The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-06-07
PLAIN TALK Of
COL. !. CU|TSAA|W|I|. "
Tells Committee Its Pol
icy for Sale of Sand
is Bad.
ABSOLUTE WASTE
OF ClTY'S MONEY
Believes No Sand Should Be
Sold, But When Pumped
Should Be Used to
Raise Streets-De-
eide to Sell
No More.

City Engineer w. e. Cutshaw Is one OF
the municipal officers In Richmond who
has his own ideas as to how the depart
ments under his charge should be rum,
and he doesn't mind giving his views
without reserve to the Council commit
tees or to the Council itself. for that
matter.
Colonel Cutshnw. did not. mtnce words
last night In dealing with the question
of the sale of the city's sand by the
Committee on the Improvement Of James
River.
Not long ago the committee went down
the river on the city tug to Inspect the
harbor, and during the course OF the
evening, passed q resolution. awarding a
contract for the sale Of sand to Mr..
]. r. Sloan at 10 cents per cubic yard.
The resolution went further. Pending
the fllling Of Mr.. sloan's basin with sand
by the city dredge. the contractor Is all
lowed to get this commodity from behind
the gas works. where 1t has been pumped
at much greater cost. This sand will
have to be replaced after It Is taken away
by Mr.. Sloan, and 1t appears to the city
engineer that 1t Is policy OF marching
UP the hill and then marching down
again.
Written Report.
Colonel Cutshaw submitted a brief writ
ten report to the committee last night
setting out that he was opposed to the
policy Of the city selling sand to any
one. for the reason that 1t is needed to
raise the streets for the benefit of Fulton,
and incidentally the entire city, and then
he took the floor and gave his views at
some length.
nil fnot 81 "a ok c,N ,NytV1 ~ on1
sand to anyone, he said. "but II It Is
sold, all who desire to do so should be
allowed to bid. 5
II am told that sand sold by the city
is speculated upon, and that as many as
three dealers in the end make profit up
on 1t. 3
1T is to my mind an absolute waste
Of time and money for tile city to under
take to dig out the harbor, IL this policy
Is to be kept up"
AS Well Give It Away.
1T means that you are practically Civ
ing away this material. in that you
are disposing of 1t at a far less cost
than 1t takes to pump 1t frou the river,
streets along the river and to raise them
beyond the reach Of water
Colonel Cutshaw contended that whereas
Mr.. Sloan was getting sand for ten cents
per cubic yard, the very sand he was
removing was pumped out of the river
ut cost of forty-seven cents. and would
have to be replaced by the city,
II do not say break contract with
Mr.. Sloan or anyone else he went on.
You are in hole. and you ought not
to be there. You will have to get out the
best you can, but ask that there be
some fixed policy, SO that some one man
may be in charge and say what shall be
done.
Should Say Which.
''If you want Mr.. Curtis to have charge
and say. as he did to Mr., Sloan, Get
sand from he harbor.' then all right;
but let's understand what is to be the
policy, and who is to be in ~aarge.
# .Lef us settle upon some definite line
3 OF action before there Is a scandal grow
ing out of this sand business"
Colonel Cutshaw said 1t was the opin-
Ion OF the City Attorney that the city
had no right to sell sand to any one,
and he (Cutshaw) had always been OPP
posed to 1t. He could not see that the
streets OF Fulton could ever be raised,
If as fast as sand was pumped on the
bank 1t was allowed to be sold and re-
moved.
Colonel Cutshaw was not present when
the resolution was passed, but he cer-
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