IL
reality. He is infringing on one of the
sacred prerogatives of the councilmen,
more especially those from the sub
urbs, and they will not give it up
without big struggle.
WHAT A COUNCILMAN SAID.
One councilman who was seen by
Tribune reporter yesterday said: II
D,k,o -, t,.y;l1 no ol.yo 20
the councilmen live UP to the law in
the matter of expending money on the
public streets, but l doubt if he will
succeed unless he has plenty of back
bone and the active support of Mayor
Bailey. l do not know that Mr.. Dun
ming is fully aware of the reception
his letter will receive from a large
number of the councilmen. He will
not long remain in doubt, however, for
that letter is going to raise a howl.
Some kind of rigid supervision of
street work is an absolute necessity,
and Mr. Dunning should receive sup
port in this stand he has taken. Where
foremen are Unfortunately chosen
the street commissioner can have no
knowledge of the correctness of the
pay rolls and in the past the padded
pay roll, not TO use narSner term,
has been one of the crying evils of the
street commissioners department. It's
twin evil was the assignment of or
ders for street work, which is now
rendered more difficult than it was
formerly.
MONEY THROWN AWAY.
MANY cases have come under my
personal observation, where the city's
money has been thrown away in street
work. l recall where $12 was spent in
cleaning out $50 yards of gutter that
could have been done for fifty cents.
With proper foremen, who were re-
sponsible to some one, such reckless
wasting of public moneys would not
be possible"
Mr. Dunning will receive the active
support of some of the councilmen in
the matter referred to in the letter,
but there are others who have moth
ing but the cold steel for him if he
endeavors to compel them to respect
the ordinance quoted above"