Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-15
TELLS
WHY CITY HELPS
GETS EXPENSIVE GRAVEL FREE
FOR HAULING
DEFENDS CHIEF DEPUTY LAWS
FROM ATTACKS
Answers Criticism of Street Contractor
by Declaring He Was Trying to
Work City for Special
FaVors

partment OF the city government anu
regard every act of municipal officer
with suspicion have believed their sus-
picions confirmed when they have
found city laborers and teams helping
contractors dig cellars and remove the
gravel and assisted in the same way
in the Improvement of public streets
when the work was being done by con-
tract. When these persons have been
shown why this was done they have
seen a great light aod commented the
board of public works for its economy
in the administration of public i'm
provements but there are a number of
Dersons who know this has been done
who have not heard the explanation.
The board is willing to excuse unjust
suspicion on the part of the public that
is not familiar with public works, but
when criticism is made by contractor
who should know every detail of the
matter the board considers matters
have gone too far. To set himself right
and to defend his chief deputy, w. Z:
Laws. w. NJ. Humphreys, inspector OF
public works, yesterday sent com
munication to the council that answers
criticism of George Rheinschild, a
contractor who does much city work,
and also explains why city teams ana
laborers do work for private cohtFac-
tors. His explanation folloWs'
In the Ildllel VI INtANASAA 49,
from George Rheinschild, charging that
in the removal of gravel from streets
which are being improved, preference
Is shown some contractors to the detrl-
ment of others, beg to say that from
January 19. 1908, to March l, 1906, the
citv paid for gravel S21,657.51. During
that period it was the policy OF the
CITY to purchase piles of gravel which
had been stacked up by the contractors
STOOD
in the cellars. From May 20, 1907,
s2724 has been expended for the same
purpose. In both instances the city
furnished the teams.
Gets Gravel Free
For some time past no money has
been paid for gravel whatever. Inc
city has been able to obtain all II ue-
sired by furnishing men to assist in
the shoveling and for hauling same.
A few months ago the contractors
were advised that no more men would
he furnished for the ShoVelng ana
later. that the city teams would not be
pernitted to go into the cellars until
after the top loan had been removed.
The method we are following lays our
department open to attack from any
disgruntled person. We must nave
gravel for our street repairs and we
get it wherever we can economically.
There are certain streets which have
q good covering If gravel which when
the street is improved by paving we
are anxious to secure. There are other
eraveled streets which by time and use
have been so cut up that the surface
is not desirable material These We
decline to accept. You see there is
room for a difference OF opinion as TO
whether we should remove the one and
not the other. l can see no way to get
away from this criticism even If the
CITY were to go into the contracting
business, which I do not approve. II
it were in the contracting business and
were to charge so cents yard for the
digging of a cellar which we had every
reason to believe carried large pro-
portion of good gravel and charge 81
yard for removing dirt from a cellar
which we had evey reason to believe
carried no gravel the same criticism
would be made that we were discrim-
mating against one contractor in favor
of another.
"a few months ago a discharged en-
ploye made what appeared to be on
first glance a very strong case against
the department and it was about to be
published by one of our daily papers.
He claimed that he had been counting
the number of loads that had been
going out from one cellar and averag-
ing up the quantity carried by each
team showed that it was costing the
city an exorbitant amount. Our en-
gineer Immediately measured the eel
lar and found that the mans statement
was wholly untrue
Contractors Main Grievance
"While Mr.. Rheinschild refers to
streets that we are hauling gravel
from, which is true, his main griev-
ance, the one that caused this COM
rlaint, is not stated. Mr.. Rheinschild
called at my office and asked if he
could remove the gravel from Eighth
and Hill streets to our lot at Tenth and
Grand avenue. l asked him if he had
the contract and he advised me that
he had I granted him the privilege,
provided no loan should be hauled with
the gravel. Subsequently he called
again and wanted to know how many
teams we could put into the cellar.
did not raise the point that in our
former talk no mention had been made
about the city furnishing teams be-
cause we are furnishing teams in other
places to remove gravel when our work
will permit, but told him that as soon
as his cellar was in shape we would
put what teams we could spare on the
work. Later he reported the cellar was
ready for our teams.
'Mr. Laws was instructed to exam
Inc the excavation. He found rum
way had been cut through the loan
down to the gravel, the loan being
piled up on the sides. The proposition
did not look good to Mr.. Laws, but
being assured that nothing but gravel
would be delivered him he sent several
teams to the work, but soon found out
that the old custom was being resorted
to-that of letting the loan from the
top mix with the gravel at the bottom,
and the teams were ordered out.
Possibly a week or more passed by,
when Mr Rheinschild made another
request for teams. Mr.. Laws again
visited the work and found conditions
practically as before and declined to
put the teams to work. Mr.. Rhein
schild then made a vigorous complaint
to me, claiming that we were using
city teams in removing the dirt from
cellar on Broadway, being dug by
Mr. Stansbury and that the conditions
and material in the Stansbury cellar
were Identical with his own cellar
| Immediately investigated and found
that the city teams had just started
to work on the Stansbury cellar that
day and that at least three feet of soil
had been removed before the city teams
had been started and good gravel, was
exposed, excepting a little loan which
was being shoveled out in trimming up
| the corners.