The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-30
TEN DOLLARS DAY
Forfeiture of PavingCOntractors
Commences Tomorrow.
Contractors Far Behind in Their
1909 Paving Contracts.
1T WILL MEAN $4,000
Refund to City Will Reach Up
into the Thousands.
Sewer Men Also Slow on Their
KenwOOd- ElmhurSt Work.

From now until the contract is
completed and the work is turned
over to the city. the city treasurer of
Topeka is be made the receiver of
ten dollars per day-this money to be
paid over by r. S. Gilfllan & Son,
paving contractors who are engaged
in the laying of thirty three blocks of
contract the paving was to have been
approved by the city engineer tomor-
row-December 1. But Gilfllar has
only completed II blocks of paving
and still has * to complete before
his contract is fulfilled.
Some time ago the city officials
gave the paving contractors warning
and made statements to the effect
that this clause in the contracts
would be followed out. The clause
says that if the paving is not COM
pleted after December l the con-
tractors shall deposit $40 per day
with the city and assume all respon-
sibilities, damages and also the sal
aries of the inspectors which were
formerly paid by the city. Gilfillan &
Son had until December 1 to finish
their work John Richie has until
Contractor Richie is in as bad
shape as Gilfllan. He had 291s
blocks in all and he has completed
but of them. His contract will end
January l. This means 311 that that after after
Richie as a source of ten dollars per
day and the same regulations as those
held by Gilfllan.
1t has been limited around the city
hall that the contractors will be let
IL Ill
seems that some of the officials are
anxious to give them more time. Ac-
cording to the statements made by
Mayor Green sometime ago when the
scare first came up the city will not
be lenient with the contractors. In
stead every part of the contract will
be enforced and the collections made
at once.
Work Has Been Slow.
The city officials and the people
over the city have raised a howl on
account of the slow work accom-
plished by the contractors. This
howl was first heard about three
months ago and it has increased in
every day until those living on
the streets where there has been no
work done have given up hopes until
next spring. Others living on streets
where the grading has been done and
the dirt and debris is piled high on
their parkings are furious. Another
class with brick walls on their park |
ings have obtained action and some |
of the brick has been removed. The
streets III the city were never in such |
a disorganized condition on account of
the slow work in paving and there is |
very little hope for any more paw
ing until spring.
This means that there are SO " |
blocks in Topeka that were con-
tracted for and that will remain |
muddy until the spring months-and |
the tax payers had been promised
that thar streets would be in good |
condition by the first of the year.
Gilfllan has been working ever since |
Maybe has been at work SIX months
and has completed only half of his
work. At this rate the work will not be
fully completed until next summer. AL
ten dollars a day the city will receive
from this contractor alone $1,000 for
lack of work. Contractor Richie does
not have quite one-half of his com
pleted This will also mean about s., 500
refund to the city Richie still has d
month before his time is up. However,
the cold weather is liable to come a
any moment and this means a tenn
porary end of the work for the year.
Sewer Men Also.
There is another set of contracts
that has been overlooked by the city Of
ficials and the contractors. At any rate
the contractors have failed to deposit
their back funds. The sewer contracts
read similar to the paving contracts.
A sewer contractor is also given a GER
tain amount of time and he must finish |
his work in this time or else refund $40
a day with the city treasurer. Sewer |
district No. % under the course of con- |
struction by Mcclure & Stanton was to |
have been completed by September L. |
This is the Kenwood sewer. 1t has only |
been half completed. If the city had
demanded the charges the contractors
would have paid up to date $600-the
contract is three months over due On
the Elmhurst sewer the same condi-
lions exist. The contractors have 1000
feet of sewer constructed and there are
still 5000 feet of work. Their contract
was to have been completed by jan
uary 1. 1t will be impossible for the
contractors to finish by this time.
The Kenwood contractors are now
paying the salaries of the inspectors
but they have failed to deposit the SO
per day with the city. In the paving
contracts the contractors are under the
same rules-they must pay the city $40
a day and also pay the salaries of the
inspectors.
If the city lives up to the contract
and assesses the contractors as they
have stated before, about $4,000 will be