The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-09-22
MAKE COMPLAINT
THAT HE'S TOO RIGID
Heating Contractors Ask the
Governor to Repress Boiler
Inspector Johnston.

Gov. Van SAINT received a call yester-
day morning from a party of steam
filters and heating contractors of this
city who came before him to complain
of what-they believe to be unnecessary
severity on the part of State Boiler In
spector Johnston in his requirements as
to boilers for heating plants.
These gentlemen represented to the
governor that Mr.. Johnson has been
eXacting to an unwarranted degree in
his inspection of their work and the ma
inspection of their work and the ma
terials used by them and has by reason
of his exactions and demands ham
pered them in their performance Of
contracts and caused them useless ex-
pense and in some cases heavy loss.
The governor suggested that the
complaints be put in writing and said
that unless they were SO pres ented he
could not attempt to act upon them in
diligently.
Inspector Says He'll Stand Pat.
Inspector Johnston, when seen yes
terday by TIL e Globe, said:
Il am Informed that /, have made
myself unpopular with some of the
heating contractors by reason of my
enforcement of the law, and 1 can read
lily understand that some of those men,
considering the, question only from
their own selfish point of view, should
be ready to make complaint to the
governor or any other authority that
they believe would be likely to afford
them any relief. But they ought to
know that they can avoid trouble with
me or my department easily enough by
using materials that are up to the
standard and doing their work accord
ing to requirements.
Gas long as am boiler inspector the
inspection will continue to be as rigid
as it has been in the past. and just as
far as / can prevent it there will be no
inferior material put into any work in
this town.
Has Evidence to Justify His Action.
81 presume this complaint at this
time is provoked by my recent con-
demnation of several boilers that were
intended for use~in the heating plants
of apartment houses, but I am prepared
to show that those boilers were not up
to the standard. 1 now have in my
possession considerable evidence show
ing the kind of work that has been
done by some of these men, and have
been saving it for the proper time to
bring 1T to notice. Perhaps that time is
now coming. When they are confront
ed with it don't believe they can have
fNAy AA0NAA " OetJ ca W 'A@J DNA-0
reasonable"
The eomplainants who called upon
the governor appeared to be acting
upon their own initiative because of
Individual grievances, and not as rep
resentatives of any trade or organiza-
ton. They were E. M. and H. F.
Ware, A. M. Cathcart and C. G. Kratze
rental agents and managers of prop
erty; George F. Morton, Hankee & cha
and M. J. O'Neill, heating contractors;
J. M. Donovan, Kawanee Boiler Man
ufacturing company; James Nankivell,
of the Standard Laundry company;
James M. Geary, engineer at the fed
eral building; w. P. Pendergast and
J. H. Weed, insurance agent.
NJ. j. O'Neill is the heating con-
tractor who had clash with Boiler
Inspector Johnston several weeks ago,
when Mr.. Johnston condemned two
boilers which it was proposed to place
in new fiat building on Dayton ave-
nue. between Summit and Virginia.
Mr.. Johnston, in condemning the boil
ers, declared them to be defective in
workmanship and be placed the seal
Of the state upon them and refused
to accede to any arrangement to have
them used in this city.
Mr.. Donovan is the agent Of the
company that made the boilers.
James McGeary, who is another of
the complainants, is engineer at the
federal building, and has, it is under
stood, recently had some disagreement
with Mr. Johnston regarding Nc
Geary's inspection of boilers for some
casualty company. It was stated to
the governor that Johnston had gone
out of his way to criticise McGeary.
Mr.. Johnston has, it is understood.
made himself unpopular with some of
the rental agents of the city by his
announcement, recently published In
TIL e Glob e, that he will not toler-
ate the practice of having one engineer
care for the heating plants of two or
more buildings.