The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-01-21
Amendments That Might
Aid DeS MOineS Plan
Friends Of the Law, However. Will Ask for None From
The Next Legislature Checking System. Though Ap
parenty Weak, Has Proved Efficient Thus Far.

| inefficient wOrkmen on this and every
other gang of men employed ny th"
city. Not that the city was heartles' -
it made place for the best Of the old
men as water.boys-but that It spent
the peoples money for labor - the
people would spend It them selves, TO
get the biggest days work possible for
a days wages. Scores NJ men were on
the psyrolls who wore a. unfit to do the
work expected OF them as this old man
on the street gang. As rapidly ~ pos.
sible they we're dropped and able.
bodied men put in their places.
The result has been marked in the
care OF the cit. "a streets during the past
summer. They never have been 30
clean. More money has been spent, it
is true, for street cleaning and tho
cars of the unpaved streets, but vastly
more has been accomplished. Every
dirt road was put in condition for win.
ter this year by graders and drags-
something unheard ri before.
PAVING DONE BY CITY.
Tho paving OF one OF the large
bridges across tho Des Moines river,
which divides the city into east and
west districts, gives further illustration
Of the efficiency of the new administra-
ton. Tho old city government did .
similar job of paving by contract which
was carried over into the new admins.
tr~tion. Satisfied that The eity could
save money by paving the next bridge
itself, tie commission stretched the
law bit and undertook the job when
necessity demanded the repaving Of .
second bridge. The city bought Its
own materials on bids, then employed
it's own men and engineers and SGT to
work. The job was completed prompt.
ly and it cost the city So cents per
square yard less than tho contracting
Of paving, considering all variations In
specifications, etc. Commissioner Nc.
Vicar is satisfied that the city could
save money by paving Its own stree.
but that is not possible under the Iowa
state laws.
The city under the new government
accomplished more than the old gov.
eminent. Outrageous abuses existed
Ger the old s!s,em Of grading. job
after job Of work was cone less with Q
view to the interests OF the city and tie
taxpayers At large than TO the interests
OF some favorite individual who wanted
bad lot Allied up In one case that
the writer knows OF. . Job of expensive
grading was done for no other resscn
ia the world than that o man with q
political pull on the alderman had q
low piece OF ground in tho vicinity that
he wanted brought to the street level.
The city's money was spent to fill that
lot without cent being paid ia return.
In the past summer the city has filled
some low ground where grading work
has been done but always with some
return to itself for the dirt removed,
DIFFERENCE IN EFFICIENCY.
The grading and other .road work Of
the county in which Des Moines is 10.
Gated is conducted under the old politi.
cal plan-men are given jobs on the
basis of pull, and not merit. 1t is esti.
mated by u competent engineer that in
the past summer there has been u diff.
erence Of 30 per cent in efficiency be.
tween grading work done by the coun.
ty and city, and in favor Of the city.
One is governed by poltics-the other
by business methods.
Business men are satisfied already,
even though the books are not complete
for the first year of the now govern.
ment. The administration is living
within its income, it is doing its work
in businesslike way and more Of it,
ar it has cut down next years tax
levy by approximately 800, 900. AS one
business man said, ''Those are the re.
suits"