Omaha daily bee., 1906-08-14
TRAITORS TO The PUBLIC
suoh is the Term City Engineer Applies to
Democratic Oounoilmen.
SAYS THEY HAVE OEMoRALlzED AFFAIRS
BY Refusing to Confirm Appointmsn nts
They Have Placed Bane Upon
City improvements,
He Asserts.

Members of the democratic city council
nave proven traitors to the pubic welfare
and demoralized the engineering depart
ment forces. They have done 80 for spois
and not to better the service. Unless men
for the sewer, asphalt and inspection de-
partments are confirmed by the council
soon the contract work on pavements and
sewers will have to stop. because we Will
be required to use our engineering and
office forces for other purposes.
This is the statement made by City En-
gineer Rosewater Monday morning when
asked IL there were any Indications thut
the council would approve the names of
employees submitted by the engineer last
Tuesday night. He said he had no lnfor-
nation whatever bearing on the matter and
that no conciliatory moves had been made
by the council, which refused to sanction
the use Of the old forces temporarily while
they were deciding between men who
should be confirmed and rejected.
Assistant City Engineer Craig says lie
will not leave the department until pending
controversies have been exhausted and the
department placed in good working condi-
tion again, This means he will remain an
indefinite length of time.
Insurgents VIII Try Again.
Reports we're current at the city hall
that the councilmen unslterably opposed 10
City Engineer Rosewater would make an
other effort Tuesday night to elect. an
engineer to contest with him in the courts
for possession Of the Office. The failure TO
obtain one of the seven votes required
spoiled this scheme two weeks ago. can
didate for the place had been picked out
In young engineer named Stevenson, who
has been state engineer of Idaho and is
former resident of Omaha.
Expert workmen in the sewer and asphalt
branches, despairing of securing re-employ-
ment by the city, are getting jobs else
where, and II is not thought likely they
can be induced to enter the service again.
1t is charged that councilmen have circu-
lated reports among the employees that they
would be certain to lose their places and
that even before the council failed to con-
firm the lists the seeds of dissatisfaction
were sown. Because of the fine weather
no serious damage has yet been sustained
by the city by the laying OFF OF the sewer
gangs.
Enemies still mt Work.
The enemies OF the municipal asphalt re-
pair plant are keeping Engineer Rosewater
busy replying to statements that the plant
has proved a failure. In the weekly edi-
tion of the Municipal Journal and Engineer
OF August S this communication appears
over his signature:
notice in your edition of July Is an APP
parent apology for the operation OF the as
phalt plant in Omaha, upon the alleged
hands full and could not give his paving
business as much time and attention as It
deserved. This doubtless was based upon
industriously circulated reports from inter-
ested parties to the effect that the Omaha
asphalt repair plant has not given satlsfac-
tion and that It's abandonment was seriously
considered.
AS a matter of fact the asphalt repair
plant in the city OF Omaha has been pre-
eminently successful despite all the at
tempts to prevent tts successful operation
These attempts have been utter failures
and more extensive and better repairs have
been made since its construction than ever
before.
This year over 2s.OOO yards Of asphalt have
been laid in the city with its plant at a
cost OF about 73 cents, TO which should be
added 10 cents 10 cover Is per cent for in
terest, taxes and maintenance OF the plant,
making the fair average cost OF repairs
about 50 cents, as against from y 10 20
81 %, the lowest prices for which such work
had been done by contractors before the
plant was Installed, and with the further
advantage OF having used from 10 to 10 per
cent of bitumen In the mixtures in the
place of about Z per cent; another advan-
tage being that we have secured a lab
oratory through which all materials and
mixtures used by contractors are submitted
TO test. The cost OF maintenance OF this
laboratory Is included in the total cost OF
Of asphalt repairs.