Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-04-19
THOSE Dirt BILLS
UNFORTUNATELY FOR PARTIES
PRESENTING THEM THEYIN
cLuDE ITEMS FOR OTHER
SERVICES RENDERED AND TRoU-
& Bile MAY ARISE OVER NOM
( PAYMENT-HIsToRY.

PAYMEN T----fiiSToR
The discussion the other night at
the council meeting Of the now IA
nous dirt bills" has brought out the
fact that the bills In which the charges
for dirt which was placed upon the
city streets also contain number Of
other items for which the city is just
~ liable, if indeed it is not liable for
the dirt items also. 4 4
The total amount Of the bills COM
monty known as the ..dirt bills is
$521.35, made up of bills from the fol-
lowing parties: Wachter Dray and
Transfer company, $500. S.; H. &c.
Rhud, .$21 80; VIM. jaeger, s11s.5O, and
P. Mossbrucker, $s1. OF this amount
1925 has been charged against Con
tractor Kennedy because the dirt was
used in filling the sewer. trenches,
leaving charge against the city Of
$439.1
1t will be remembered that last sum-
mer and fall great deal of dirt was
placed upon the streets that was taken
from cellar excavations and used for
grading. It was said at that time that
the chairman of the street committee
had authorized the dirt distribution
and had agreed to pay 10 cents load
for the earth, which was cheaper than
dirt could ordinarily be secured for
this purpose. II - IS Sc. Il. :.
Trouble arose over the proposition
and complaints were made that the
dirt was being dumped in the street
unfortunately in the absence of any
established street grade, and the up
shot of the whole affair was that, when
the bills were presented for payment
at the, time that the council was in
travail oyer the annual appropriation
I ordinance, the bills were practically
repudiated, as no one would stand
sponsor for having authorized the ex-
penditure, the natural inference being
that the excavating contractors had
deposited the dirt without permission
in order to save the long haul to. the
I dump ground. And thus it came
about, after the bills had been referred
to the city engineer and various COM
mittees without finding a sponsor, that
they were laid over from meeting to
meeting of the council and finally in
definitely postponed. .f 49,
The claimants say that they did the
excavating for ten cents less than the
current rates with the understanding
that they could place the dirt upon the
city streets at ten cents per yard, the
latter payment to be made by the city.
and there the matter rests at present.
Alderman Slattery said at the last
council meeting he would take the
matter into the courts if the council
paid the bills for the dirt, although
he seemed willing to allow the other
lsitems. Mr.. Wachter says he will take
the mater into the courts If the coun-
Gil don't pay the whole amount of his
bill, and in this he would probably be
Joined by the other claimants, and
there you are. -,
L The whole trouble has been caused
by the loose methods in vogue in city
affairs during several years past. No
rule of procedure seems to have held
good with some of the members <of the
council and anything that was wanted
for city use has been bought without
the authority Of the mayor or chair
man OF the purchasing committee, and
in several notable instances the spec
tacle has been presented of the city
paying for things that no member OF
the council would acknowledge he had
ordered
4 Il is to be hoped an era OF reason
|ably good business methods In city
affairs has arrived.