The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-07-28
THE WASTE OF INCOMPETENCE.

Tho report OF Mr. Edmunds. the ex-
pert accountant, is the first real light
tho public has had on the details Of the
incompetence of the Morris administra-
tlon ON tho financial handling of the
water bonds, and on tho work pretend
edly dono to add to the water supply of
the city. Mr., Edmuuds Is simply mn nc
| cOuntant; he has no interest in any
| party, IL not in politics ut all, hut he
reports tho facts precisely as no finds
them, with cool, unbiased mind. And
his report has much material in IL to
cause the Taxpayers Of this city the
deepest humiliation and wrath.
First OF all, II appears the city Of
fcials OF the Morris regime did not
know what they ought TO receive from
the bond sales There is a shortage be.
tween what they ought to have re.
ceiyed and what they actually did re-
ceive Of s55555, on the first sale of
$500,000 of the bonds; and on the Sec
ond and third sales. the city loses
$l3S.2S justly due TO it. Here is an
aggregate Of S693.63 lost TO the city,
apparently from the simplicity of Of
hcials who were not able TO do a plain
and easy ''sum' in interest account.
Besides this II appears, from Mr., Ed
munds' IS eport that tho Morris decision
TO sell the whole issue Of bonds was
highly disadvantagcous to the city.
Sale, or at least delivery, as the money
was needed, would have saved tho city
$15,593.39 which the Morris incompe-
tence clearly lost to the taxpayers. It
was the worst Of fnancering. SO that
in the broader aspects of the bond
deal, as well as in the smaller details,
the Morris administration was shock
ingly at fault.
Again, that administration created n
fictitious account which pretended to
pay money for work done at Utah lake.
But this was complete fraud. for no
work at all was done at Utah lake, and
the fraudulent items had later to be
distributed arbitrarily and without
traceable basis, to other accounts. 1t is
noteworthy. also, though the Morris nd
ministration contracted with the people
to clean out and repair the big canal so
that the delivery of its water TO the
Big Cottonwood farmers on the trade
agreement would be ample and certain
the Morris administration made no
move at all to do this work. though last
fall was the best possible time to do il.
II the canal had been cleaned out and
strengthened, Tint work would have
been Of immensely greater value to the
city than the hasty and inconsiderate
letting Of the conduit contract on i'm.
perfect specifications and so that it
provided for a sieve instead of con.
duit.
Note, also, the enormous excess cost
Of the engineering on tho water
scheme under Morris, It is so palpable |
a waste and outrage. especially in |
comparison with the incompetent ma i
ture Of the work done. that there is no !
excuse for it, and no explanation un. |
less ii be that there was fraudulent |
purpose TO burden this bond fund with |
engineering charges that did not prop
erly belong TO il.
While not in any sense a partisan
lr political document, this report from
Mr.. Edmunds is scathing, scorching !
lrraignment Of the blunders, waste, in
competence, ineilicicncy, and maladmin-
stration Of the Morris crowd. II will
oe an eye-opener TO the people Of this
'lty, who can easily see 10 what vast
'xtent they have been defrauded and
'ut TO enormous loss by the incompetent
'raggarts who were able to do so little
good Mt such vast cost, while profess.
ng economy and such great devotion 10
he interests of the public.