The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-07-10

This will cut down the enormous ex-
OF the city for street work
and as the department will be under
the supervision of at least three alder
men, it is to be expected that the prac-
tice of cutting down one high place
In the street to make another higher
at a cost Of $1.50sa yard for moving
the dirt will not continue much longer.
DESERVING OF cENsURE.
Surely the members OF the city
council deserve q certain amount of
censure for the lax methods usea in
allowing bills and spending the peo-
pies money. Negligence on their part
is solely responsible for the condi-
lions OF affairs disclosed Tuesday
night. when members OF the finance
committee admitted that they were re
porting favorably, bills OF which they
knew little as to by whom or for what
they were contracted.;3The other mem
bers Of the council, relying on the
Judgment of the members OF the I'm
ance committee and believing that
very bill favorably reported had been
Investigated, approved the report OF
the committee without question.
Although there has not been any
disclosures of graft or even grounds
for suspicion of graft which would
warrant an investigation, the mem
bers Of the council were not doing
their. duty in permitting opportunity
for graft, and in many cases this is
! what has been done. Granted that
every cent paid out by the city was
for value received, the members OF
council are culpable for not properly
safe guarding the interests Of the peo-
pie.
Two members of a committee,
which has charge Of one OF the depart
ments in which a large sum OF money
Isl spent every month, admitted a lac
OF knowledge of the affairs Of that de-
partment, which was startling to say
the least. They were not familiar
with the work of the department;
did not know where work was being
done for which bills amounting to
thousands Of dollars have been allow.
ed every month, and left the super.
vision Of the department to the chair
man Of the committee.
Vast sums have been expended
patching the city streets. but to what
purpose. The Improvement Of the
condition of the streets by this patch
work, did not warrant the money ex
pended and this is, and has been fol
some time. admitted by every mem
Der Of the council; yet month aftel
month bills for the work were allow
ed without protest. True there have
been movements launched to regulate
. this particular condition, but wha'
was the result? The force OF men AMI
teams employed was cut down once
or twice for a few days and the mex
time the council met, the members o
J, the finance committee faced the SAM
situation. They were again allowing
bills for work on the streets, which
! they were not absolutely certain hal
been performed, and II called upon t
$ tell what returns the city was re
r ceiving for the money paid to labor
), ers and for team hire o even In VIVA
: section OF the city the work was beinI
!. done, they would be in a quandry.
= The work on the streets has no
: been under the direction of al eng
I neer and in many cases it was simpl
a question Of cutting down n hig
J place and piling the dirt on another
: Yesterday morning the two member
!, of the street committee, who are q
present in the city and the mayo
found that the payroll of the city
street department, exclusive of tn
salary of the street commissions
:. amounted to $45 a day and that whe
! prisoners are worked the cost of Gu
ting down the bumps with a pick an
!, shovel was $3.50 a yard. What mu'
the cost have been, when men, betn
,e paid So a day, were employed, as ha
II been the case the majority of I'll
time during tie past year? All t.:
time the aldermen lsve been allow:r
the bills for this work, which the
= unite in declaring is almost. useles
4 Supervision Of the work of the stree
q department was taken out of IL
ot hands OF the mayor by a motion
lie the council three years ago, and pla
Il. cd in the hands Of the street COZ
q m'ttee. which really means in Il
is bands Of one man. the chairman. sin,
le the other members of the commtttt
Of admit that they are ignorant Of VIII
a is being done and what has been dor