Los Angeles herald., 1910-04-30
RED HOT HARPOONS PIERCE HIDES
OF THE HIGHWAY COMMISSIONERS
Advisory Board in Formal Presentation Charges of Msmanage
ment Says Road Bosses Have Flung COunys Money to
BIazes and Have Bunged, Irrerevaby Los Ange-
les Cherished Hopes on the New RoadWayS

| it was only by promising to advise with and
consult with this committee that you induced
| the voters TO permit you to obtain the use
of the funds And in your failure to keep
your promises you deliberately betrayed the
people.
MADE PROMISES
1t is a matter of record and beyond dispute
that you pledged the people to consult this
committee relative to all expenditures OF
money and letting of contracts in the build
ing of this system Of roads, and it is a mat
te rof record that you violated your pledge to
the public in attempted sale of bonds and
had it not been for this committee invoking
the aid Of the courts you would have wasted
approximately 100000 Of public money.
The highway commission represented that
3O7 miles of macadamized road would be con-
structed for $4,000 600 and that the construc-
tion of these roads would be begun at once
and would be pushed to an early completion.
The bonds were voted July 80 1908, and
s1,O5000O ware sold in October 1908, and the
amount was available and the taxpayers
were paying interest from that GATE at AZ
per cent, and the money was lying idle, and
this piece Of mismanagement alone cost the
taxpayers $50 900.
LITTLE ACCOMPLISHED
We find that at the end Of one year and
seven months from that date you have ac-
cepted two and one-fourth miles OF what is
known as the El Monte road which had to
be atched by the contractors at the county S
expense, and conceded by all authorities to be
imperfect. and at this date it is dlslnte-
grating and will have to be rebuilt if It is
TO be called permanent. This is the only So
called completed road accepted by you at this
date.
The only other supposed TO be completed
road that is in evidence is about FOUR -tenths
of a mile on Prospect avenue. which was
constructed by day labor under the immediate
supervision of the highway commissions engi-
neer, and responsibility for its failure cannot
be evaded. His talking OF not accepting this
piece Of road is misleading to the public.
The truth IS that the defects are due TO i'm
proper supervision.
We would call your attention to the repeated
statements OF the highway commission. ex-
the very unusual time consumed and
expense incurred before the calling of the
bond election The highway commission stated
that careful surveys and estimates were
being made; rock was being tested and quar-
ries located so that all would be in readiness
to push matters economically when funds
were provided. We're these representations
true?
THE EAC1S
Here are the facts as developed: Rights Of
way had not been obtained, and only part
have been obtained at this date, and there
Is telling what unnecessary expense this
kind OF management will entail
At the time Of the calling OF the bond cleo
ton the public had been led to believe that
1uarries had been located and that an ade-
luate supply Of rock could be obtained. After
he bond election II developed that no quar-
les had been located, acquired or even op-
ions acquired on prospective quarries, or
contracts made for any supply Of rock. and
n fact no provision Of any kind had been
made to protect the publc's interest in this
and this unbuslnesslSe condition
10 impressed Supervisors Pridham and Man
ling that a matter OF protection to the
,oInty they took the matter in hand and
lnally located prospective supplies at Pa
oima and San Dimas, and 1t is 20 be hoped
his businesslke move upon the part OF these
althful public servants will partially at least
ford protection to the taxpayers.
HOPED FOR REFORM
We had hoped from time TO time that mat
ers would get getter. in which are sorry
o say we were disappointed, and in self
efense We employed an engineer Of known
bilty and at considerable expense, which
aid expense has been and is now being met
littee was compelled to employ the services
f an engineer is in itself in our opinion,
0nclusive evidence that the affairs of the |
ighway commission were being conducted |
a careless, slipshod, unbusinesslike manner. !
The highway commission is now unprepared |
, economically carry on the construction Of |
he proposed roads. for the reason that 1t has |
allied, up to this time, to develop a rock |
lpply sufficient to meet the obvious demands
> hoav 60
iase from distant points, at an increased and |
Unnecessary cost, at least 90 per cent OF the |
lck which will be required within the next |
* months. The rock which has been pur-
hased-176,0O tons at 70 cents per ton-will |
0st the taxpayers at least s29 900 more than |
It had been supplied from the San Dimas |
larry at the contract price OF 1872 cents to
hch must be added freight bill Of unknown |
mount.
WASTED TIME
Much valuable time was lost before the
osquisition of the two quarry sites now
vned by the county, viz: the Pacoima quarry
nd the San Dimas quarry, due to the unbusi-
esslike methods and want Of system that
as been in evidence since the organization Of
le highway commission. Since the acqui-
ton of these quarries the installation OF
achinery and the development Of the rock
ipply have proceeded very slowly. The
acoima quarry Is now in fact only fairly
eginning TO produce rock At least four
onths will eapse before the San Dimas
larry viii produce any considerable guam
ty Of rock; possibly much longer Judging
ON past progress. At present there is none
.Ae machinery Of the plant in place, and
} railroad connection has been constructed
he fact that the highway commission has
lrchased so large an amount Of rock as
900 tons at Riverside indicates that it
res not expect the San Dimas quarry to pro-
Ice any considerable quantity Of rock in
e near future.
Attention has been directed to the fact that
e dry season, the time Of the year most
vorable TO road construction, is passing, and
at the laying Of macadam, not grading and
Hiding Of bridges, should be actively pros
uted.
PUBLIC WRATHFUL
A suffering public has reached point where
would not stand dilatory tactics any longer,
I'd under pressure of public opinion, the .
ghway commission, in March, 1910 COM
enccd what it designated a road building
mpaiEn, and at this time the contractors .
r Long Beach boulevard section one Of
ashington street, Sunset boulevard and Ver- ,
ont avenue, Wiltshire boulevard, Compton
ad, Florence and Slauson avenues were .
ady TO go to work, and the highway COM
ission. on its day labor job on Los Feliz
sd was supposed to be ready Let the high
ny commission state how many tons of rock .
We been placed on the above roads since the
ST of March, and how many miles Of road .