The Pensacola journal., 1906-05-24

city; pay their own expenses and re-
ceive nothing for the same except un-
called for criticism.
1t is notorious fact that Pensacola
has allowed enough good ballast 70 Do
dumped into the bay to make every
street in Pensacola hard street and
every road in Escambia county hard
road, and we challenge this committee
| to point to a former Board OF Public
! Works that has sought to get valuable
cargoes of ballast and build streets OF
it as has been done by the present
board. 1t is something that has not
been thought of, to say nothing OF be-
ing practiced. And we think that the
labOred criticism that the committed
had sought to heap upon this board Is
entirely uncalled for.
Payment Of Bills.
In regard to Section 13 Of the report,
We do not think that this council ever
has expected, expects now or ever
will expect the chairman Of the Board
OF Public Works to personally keep
track OF every employees tine ana
the details of every little bill that is
purchased in his department, but
these things are looked after precise
ly the same here as they are in any
ether city, by the heads of the various
departments, and the pay-rolls and
vouchers made out and endorsed ac-
cordingly. 1t rs a matter of impos-
sibiltty for man at the head OF a
| large institution to be acquainted with
all the details in person, but 1t must
be attended to by trusted men, and
this is precisely what has been done in
! the Board of Public Works. The
chairman has signed the pay-rolls and
vouchers believing that the trusted
! employees who had the care and the
making of them performed their du-
ties conscientiously and honestly. If
there has been anything wrong in the
matter it has not come to the surface.
I'm regard to Section IA complaint Is
made that the cement and brick work
in some cases on East Intendencia|
street and East Zarragossa street was
! inferior. The council will kindly take
! into consideration the fact that this
work complained of was mostly built
out Of thirty-two thousand (32,000)I
| pounds of cement that did not cost the
city a cent, 1t being part of a dam
aged cargo that was given to the city.
And furthermore, the work was par
TALLY done by prison labor and itI
would be very unreasonable for this
| council, or any one else, to expect the
work to be first class. Yet. it is as
good as many of the sidewalks put
down in the city in the past.
Purchases from ZeIius,
In regard to the voucher for twenty
six dollars and thirty cents (S26.30)
complained of in Section 16 of the re-
port, we desire the council to know
that this was for pumps which the city
was compelled to have Immediately toj
drain the excavation in putting in the
DeIIuna street sewer. The street
superintendent failed to find any pump
in the city for sale of this kind except
that of Mr.. Zeltus and the mayor or.
dered him to purchase it, and the other
articles mentioned were some street,
sweeping brooms. which the street.
superintendent desired to sweep thel
street with afters Mardi Gras. TheI
other stores in town were closed. andI
We believe that this was the only store
in town that had them at the time. We
do not think this council will put it,
self on record as censuring the chair
man of the Board of Public Works forI
selling these goods to the city under
the circumstances under which they
were sold. 81
We do not care to refer to any other
sections of the report at this time, as
they involve questions which, we feel
certain, can only be settled in ouTI
favor, and, We have offered these ex-
plantations in order that the entireI
council and the public may be advised
as to our position.
The criticisms couched in the mea.
ger language they bear in the printed
report under the head lines of "Scath-
ing Critiscism of the Board of Public
Works, etc." can only have a tendency
in the public mind to create a wrong
impression, and to put the Board of
Public Works in a false light. We
readily conceive that the board is not
infslliRble, and that some things done
are not in strict accordance with regu-
larify, but the board rests assured |
that it has acted in accordance with
the best. interests of the city. That
not a single dollar has been misap-
piled or squandered, and that the city
has received more substantial work
for its money than it has ever receiv-
ed at the hands of any previous board. |
We are accomplishing almost twice as
much work with the same amount Of
money as has ever been accomplished |
heretofore, and we are willing to be |
judged by our record at any time, but
we insist that We shall not be misrep-
resented to the people.
Respectfully submitted,
ALEX ZELIUS,
Chairman Board of Public Works.
C1AS. H. BLISS,