Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-04-13

WATER WORKS SYSTEM PAYS
Little 10 Criticize in Conduct of Pub
llc Atfairs-suprans Courts Ruling
on Paving Contract at Iowa City
Important and May Result in De-
saAnS for Law Broadening Methods,
Special to Times Republican.

+, Des Moines, April 13.-That munl-
eipal water works plants pay is again
Shown by the report Of the inspector
from the state auditors office of the
accounts of the city Of Cedar Falls.
The report, which is as follows, also
shows excellent conditions in the mu-
snicipal affairs OF the city of Cedar
Fails. with small exception:
"The affairs of the city of Cedar
Fails have been managed in an honest,
fconscientious and business like man
/. ner. and the results are shown in the
/. very small indebtedness as well as the
i ANAL tax levy. In both respects Cedar
Falls ranks with the first of the Iowa
vcities examined by US. The water
4plant is self sustaining. and without
!, the aid Of any tax furnishes the street
]. hydrants, without cost to the city.
every many of the Iowa cities can
cell initiate the example furnished by
. NE city Of Cedar Falls.
] ..In her system Of keepin9 the ac-
4 counts not so much can be said. Inc
city treasurer keeps no register OF the
warrants paid by him, nor does ne
! Keep record of the warrants pre-
8 aented and stamped not paid for want
81. funds, as the law requires.
"The city of Cedar Falls, like nearly
! Ill the cities Of its class, is very lax IN
i 41e manner of keeping the record OF
I The receipts from the various sources.
The clerk keeps no account with the
treasurer, and the only way the offi-
! aers have to ascertain the amount IN
I the hands of the treasurer g to take
4 Ms word for it. The one office should
I q check on thu ether. The code pro-
stdes that tp7y treasurer shall issue re-
.oeipts Tor all moneys coming into MS
!. hands and Ale a duplicate with the
!, clerk. This has not been done. How
aver / think these defects will be rem
edied in the future
& with the exception OF a donation
TO, the San Francisco sufferers, and
possible appropriations for expense OF
s fire department to attend their annual
tournament. the council have kept we'll
\ within the, law in all their expendi-
lures. In all the city of Cedar Falls is
one that her citizens may well feel
proud Of
In suit that developed at Iowa City
lpver the paving Of q street the Supreme
4 desxt held that it is legal for city to
decld6aAu one kind of-paving, even tho
I 1t Is q p4san4s material, and bids can
be received from but one firm or per-
I son or corporation. In the case at
Iowa City the property owners decided
I. In favor Of Williams Bros. company's
! bitulithic paving. This is patented,
. and williams Bros. own the patent.
The decision OF the supreme court is
based on the ground that the Iowa law
requiring competition in bids intends
that there should be competition when
& competition Is possible, but that where
4 there Is no possibility of competition
the city cannot be excluded from using
that particular kind of material or pat
ented device, since to exclude q pat
ented material will rob the city of the
use of that material and will be against
the public interest by putting check
is inventive genius.
Acting on the decision Of the SUI
preme court in regard to paving at
4 Iowa City, public men interested in
nnunicipal matters will advocate that a
No be placed on the statute books
&ivAng free competition in the matter
NJ street improvements and all other
H,Mnicipal improvements. 1t Is advo-
GATED that instead of following the
present plan wherein the city council
passes a resolution OF necessity for the
paving of a street, then allows q ma
jority Of the property owners to select
the material with which it is to be
paved, and then advertise for bids on
that paving alone, the method should
be for the city council to pass the reso-
luton = necessity, then advertise for
bids for paving the street. allowing
the manufacturers of all kinds OF paw
ing to enter the competition and offer
their hu!s In detail. Then allow the
propefsa owners to come in and with
the bids before them make a selection
OF the kind of material they wish to
have their street paved with. If the
bids showed that so per cent more was
asked for paving the street with as
pl1alt than with brick, that fact might
have some influence on the selection
Of the property owners.
II is argued for this system that 1t Is
the system on which. business men
contract. They know something of
the cost OF the various materials be-
fore they make a contract. and do not
select a patent device on which there
10 a monopoly, and then ask for bids.
.