Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-12-31
CITY DETERMINED TO
DO OWN SEWER WORK
CONTRACTORS THREATEN TO
PREVENT CITY'S EFFORTS
Civic Club Is Said to Be Opposed to
Connections with the Sanitary
System Being Made by
Municipality

REDONDO BEACH, Dec. 30.-Citi-
zens of all classes here are much in
terested in the sewer question, which
is the foremost topic of discussion in
the community.
The city trustees are determined that
connections with the sewer system, re-
Gently completed, shall be made by the
city itself, while contractors are de-
sirous of having the work executed by
contract.
A man prominent in business circles
here, who has given the question much
consideration, today said:
THE Civic club, recently organized
by contractors for the purpose of pre-
venting the city from making the con-
nections with the new sewer system
is on the verge of collapse since the
members of that sugar-coated organi-
cation have managed to get it through
their heads the best interests of the
city cannot be conserved by allowing
contractors to monopolize city work.
as was the case in former municipal
undertakings, when contractors who
had been awarded the work imported
cheap labor and managed the deal so
cunningy that those who secured the
contracts were enabled to become
plutocrats and many property owners
of small means lost their homes be-
cause they were unable to pay the ex-
orbitant expenses heaped on them by
the contractors.
1.-THE miskuided members of the So
called Civic club are in arms and
publicly condemn the underhanded
methods said to have been resorted to
by the ringleaders, who are playing,
apparently, for fat contract.
1.-THE trustees do not propose to be
influenced in deciding the question and
they have the almost undivided sup
port of the public.
"The Civic club, unless the work is
done by the contracting interests it
represents, threatens to prevent the
city making connections with the sewer,
which, if successful, would leave the
city in an unsanitary condition. By
such threatening language one can see
the degree of interest the club has for
the welfare of the city in which it has
boosted itself so much interested.
1.-THE trustees from time to time have
delayed action on the work and have
invited the club to send it's representa-
tives to confer with them, with a view
to adjusting matters so that the hereo-
fore splendid cooperation ranks
would remain intact and the present
march of progress in our city should
proceed without obstruction.
But these meetings resulted in little
good and delayed the work for another
long period. Now the board is de-
termined to push matters and to begin
the work at an early date, thereby CIV
ing employment to a large force of
local laboring men who need work
very much at this time of the year.
"At present the sewer question is the
foremost issue before the public. No
less than half dozen mass meetings
were held by the club before it's ranks
were almost totally diminished as re-
suit of the members getting wise to the
real purpose of the organization.
"The sewer, with which the connec-
lions are to be made, has just been
completed at an expense of $4,000 and
the insanitary condition of the city
makes it imperative that it be con-
nected with at the earliest possible
time"