Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-09-02
Books and Workings of Depart
 ment Ready For inspection
ASHLEY. STREET IS THE JONAH

A
 That is Where Much of the Street Ap-
 propriation Has Been Dumped
 Only About Half of the Appropria-
 ton Spent By the Street Superin-
 tendentNew Streets That Have
 Been Opened and Have Been a
 Drain on the Treasury.
 These are troublesome times for pub lie officials, so much so in fact that one
 would think it would be difficult to get onlookers to step into the places of men
 who are in harness and hear missiles
 Whizzing by their ears at every step.
 Chief Egan is on the rack again. and
 It would be wise man who could tell
 at this time how many others will be
 laid low before E. F. Riordan retires from the field.
 Superintendent Kelley of the street
 department and the board of public works are coming in for share of the hot shot, and, according to what some people say, the superintendent will be apt to make trip to WhaIley avenue before the Platt Bros 6S Go sewage case
 comes up against them, so that really those who are out should not be too
 anAlous to get in lest they find them selves up against the same trouble which confronts the fellows they are. aiming to replace.
 But is the situation as serious as if l Is being made to appear for some peo- Die, or Tor anybody, for that matter Cierk Hor1gan of the street department
 was asked to-day if he had anything
 to say on the matter, and stated that so far as the street department was l concerned 1t was able to make report
 of It's doings at any time, which, he be- lieved, would satisfy everybody that it has been pretty well hampered this
 year and made eommendable hesadway
 under the circumstances. Why" he continued, we're ready to show our hands at moments notice, and have been from the outset. Our system of keeping accounts is thorough, and MT Kelley has been very particular about having it kept in an up to date man. ner. Although l have had charge of the books for some time past, he made. it a point to look over them regularly himself and satisfy himself that every item was properly entered up. Take the appropriation for streets. new l work, for example, the sum total of which was $16ooG. It is exhausted
 'aazs asltt it slassllsl fe reneslsaeaeed that l the whole amount was not spent by the ] street department. As a matter of 1 fact. we used but little over half it. Let me give you the items: Labor. $6.- 52O.57: material. supplies and $771 to ] John w Gaffney & Go for filling in l Riverside street from West Main street l southerly, making a total taken from
 streets. new work, by this department 1 of $S,797.93. This is the way we keep accounts, so that we are in no way l alarmed about being asked to explain l what we have to show for such money
 as has been expended. If you want to look over our ledger the items are there, together with the date of every purchase, from whom it was bought, l and an accurate guide to every mans l wages and where he worked while he l was employed here. The same rule l holds with reference to everything else. l We keep things in good shape here, I
 wants to find out what any particular
 sum was paid out for send him along and we shall be happy to give all the l information he wants about it. I I might add that we have an order here
 from the department of public works
 authorizing every dollars worth of l work that has. been done"
 So much for the street department.
 The superintendent is in a position to
 show where he used every penny that
 has been paid out and which is charged
 on his books and there is no reason at
 all to doubt that the engineer can show I what has been expended and for what with reference to the contract job on l Ashley street which everybody admits
 was an expensive undertaking, but it 1 is nothing for which the department 1 of public works can be held respOnsi-
 bIe The board was not consulted
 about the purchase of the school site
 abutting upon that street, but the al l dermen were when big delegation l from that district filed remonstrance l against the purchase of the lot and in
 explanation their opposition to it laid l some stress upon the enormous cost of l working the grounds and grading the 1 street leading to it. Chairman Goss is
 said to have discovered some charter violations in the matter of contract
 work Perhaps he has and probably l when he inquiries into the situation little farther he will find that if he had been as far-seeing some time ago as he is said to be at this time he could have saved the city several thousand dollars l by using his efforts to have the Walsh l school built some place else. It was I charged at the time that the fact that
 the school board had made the pur- 1 chase from the Scovill Manufacturing Go had something to do with the cool reception given the remonstrants by
 the board of aldermen, but perhaps
 this was unwarranted, for the remon-
 strants were heard by the aldermen
 and committee inquired into the
 matter and after what was considered
 a careful inquiry into the complaint it
 was decided not to interfere with the
 plans of the school board and the work l went on. It turned out to be far more