The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-11-28
ENGINEER INQUIRY
NEARING ITS CLOSE
COMMITTEE to Recommend Many Changes IN Con
duct Of Department No Engineering neon
potency Shown, but Evidence OF care
lessness and Lack OF System
Is Presented.
Is Presented.

form could not be USED, ne mas eia'''iS'
to be so busy for months past, that
the services Of Rodman j. NJ N. Aleh
havo roo, ronuired In the office TO file
letters and papers
M Adeuuntc City Nnp.
The. inquiry has brought Out VIZ
fact that there Is no adequate map
of The, older part of the city, the an
nexed territory, Lee District ana
Washington Ward records being IN
vastly better condition tnan .hos a,,, IN
cumulnted under the Cutshaw adnin
istratlon The city Of Richmonu up i
parently has no systemau crecora
either in the office of the Clty nnSi.
neer or the Commissioner OF heSssu
of the ownership of proper.s;, . .'n,, ~.
being dependent on the purcell maps
kept by most real estate agencies to1
information.
1t has been brought out, that there
is no chief clerk to speak win au,
thority for the office, and to whom
ali other employees look for instruc,
tons. and the city has been compares
disparagingly with railroads, where
in the offices of the general MAI
ager or chief engineer there may a.,
Informed and discreet man In charse-
| whether the official himself be pres
/ ent or in another state;
Local Assessments Wnsteful.
1t has also been brought out t4 9a
the system of local assessments Tor
paving sidewalks and alleys is clumsy
| and expensive. large part of tne
thine of several clerks being taken
| UP in finding the names OF properly
i owners, serving allegations ana CERT
flying measurements, while the reports
show that the city only gets back
| small proportion of the annual eNpen,
! ditures from those funds making
probable that the. committee WI. rec &c.
ommend the entire abolition oil tne
| system of local assessments as waste,
| full. clumsy and unsatisfactory the
work to he done hereafter out oil
| general funds.
/ Members of the committee VIII moi
| discuss other probable recommends
lions. but whatever action the com
mittee takes there can be no doup'
| but that the turning of the search
! light on the methods of the office has
been productive of much good'
! Boiling Lacks Authority.
| The chief fact brought out was al
ready known to committeeman. thougf
| not to the general public-that TN
| City Engineer has no authority, owe
| his own department. but acts always
/ only by authority of some Counci
committee and as three Council com
| mittees-Streets, Grounds and Build
/ ings and Improvement of the Jane
! River-have to do with the Office
there is a divided responsibility tina
can Dul ledu u iutliICItilIss VIC ~
the two assistant engineers at worl
on sewers. the entire force of en-
J gineers and clerks is that organize
by Colonel Cutshaw and continued i
office under his successor Under TIL
ward system of division of stree
| funds. the City Engineer may not la
an alley crossing or abate nuisanc
without an order from the Stree
Committee. which meets but twice
month and has frequently missed
quorum. The City Engineer lacks au
thority to hire or fire" He may nc
remove al engineer or clerk for caus
without first going to a Council com
mittee, where ward influences ar
more or less at work.
No Hint of Graft.
The saving of the situation ha
| been in the fact that there has bee
no charge of graft-no mlsnpproprif
ton of funds-and every eXpenditui
accounted for with unquestioned ar
, scrupulous honesty. With reorgar
ization of It's methods. centralizs
tion of authority In its executive hea
a system of careful check on the dai,
] work of assistant engineers. appoin
s ment of a clerical head for the offlt
, force revision of the system of re
:. ords and maps. and the employment
I an adequate number of clerks and II
l Ispcctors to keen the work always we
y In hand, 1T is asserted that Il
e office viii take its proper place as Il
|. most important administrative depar
d tment in the city government