The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-01-07
Public Improvements Under
The DeS MOineS Plan
,u., No. v bv F. ". Beckman Of the Des Mones REGIS.
t,r and Leader, Tells of the Operation of New System
With Relation to City Work and Corporations.

with the letting of large contracts.
There is no semblance of any now.
Every contractor gets a square deal on
his merits and pull doesn't count
The inspection of public work has
been put on civil service basis to
make certain the selection Of efficient
and independent inspectors. With one
unfortunate exception, the appoint
ment OF new inspectors has been reas.
onably good. This one appointment is
that OF an eX-alderman of the old gang
and referred to previously The city
engineers department has been large.
ly reorganizsd on modern methods
adopted to insure the best of material
for city work. More doubtful brick
and cement and stone have been reject
ed this season than ever before in city
work.
With one exception city work has
been prosecuted with dispatch this
season. Delays on this one street was
due partly to the close inspection of
materials The street has been tied
up for about two months, badly i'm.
peding street car and other traffic. At
the office OF the perintendent of pub.
lie Improvements it is stated that the
difficulty of getting material up to
specifications was responsible, also de.
lay in getting street car foundations
laid.
no SECTIONAL INTERESTS.
There has been some complaint from
remote sections of the city that they
have not had full attention. 1t is prob
ably true that the commissioners have
given most thought to the larger and
mo. e urgent things in the city's work,
though they have honestly tried to be
fair to all sections. The ward alder
man made it point to do business for
his community first, the whole city
later on. The ward system emphasiz-
ed the importance of sectional interests
the election OF comm ssioners or coun-
cilmen at large emphasizes the impor-
lance OF the city as whole.
For the most part these complaints
are rather captious. The commission
ers are doing improvement work
throughout the city, as fast as it can
be done.
Des Moiues owns none of the public
utilities, water, gas and electricity be-
ing furnished by private corporations
operated under public franchises. The
new plan, therefore, has not had 70
deal with the problems Of municipal
ownership.
However, the new con- mission has TO
DO With the private corporations. and
II, relation with them have been strict
" on a business basis, and the Interests
of the people have been considered
first. one of the last acts OF the OLD
council was to make new contract Tor
lirbting at an increase 10 price over an
existing contract. The new govern
mept has set this contract aside aud l.
now lighting it as illegal. The council
is investigating thoroughly the matter
of all rates for public service, including
water and lighting. 1t voted sometime
ago reduction in certain water rates.
The water company refused to accept
| the re. uction and the matter is now IN
the courts. One Of the commissioners
John MacVicar, in charge OF the de-
nartmept OF streets and public improve
ments. is an expert upon these matters
of public service and he is a prime
mover iu all these matters pertaining
TO water and light.
ALLIES OF CORPORATIONS.
Once upon IL time, before the upheav'
AL some of the aldermen were nOtorl
on,l, in alliance with the public service
coruoralions. a majority OF the coun
eli was invariably elected through
corporation campaign contributions
There was IA time few years ago whet
majority of the councilmen were aIs'
in the contracting business, more oi
los, and every man of this majority
had -,n,r ,vrt Of a contract With "a pup
,ic ice c,,rporltlpn The inference
i. ubv,ou,-evr,, man TILED his ONCE
acceptaUiy ~ VIZ COZ polaolou''