The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-10-12
COUNCILMAN ". P. EkEAN
Continued from Page One.)

work has been carried on as cheaply
and satisfactorily as it is possible for
1t to nave been handled, and 1 do
not think there is anything in this
connection open to serious criticism.
great many people seem to overlook
the fact that the new water system
involves an expenditure of a quarter
OF a million dollars, and that as it
is true in handling every large enter
prise there may now and then be
few items Of expense that could and
should be reduced, and especially in
public works, but l believe the cases
OF this kind that can be cited are
comparatively few and that the total
cost covering every item of this Char
acter at the most will only amount
to few hundred dollars at the very
outside.
Criticisms Unjust.
~ NhOuiu dlSO Uc UOTIl6 III lIdI
the city council and the mayor have
acted without compensation of any
character and it seems to me that it
is hardly fair to be continually in
sinuating that there mas been graft
without positive proof Some people
are always more or less suspicious and
there are those who would rather be-
lieve the stories of corruption than to
accept the truth, and make no effort
whatever to inform themselves upon
what has been DONE
Take for instance the statement
that the payrolls nave been forced to
agree. That is not necessarily a proof
of crookedness. Mistakes are bouno
to occur and when two or more men
are keeping time with as many men
employed as were engaged in digging
the new pipe line ditch, and it is hardly
to be supposed thai there would be no
discrepancies
TOW time was Ncpt,
zone time keeper would start in
at one point on the work to take the
time and another at another point and
with the changes that were constantly
taking place it was easy for a differ
ent report of sucn cases to be made
and there was nothing to be done
when that occurred but to investigate
and ascertain which was correct and
make the others agree. A difference
in one hour or even a half hour would
occasion as much trouble as though
it was an entire day.
"Some people have seen fit to cri-
ticize the manner in which the time
was kept. l believe any fair minded
person will be convinced, if he will
take the trouble to investigate i'm
partially, that this is small matter
to complain about, that it would have
been equally as easy to have jobbed
the city with any other method that
could be adopted. Using numbers in
stead Of names was a convenience and
1 knew and approved of this method
from the beginning. and do now.
Taken Four Times a Day.
when a man was employed he was
given a brass check or number tag
by which his time was kept and re-
corded by the time keepers. The time
working, four timse a day by two or
more time keepers, once in the morn
ing, again about noon, the third time
when the men returned to work and
again at quitting time. Each man in
each crew answered to his number
when it was called. Three days before
pay day the time was made up and
each man given a time check with the
amount due him, his number, and the
date of the pay Jay. He had to pre-
sent this check, which acted as a
voucher, to draw his pay. After each
pay day new pay roll was made
out and new numbers entered. If
number had quit his job, that num-
Der would be given to some new man.
There was no chance for duplication
because after each pay day the num-
bers were all entered in the new book
These had to agree in all of the time
books.
Had OF Trust Someone.
cit has been contended that names
should have been used instead of num-
bers. Any fair minded man will agree
when he understands the matter that
this would not have lessened the
chance in any particular for crooked
work, if it had been the desire of the
time keepers to pad the pay rolls. We
necessarily had to trust to the men
who were keeping the time to avoid
collision, but even had this been done
it would have required the co-opera
ton of the foremen of the crews as
well as the time keepers, for if num-