The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-05-29
WAKING UP A LITTLE.

After long and rather costly delay
the city council has finally devised
scheme to meet the requirements of
the improvement law passed by the
last legislature and shows some indi-
cations of activity in the execution of
the projected works. 1t is said in apol-
ogy for the delay that the legislatures
changes in existing laws affecting con-
tracts were responsible for the slowness
of the council but the plan finally
adopted could just as well have been
put into effect Immediately on the adj
journment of the Lawmakers if it had
not been for the slowness of the council
and the deliberate effort of some men,
bers to block any action.
The plan now effective has some
curious evasions and twists in it to
throw every burden possible on the
property-owner. Among other things,
the contractors are required to make
their bids on improvements cover the
cost of engineering and advertising.
The beauty of this plan is that it en-
ables the American" administration
san services with the property owners
money. There is practically no limit
10 the price that can be charged for
advertising and no provision is made
for competitive bids on advertising,
though competition would save thou
sands of dollars TO the citizens who
pay for it, That is to say, the council
is willing to pay excessive prices to
party newspaper so long as the people
of salt Lake foot the bill, although they
cannot, by law, buy material or let con-
tracts for public work on a non-com-
petitive basis and would be suspected
of crookedness if they insist on pay
ing two prices for anything else but
advertising.
However, il is a relief TO know that
the council is finally awake to the need
for active work and is prepared to go
ahead with it. The sidewalk extension
awarded TO the Utah Fireproofng COM
pany which they refused to put in will
cost the people much more than if the
city had held the company to It's con-
tract: other jobs will infiict the same
penalty on the public. but the work
seems likely to be done and that is
reason for thankfulness.
The state of the city treasury Is in
Dictated by the transfer of $4,000 by
the council from the street fund to
pay the city's portion of amounts due
Contractors Moran, Percival, Kennedy
and Birch Just how the city is going
10 pay its part of other Improvements
now under way or to be paid for this
year does not appear, since the money
certainly is not available and will not
he from current revenue. At a modest
estimate the floating Indebtedness of
the city at the end of the year ought
TO be quite a tidy sum, probably In ex-
cess of 500 600, which will have to be
provided for by the succeeding admin
istration. Apparently the council does
not regard such a condition as serious
? problem and is going ahead spending
money in every direction as cheerfully
and carelessly as a boy buys candy
with money some one has given him.
X
The substitution of warrants for
scrip is a good move if it is legal. The
scrip is lien on property worth much
more than the face value of the paper
and there is no reason why IL should
be discounted and hawked about ex-
cept that in scrip form it is cumber-
some TO handle and difficult of nego-
tiation. The conversion of the scrip
into warrants is good business and
shows that some thought is being given
10 the financial status of the city.
Salt Lake people want the improve
ments, they are willing to pay for then
on a legitimate scale, they have en-
dured patiently about as stupid pro
gram of delay and incompetency al
could be devised. 1t will be some re
lief TO them to know that the city sd
mlnistration is waking up and showing