The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-01-07
THEY DON'T LIKE 1T.
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changes and the city engineer made
changes in the phraseology. He was
opposed to the change, had said SO tina.
day, and reiterated his position today.
What a few councilmen are evidently
30 sore about is the fact that since
their action they have been severely
blamed by their constituents. Council
man Howard said last evening that he
had been bounded by people since the
State Journal printed the article crit1-
cising the action of the council based
on the resolution Of Mr.. Howard TO
make the change. This paper does not
for a moment claim or intimate that
Mr.. Howard was actuated by bad mo-
tives in fathering this change In the
Specifications, but it does claim that ne
was wrong in not favoring the city IN
stead of the contractor and In not com
pelling the contractor to live up TO MS
contract.
An amusing and astounding thing
happened yesterday afternoon. The
council was given to understand by the
bridge contractors that 1t could not
procure the two inch 16-foot white oak
planking specified in the contract
Councilman Holiday made a statement
to that effect in the council last week
and doubtless believed 1t. 1t was not
true just same. The dispute over the
change in the contract last week, was
bridge company to use IA foot white oak
bridge timber for the flooring instead
of the 16 foot and to place 1t at r1ght
angles to the lower floor instead Oh oil
agona1ly. The council changed the
specifications for the repair of the East
Sixth avenue viaduct because under
representations made the 16 foot white
oak bridge timber could not be procured
In sufficient quantity to complete the
contract. The facts are there is close
60 foot Of rpnII1rp6 feeC
to complete the contract at Topeka and
Vicinity.
The city has had trouble constantly
with the bridge company which has
endeavored repeatedly to substitute
inferior material and inferior work.
manship. There was trouble about
the paint. The contractors tried to
work in a lot of old iron. The con-
tractors this very day are trying to
work in material as flooring that has
been condemned for other portions of
the bridge and furthermore, material
that is not UP to the specifications.
even under the change made last week
by the council, and the city engineer,
who is making fine record as man
who means to do his duty, will I'M
doubIedly be compelled to order out
some of the material now going into
the flooring under the revised con-
tract.
But to refer to yesterdays incident.
A new inspector has been put upon
the bridge work and he had not been
posted about this ma,erIaI which the
bridge contractors said they could not
get, but of which was actually in the
city. Yesterday afternoon while Coun-
Gilman Howard was probably drawing
his resolution denounc.ng the State
Journal for maintaining that the white
oak demanded by the specifications
should be insisted upon in the con-
tract, two loads of this very material
which the council had been told could
not be procured was actually loaded
at the Star Lumber companys yard
at the corner of Jackson and Fourth
in this city. and was on its way to the
viaduct when, horrible to relate, the |
contractors discovered that this good |
material was on the way, and said: |
"Ohiswes do not want tnat;" and it !
was sent back.
While the city is investigating, will |
1t please investigate this? And the
city might call as one of its star wit
nesses on this point an authority on
lumber and material, for Councilman
Horn had been informed by the State
Journal that this lumber which could
Star Lumber company, and the State
Journal requested him to go to the
yard and see for himself that he
would be informed and know what he
matter should come UP at the councfl
last evening.
Mr.. Horn lost no time in going to
the yard and actually caught the lum-
Der on the wagons by mistake Fur
thermore, instead of saving a delay,
1t appears that the contractors will
have to use the lumber originally
specified in order to complete the
work soon, because the white oak
specified is in Topeka and near by,
and they are running short of the
condemned material which they have
endeavored to substitute and which
the council under some unexplained
hypnotism was induced to permit the
company to substitute
The council has had so much trou-
BILE with the contractors that on two
different occasions the city has been
on the point of declaring the contract
forfeited and asking for new bids.
The delays have been fntolerable and
the people of the Second ward are
naturally up in arms, and are maxi
ing life a burden to the council and
threatening to sue the city for dam
ages.
The councilmen are quit cas- severe
in criticising each other as the State
Journal in criticising the action of
the council. Here are a few things
reported in the article complained or
by Messrs. Howard and Holiday:
Councilman Jordan: Mr.. Holiday is
not here to see that the contract is car
ried out, but to see that it is not carried
out. He has neglected to criticise the con-
tractors for their failure"
Councilman Stanley: Every man in the
city is interested in this contract The
company knew what the contract repre-
should go to the bridge company
Councilman Horn: "A contract is a con-
tract: I have had hundreds of contracts