The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-08-26
AFTER DOOLY
Chairman of Public Works
Board to Be PrOdded.
CITY COUNCIL WILL ACT
SEARCHLIGHT TO BE THROWN
OFT WATERWoRKS CONTRACTS.

Since the word has gone out that Mayor
Thompson deems Chairman Dolly of the
board of public works too big a man for
him to tackle and force into line, mem
bers of the city council have determined
TO Try hand at making the chairman
show cause why he is setting the will of
the administration at naught. The effort
of the council to have some light shed on
the mysterious doings of the public works
board in the matter of contracts for work
pertaining to improvements to the water
works system will commence in a reso-
luton to be submitted to the council
Tuesday evening calling for an investiga-
ton into the reasons of the boards ex-
treme leniency with p ]. Moran and 9TH
er contractors.
This resolution, which will probably
cause the boards head officer and some
of his satellites TO feel at least a trihe
embarrassed. will recite that contractors
for city work. notably p. J. Moran, have
long delayed the execution of their work,
and that the board has not even made
inquiry into the cause of the delays; that
the city engineer, who must be depended
upon TO see that the various plans and
Speclncatlons are followed by the success
work contracted for conforms to the con-
tracts, has been and is being ignored by
the board, even to the extent of having
his specifications for the kinds and quail
ity OF materials supplied revised by the
boards clerk, at the dictation of con-
tractors and with the assent of the
board
Dooly's Interest In Contracts.
1t is also proposed that the resolution
shall set forth that Chairman DooIy's
company is surety on the indemnity
ponds to the city for nine out OF the
thirteen contracts let by the board, which
contracts are for the most part in pro-
cess OF execution, four of them by T. j.
Moran, whose bonds, assured by the
chalrmans company aggregate $79, 500,
bonds in force.
From this statement of facts the reso-
luton Will demand that an investigation
pc ordered to not only fix the RESPONSE
Dlll!y Tor the haSrant delay in the exc
cutlOn of contracts for the pipe cOnnec-
tons with the new reservoir, the laying
OF new series of distributing mains in
the eastern and northeastern parts of the
city and other important work
Ihe resolution will also demand that
the investigation take cogniZance of the
TACT that Chairman Dooly is financially
interested in the company which is sure
ty on the contract bonds of the default
ing contractors, and the city attorney
will be asked in the resolution to render
an opinion on the point as to whether or
not the law, which prevents any member
of the board of public works from being
directly or Indirectly interested in anY
contract with the city has been violated
by reason of the boards chairman be-
coming interested in the indemnity bonds
given by the contractors.
Violating Promises Made.
In discussing this matter yesterday.
TWO members Of the council on opposite
political sides declared that there had
been the grOSSest display of bad faith
upon the part of the administration i'm
keeping its promises, made when the
voters T'ere asked to give consent for
the issuance of S250,00O worth of water
Improvement bonds, that no DELAY would
be suffered by the municipality in re-
leving the distress of the city from
shortage OF water and inefficient means
of distribution through the pipe system
These cOuncilmen contend that the fault
is with the board of public works and
primarily, with the boards Chairman
who rules the board with an arbitrary
hand whose force none of his colleagues
and but few of the councilmen can with
stand.
, AS 70 the fate of this resolution" con-
tnued one of the cCuncilmen, Il believe
1t VIII be adopted for to do otherwise
would be an acquiescence in the methods
employed by Chairman Dolly and a com
plete surrender to Moran and the other
contractors, who through some sort of
ny pnOCC OF Otner strange influence run
the city in the way directed by the all
powerful chairman. The taxpayers are
kicking, and propose to place the blame
where it belongs.
Ignoring the Engineer.
1T may be all right to leave the city en-
Sneer out IN consideration of contracts.
but without his advice on questions in
VolVlng the quality of pipe furnished. in
spect1on OF work as it proceeds and gener-
al acceptance of jobs of construction of
WaterwOrks improvements, no member of
the BOARD. not even the chairman and
no member of the city council can tell
where he is at. l propose that the con-
tractors shall be required t ofuIfiH to the
letter their obligations with the CITY.
the boards chairman to the contrary not
outstanding, and in the meantime I
think IL would be well TO keen an eve on
the disbursements made 10 contractors
from the city treasury"
Other members of the council claim
they have had a bunch from the mavor
that If the council would take the initial
i've in this matter he would stand by the
action to throw a searchlight upon the
practices of the board OF public works in
dealing with contractors, especially P 7
Moran, who seems TO have first call on /
everything good given out by the board /
and who is not required to specify in his |
contracts when his contracts to deliver
pipe shall be fulfilled while the nrice Of
in WmW