Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-08-29

was passed by the city council on Aug.
Sand approved by the mayor on Aug.
~ 1901 and in September Of the same
year large amount Of the tax was
PAID into the treasury by the property
owners yet actual work was not COM
Ineced on the paving until April and
July 1902 In those two instances the
Guy had the money paid in by
the taxpayers for eight and ten
months before Il was used In payment
Oh the work for which Il was assessed
me money could be used by the city
Tor no other purpose, hence II had TO
remain idle in the bank.
COMPELLED TO MORTGAGE.
In several Instances It is known that
property owners have been compelled 20
mortgage their property to raise the
amount OF the required assessment. II
certainly seems unjust TO the taxpay-
err Tor The city to collect the money so
long before II Is needed 20 meet the
payments On the work, and, as In the
cases referred TO- compel them 10 pay
interest on their loan for a year or so
oetore 1t is absolutely necessary
DELINQUENT CONTRACTORS.
A question Of much Importance to
the taxpayers at this particular time
49, what does the city intend to do wltG
the SIS5O which the board Of public
works has enforced against the Al
catraz Paving company as a penalty
Tor It's failure 60 complete the Second
and Third South street paving within
the time required In the contract2 And
FURTHER VIII that amount be refunded
TO the taxpayers and abutting proper
" owners on those two streets I'm pro-
portion TO the frontage owned by
them?
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
At the present time those questions
are unanswerable, for the reason, il Is
claimed, that no disposition can be
made Of that money until the time eX-
pires within which the paving company
could bring suit against the city to re-
cover the amount Of the penalty. This
time expires on April Z, 1904, one year
from the date the Sna estimate, minus
the penalty, was paid to the paving
company by the city, So II will be seen
that the present city council will not
have TO cope with that deeply interest
ing question. The abutting property
owners claim that they suffered the
damage done by reason Of the failure
OF the company TO complete the paving
within the proper time and are certain
~ entitled to the amount Of the penal
~ on the other hand, the city claims
that II alone suffered the damage and
should receive the forfeit
SHOULD COMMEND BOARD.
BE that as II may, the board Of public
works Is to be commended for en-
forcing the penalty, The penalty
clause In all paving contracts provides
that the paving company shall forfeit
$50 per day for each day It runs over
the contract time In completing the
work on the Second South street
paving the assessment was confirmed
and work ordered commenced in the
early part Of August 1901 Yet actual
work was not commenced until April
1902, and II was not completed until
November, 1902, The Third South
street assessment was confirmed az
the same time as the Second South
and work was commenced on the for
mer street in July, 1909, and COM
pleted in September OF the same year.
MONTHS BEHIND.
on the two streets and on repairs
TO the payements the Alcatraz COM
pany ran 1877 days over the contract
time. making the total amount NJ the
penalty $3.50, which Is segregated as
follows Second South street. S5,133,0t;
Third South street. sl.6i7. 48; repairs
TO pavement, slO69.73 There will
undoubtedly be a penalty imposed
upon the city street improvement
company on the South Temple street
paving but the amount Of the same
has not been figured ont yet as the
final estimate for that work has not
been submitted to the council. SO II
will be seen that the present board OF
public works intends to make use Of
the penalty clause in contracts for
public Improvements, whefe heretofore
II has been practically ignored and
no attempts made to hold the contract
ors to their contract, and hence often
times unreasonable delays have been
made in the completion Of public I'M
proyements much to the detrmcnt OF
the city and to the chagrn OF the tax
payers who have perhaps strained
every point TO pay their proportion nf
the expense OF the work promptly in
order that there may be no delay IN
work which means so much to the city.