The San Francisco call., 1910-02-26
DETECTS FOUND
IN PUBLIC WORKS
Merchants Association Inspec=
ton Bureau Deserving OF
Hearty Support


the bureau of inspection of the Mer-
chants association in the public works
performed under the San Francisco
bond issues of 1904 and 1908. Specimens
of the bad work or bad materials that
have been detected are specified in the
last issue of the Merchants Association
Review as follows:
"Some poor spots in sides of concrete
sewer will have to be picked out and
patched.
Fourteen yards of inferior rock de-
livered. City Inspector notified by bu-
reau inspector and contractor ordered
to mix same with large proportions OF
good rock.
porous concrete. Ordered picked out
by city inspector.
"Underburned vitrifed brick deliv-
cred and rejected; later used for man
holes, and good for this purpose
Small leak in side wall tof cistern)
five feet from bottom; will be repaired
later.
Pipes remain in the way and may
have to be concreted in, thus endan-
gering the structure (cistern) rms
bureau is using its influence toward
having these distractions removed
Water tank in attic (of schooD not
securely set. City architect has ordered
it made secure on request OF bureau.
Excavation for footings completed
and shows poor foundation (for SCHOOL,
CITY architect planned to increase area
of footings, but bureau inspector pro-
tested against proceeding without 1ur-
ther investigation, and therefore ad-
ditional tests are being made.
Safety valve lacking on boiler or
heating system (schooD. City arcnltect
notified, and safety valve will be set.
PROTECT FUTURE GENERATIONS
In view of these and other similar
discoveries the Merchants association,
speaking for hundreds of the largest
business houses in San Francisco, calls
for a strong support for the inspection
bureau and makes the following claims:
culture generation of San fran
cisco are going to look back and thank
those citizens of the present who are
taxing themselves in time and contrl-
buttons to see that the public WORKS
under the bond issues of 1904 and 1908
are properly executed; provided, OF
course. that the latter do see to 1t.
IF not properly executed these i'm
provements are not going to be worth
the cost, and yet that cost will have TO
be met. in part, by the tax payers OF 40
years hence. 1t would be sorry serV-
ice to them to incumber their city for
them, to pile up a debt for them to
meet on the ground that they were so
reap the benefit and then leave them
a legacy not of value received for their
inherited debt, but of heavy charges
for maintenance of choked and broken
sewers, poorly constructed public build
ings and fire protection system that
would fail to protect.
The San Francisco of today is not
paying for these things. 1t is borrow
ing to pay for them Borrowing, when
your credit is good is a delightful
transaction. almost as agreeable as
spending what you borrow. If we are
to have the fun of the borrowing and
the spending, absolutely it is our moral
duty to see that those who have to suf-
fer the pangs of paying shall feel sat
isfed with what We bought them with
their money; that they shall be able to
rely for the protection of their lives
and property on the honest construc-
tion of their public buildings, on the
hidden reinforcement of their fire cis-
terms and reservoirs, on the joints and
valves of their high pressure mains, on
the effective working condition of the
miles of sewers buried under ground.
"Of course, we are taxing ourselves
for interest, and of course payment on
the principal will begin in three years;
and so we owe it TO ourselves to see
that the money is we'll spent But. also,
in 1855 there will be taxed to pay the
last installment on the fire protection
bonds thousands of San Franciscans
that are not yet born and have had
nothing whatever to say about that tax.
If the San Franciscans of today are
struggling to provide those other un-
born thousands with taxable property,
how much more is it their duty to see
that the property is safe and that the
taxes they will pay on it are for an OBJ
ject that will do them some good
POSTERITY MUST PAY
"a glance at the last report of the
Merchants association bureau of in
spection will show how necessary to
the proper discharge of this duty is
the maintenance of the associations
inspection work.
"Posterity will have to pay for these
things, but 1t will have had no chance
to correct them in construction. If
they are to be so corrected it must be
done now.
whether we like it or not we are
working under the competitive sys-
tenn We are asking contractors to bid
against one another making it a main
object with them to figure their tenders
as low as possible. They are only hu-
man. The temptation to bid too low
in order to get the work. and then