The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-26
Till BdOnaABlNUH
Hutchinson People Complain of
Uncle Sans SlOwness.
Would LikeWOrk on Government
Building Rushed.
OBJECT TO INSPECTOR.
Claim Made That He Is Wrong
Man for the Place.
POstOffice Should Have Been
Completed in November.
OBJECT TO INSPECTOR.

Hutchinson, Kan. Jan. 26.-The News
says:
Hutehinson's government building is
not completed It lacks much work of |
being finished and when it will be done
no one in Hutchinson knows.
By the contract made with Contractor
Hopper of Arkansas City the building
should have been completed and ready
for the removal of the postonice bust
ness of Hutchinson by November 80, /
last year. Whether or not it win be
done by November go this year. no one
can tell OF at least will tell 1t is GER
tain that the building is stin incomplete
and it is also certain that there is very
little work being done these days.
Thomas Hostetler who has until re-
Gently, had charge of most of the work
on the building, during the absence of
Contractor Hopper, who was busy for
a portion of the time at other things.
says he has no idea when the building
VIII be completed. He says there is ma
terial on hand for pushing the work
ahead rapidly Mr.. Hostetler now has
charge OF the building of the new Kelly
mill in South Main street but he has
been at work on the government build
ing for a, good share of the time since
it was first started.
Mr.. Hostetler says the trouble in com
PACtlAiG tAiG DuiAuiilS mas Deen the lDcOfn-
potency of the man sent here by the
government to inspect the work as it
progressed. IF the man in charge had
been capable and had known his bust
ness we would easily have finished the
work by November 80. as the contract
called for said Mr.. EIostetler This
is true of the entire work of construc-
ton from the beginning to now We
have been unable, a good share of the
time, to get any idea as to what the
! ir,a r.fr,
We have worked according to the plans
and specifications and have gotten along
as well as was possible. The inspector
has rejected stuff which could not be
! beaten anywhere. We have a large
amount of marble for finishing work
stored here, which is made exactly ac-
cording to specifications and which is
1 the quality of marble demanded This
/ inspector has marked this as being re-
/ jected. He has rejected some woodwork
which is as good as can be lone any
where IN the United States and no one
but the inspector could tell why this is
/ done. large share of he stone which
4 has gone into the CONSTRUCTION Of the
4 building has been rejected by the IL
1 spector and we wouldn't have been aT,v
1 farther along than the basement If we
4 hadn't forced the work through Tt is
/ absolutely impossible to get the quality
4 Of stone in some cases, which this man
demands. It could not be found any
1 WHERE anu lIle WOOQ QOSS not grow InaI
comes up to his demands No contract
or could come up to the inspectors re-
| Quirements'
Mr.. Hostetler said that the inspector
had rejected so much first class stone
| that the contractor was forced to go
/ ahead and put it in the walls anyway,
| or else no work above the foundations
! would have been done at all. There is
a story told by the men at work there
/ that it was a@question as to whether or
| not a rough and tumble fight would come
| out of the differences at different times
! during the summer and fall. 1t has
/ been a scrap back and forth and the
building has been delayed. Mr.. Hostel
Ter says the materials for building the
| walk have been on hand for months but
that the inspector holds this work back
and keeps it from being done.
reporter for The News called on
Mr. Stein who is the inspector in
| charge, at his office in the Higley block
/ yesterday afternoon. Mr. Stein very
| CURLY informed the reporter that he
was getting on thin ice" when he asked
questions of a postOffice building in
/ spector and he absolutely refused to be
quoted at all He would give no reason
why the building was not finished ac-
! cording to the contract nor why it ism
| finished at this time. He would not talk
| for publication at all
/ Hutchinson people want this building
finished 1t is needed and needed very
| badly Other buildings started since
this one, in other cities, have been COM
pIeted and are in use or ready for use.
This building has slipped over the con-
tract time and there is a demand for
its. completion and use. People have a
right to know why it is being held back
so long.