The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-12-04
City Engineer Rogers Answers
Mayor Green's Charges.
Says Mistakes We're Made by
Mayors AppOintees.
HE TAKES THE BLAME.
But Insists That Work Is Too
Heavy for Office Force.
Other Items of Interest Around
City Building.

In reply to the interview with Mayor
Green last evening in which it was sta
ted that John P. Rogers, city engineer,
had made a number of serious mis-
takes in his official duties and was too
careless for his office. Mr.. Rogers has
given out a statement to the effect that
dt was wholly through the lack of ex-
perienced men in the office and the
great amount of work piled into depart
ment that these mistakes were made.
In his statement Mr.. Rogers also
points out the fact that he had relied
upon the help in his Office to do the
final estimate work on account of the
fact that he had been ordered by Mayor
Green to spend his time in the field
work over the city.
1t is understood at the city hall this
morning that at the monthly meeting
of the city council Monday night Mr..
Rogers will ask for a bookkeeper in
his office. He has stated that the inn
mense amount of Office work cannot be
attended to by one man who is also
responsible for the work that goes on
out in the field.
Never in the history of Topeka has
the work in tie engineering depart
nent been as heavy as it is this year.
AS one councilman said this morning:
John Rogers has been with this city
for three years now and during that
time he has not had one vacation of
any kind while the rest of the officials
have all had their regular time off.
Thanksgiving day he worked all day
long in the mud and water after he
had planned hunting trip. This is
fair example of the time and work he
has spent with the city. 1t is impossi-
BILE for any one man to take care of the
office and field work and remain re-
sponsible for ALL"
It has been stated that Mr.. Rogers
will be asked to resign. Mayor Green
has made no such move and according
to his statements he cOntemplates no
such move.
Mr.. Rogers Statement.
Mr.. Rogers statement follows:
I'm regard to the statements concern
ing certain errors discovered in the |
estimates emanatfng from this office
have only this explanation to make:
First, the modus operandi under |
which these estimates are made.
1.-THE various quantities of work done
by the contractors during the month
are measured up at the first of the
month and handed into The office to the
from which to prepare
estimates to be prepared in triplicate
and all previously estimated work gone
over and deducted. This work is re-
quired by the claims and accounts COM
mittee the Thursday afternoon previous
10 the monthly council meeting on the
first of the month. AS the monthly
estimates are very numerous and |
oftimes long and req-iring a great
many computations and all this work is
in the interval of from
one to three days.
This often necessitates such rapid |
work that accuracy cannot be main
tanned. A few months since the clerks
office requiring more time to tabulat |
this work an additional day was taker
from the time of this office and given
there. This caused the claims and ac-
counts meeting to be called together on |
instead of Friday as hal
been the custom for years.
There was a time early in the season |
when my time was almost entirely re-
quired in the office and complaint was
made that I was giving too little time |
to the work in the field. was then or
dered to give my attention to the field |
work under construction which 1 have
been doing ever since and the mistakes |
have occurred since the time 1 have |
been so employed.
Mistakes have been frequent during |
the stress of such an unprecedented !
amount of work both in the field and in |
the office but while the amount of work |
has been doubled the force for handling
the same has been diminished in point
of efficiency by placing the burden on a |
new man who to a great extent is I'M
familiar with this class of work.
las to the handling of the work-it
is measured by men appointed by the
mayor. figured up by men so aDnointed