The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-10-14

| Of municipal contractors that were
feeding at the public crib. and since
that day untold sums Of money have
been saved the taxpayers.
In the early days when andrew Rim
| ker, city engineer, first assumed charge
Of this department, it was proposed to
| sewer. This sewer runs on Eleventh
| avenue to Ninth street, and over Ninth
street to Hennepin avenue.
The sewer committee Of the city
council advertised for bids, and re-
| ceived a batch Of sealed proposals,
| every one Of which was more than
$4,000 in excess of the city engineers
I estimate. Such a disparity between
Mr.. Rinker's estimate and the bids
subritted by the contractors caused a.
great deal Of discussion among the
members Of the committee who
| thought that the city engineer must
| be in error.
Engineer Surprised Council.
Mr.. Rinker, however, stood by his
original estimate and declared that he
could even do better on the actual
work If the council would give him
$4,000 for machinery. The council i'm
mediately called the "bluff'' Of the en-
gineer. Machinery was procured and
| material bought in the open market.
The sewer was built by day labor, and
| Mr.. Rinker demonstrated to the city
that he was correct Ever since that
| time the sewers Of the city have been
constructed by day labor.
Although there is no municipal ordi-
nance or state statute compelling any
| department of the city to use the civil
| service in the matter or making ap-
pointments or deciding the length Of
the tenure of office of any of the city
employees, the city engineers Depart
ment for the past quarter of a CEN
| fury has been administered along civil
service lines.
! Many Old Employees.
All of the oldest employees in the
city hall today are connected with this
department. Even the majority Of the
laborers working on the street paving
Jobs or on the sewers have been with
the department year in and year out.
! Andrew Dalgren, sewer foreman, has
been with the department for the past
20 years. The experience he has thus
| acquired In the service has rendered
him Invaluable to the taxpayers Of the
city in his especial line of work.
| M. s. Cleeper, who has charge of
| the sewer repair work, has been with
the department since 1876. He is one
Of the most trusted employees in the
city engineers office, Similarly, Carl
1lstrup the sewer engineer, w. w. Red
| field. the water engineer. and Chris
| Oustad. the bridge engineer, have been
! with the department anywhere from
Is to rs years each.
| Mr.. Rinker himself is one Of tho old
est city officials, having served az
| city engineer continuously with the ex-
ception Of 10 years, from 1877 to the
present time. Mr.. Dutton, his assist
! ant, has been an able second since the
| early sos.
Day Labor Pays.
The system Of DOING things by day
labor instead Of depending upon a con-
tractor was originated by Mr.. Rinker,
and the manner in which tho system
has worked out under his administra-
ton refutes the oft-repeated charge
| that such system is liable to untold
| abuses
The most common charge brought
| against such system is that the al
dermen in their desire to distribute
patronage would ruin the efficiency Of
the department.. The long tenure of
office enjoyed by the heads of the
various departments under the SUPER
vision OF the city engineer renders
! such charge 50 far as MINNEAPOLIS
is concerned null and void.
The aldermen Of the city have
brought no pressure to bear on the
city engineer in any Of the minor
appointments. For years practically
the same gang OF Italians have mixed
tho concrete used by the city, for.
g.