Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-21
City Charter Amendments
Reviewed hv City Engineer Rose water

OMAHA. Feb. $50 the Editor Of The
Bee In your report OF the discussion Of
tie city charter before the house COMMITTEES
at The city q Lincoln I am reported az
having practically confined my remarks to
matters relating to the employees Of m
office. This report IT, misleading inasruucf
as my discussion % charter amendments
was MANY Greeted TO the provisions whicr
win impair the public service and are ap-
parently and ~deslEnediy prepared for that
purpose As an evidences OF the truth Of
this statement I quote herewith the pro
vision relating TO the asphalt repair plant
and to asphalt repairs. which reads as fol.
lows:
In any city which has heretofore &C
CURED OF shall hereafter acquire an asphalt
plant for the preparation Of material witt
which to repair its streets with asphalt, the
city engineer shall have charge and control
over the operation Of such plant and tbs
rel airing OF streets with material from such
plant. the employment Of men 10 operate
the same and 10 make street repairs with
said material subject 10 the approval Of the
mayor and city council approved In ad-
vance. Provided. further. there shall be nc
street repaired by material from such plant
until the same has been ordered by a resO-
luton duly passed by the mayor and city
council describing the streets or portions Of
streets TO be % repaired. and provided fur
Their hat the city council shall al the time
the amount Of said funds in this act men,
toned are fixed and set aside declare what
proportion of the money set aside for re-
pairing pavements, modifying, reforming or
changing and maintaining curbs and gut
tiers shah be used in operating such plant
and expended IN repairing streets with as
phnlt"
The change which this provision will
make is 70 take away from the engineer
the right 20 organize and arrange the repair
OF streets on an economical basis and com
pei him TO do work piece by piece as the
council may direct In each Gaze. Not a
single hole In any street under this provi-
sion can be repaired by the city engineer
anti he is authorized to do 80 by a specia;
resolution. If put into effect this means
that the entire plant win be put into serv-
ice at any time solely for the repair Of a
few holes. resulting in a very great increase
Of cost per yard The cost Of asphalt re-
pairs up TO date has been reduced about 10
per cent through a thorough organization
brought about by the engineering depart
ment. and last year. for the first time in
n HltlOTH VI II cry IOTlN-HElt IlAlc "a
asphalt streets were put into first-class re-
pair without any special appropriation over
the ordinary for that purpose. This was
done by the addition Of earnings OF the de-
partment In the repair Of plumbers cuts
and cuts made by utility corporations in
different parts OF the city. These cuts were
repaired nj various times by the economical
disposition of the men 50 as to keep the
cost down within economical limits. Under
this resolution the engineer must either dis
charge All the employees OF the asphalt re-
pair plant at numerous intervals, awaiting
each special resolution Of the council. or
he must maintain the plant at a wasteful
expense. II the engineer Is to discharge
the expert employees from time to time to
await the special times when ii may please
the council TO order a hole repaired here
and there, he cannot successfully secure
competent men for this class OF service be-
cause the men will not wait for weeks at q
time to get a fsw days employment.
Now. ] would ask. what has happened
TO induce this proposed legislation" II is
conceded that the department has brought
the cost OF asphalt repairs 70 the lowest
possible notch: that material used Is Of &
better grade than was used under con-
tract, and that the streets can be kept in
repair IL the organisation effected can be
maintained Why. then. destroy this or
ganization? What special purpose is there
on the part Of the Legislators 10 change an
effective system that has resulted SO bene-
hcially to the public interests, into a politi-