Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-22
FIRM IS EX0NERATED
Ash Contractors "Defau|t'
Was Only Technical.
STUTLER WINS HIS POINT
Note From Commissioner West Sets
Him Right With Public.
MADE MATTER OF RECORD
Failure to Haul the Public Library
Ashes No Fault of
His Firm.
STUTLER WINS HIS POINT
MADE MATTER OF RECORD

A small tempest was aroused at the Dis
trict building today when Warren Stutler.
former superintendent of the street clean
Ing department, came into the offices of
the Commissioners to make protest
against his former firm. Stutler & Ready,
beng termed "defaulting contractors" by
the present superintendent. James NJ.
Wood. Mr. Stutler called on Commits
sioner mcfarland, asking for an investi-
CATION of certain ash-hauling contracts.
Stutler & Ready have tivc-year contract
of this kind. Commissioner Mcfarland
listened to the charges made by Mr.. Slut
Ter and promised to give careful considera-
ton to them after they had been plaoe ed
before Commissioner West, who has
charge of the street cleaning.
Commissioner West was out when MIR.
Stutler called. but when he got the papers
In Inc case he was very much amused at
almost the last thing he did on this, prao-
tieally the last day of his office, was to
dictate note for the records, eXonerat-
ing Stutler & Ready from the cha. &c that
they had failed to live up to their prom
ise in the matter of hauling away the
Public Library ashes.
MIR. Stutler said today that he had
withdrawn his interest from the firm of
Stutler q Ready. owing to the fact that
he and Mr.. Wood We're not on friendly
terms. and that his presence i'm the firm
was bar to the firms getting business
under the District However, as Stutler
4 Ready hold a five-year contract for
the removal of ashes from public build
ings. the District holds the firm, as
or sinally composed, for the fulfillment
of the contracts, and Mr. Stutler SAYS he
has bond of indemnity from his former
partner.
Signed a Waiver.
Mr.. Suffers representation to Commits
sioner Macfarland was that the firm has
been called defaulting in its contra ct
imply because the firm had withdra WIN
from the job of hauling ashes from the
Public Library, so as to give a cheaper
man the right of way. This arrangement
was hrst suggested, 1t is understood
by the Public Library officials Mr.. Wood
draw from the field. Mr.. Ready was
perfectly willing, and signed paper,
termed waiver in subsequent in
dorsements on the papers in the matter
did not comprehend what he was sign
ing, inasmuch as the waiver" contains
IN .de statement r that the firm had default
that the firm had not defaulted BY any
means. and that the withdrawal from
the particular job was really by mutual
When the low-priced contractor sent
his bills in for hauling ashes from the
Pubic Library Auditor Tweedale held
them up, declaring that the Distinct had
that as far as he knew Stutler & Ready
were doing the work.
Mr.. Wood. according to Mr.. Suffers
enarss this tba3 then wrote the let
faulted in their contract
MT: Stutler called on Mr.. West yes
ssraay a1s asksd that the letter b
matter back to Mr.. Wood asking for "a
further report
Mr. Wood wrote on the back of the
had asked that their waiver of the con-
tract be withdrawn and that they should
take up the work at the library again.
Mr.. Stutler ebJe.ted to t. IS, Ia gin, ..Iat
the lie ter calling his former business
defaulting contractor was by no means
Cancelled by this Endorsement.
Mr.. West Fixes It.
Commissioner West, when the matter
boiled over in his Office today, wrote the
following:
In view Of any question which may
arise as to this matter in the fu ure, it
should go into the record that as the re-
suit OF an appeal from the librarian Of
the Washington Public Library that he be
for the hauling Of ashes from that insti-
tuition, an amicable agreement was en-
tered into between the contractors for
hauling ashes. Messrs. Stutler & Ready,
Supt. Wood Of the street cleaning de-
partment, Mr.. Bowerman and myself.
whereby Mr.. BOwerman's request was
granted.
When bill was rendered by the SUBJ
stitute ash hauler the auditor demurred
on the ground that the arrangement ought
not to have been made, and that the con-
tractor should be held responsible for re-
moving the ashes. 1t was then believed
that by stating that the contract RS had
defaulted In the case of the public library
the matter would be settled. The def ault
il 1t occurred at all. was absolutely tech
meal, Hasnuch as 1t was the result of an
agreement, and the record should show
that the contractors were not defaulters
in the sense CT refusing to carry out the
terms Of their contract.
The matter has since been satisfacto-
rily arranged by resembling the granting
of the librarians request, and the regul ar
contractors will in the future remove the
ashes from the Public Library.
The atement of the superintendent
OF the street cleaning department which
has never been approved by the Commits
sioners, should. therefore. be withdrawn