Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-03
CITY ENGINEER
TO Get HELP
DEPARTMENTS FORCE OF MEN
MAY BE INCREASED
Recently Annexed Districts and Num-
ber Of Improvements Contemplat-
ed Considered Sufficient Rea-
son for Hamlln's Plan

Additional employees that will in
crease his monthly payroll about $1,000
are asked by City Engineer Homer
Hamlin, and his recommendation that
he be given these additional employees
was approved by the board of public
works yesterday. The council will be
asked to amend the salary ordinance
to provide for these additional en-
ployes.
BY reason of tho fact that many of
the employees of the engineering de-
partment have been assigned to work
at Wilmington, and San Pedro and
their salaries paid from special funds,
the engineer says he has a surplus in
his annual apportionment that will
pay these salaries of the additional
employees for the rest of the fiscal
year. The additions to the staff are
one craftsman at $170 a month, four
craftsmen at $104, two surveyors at
$f04, four instrument men at $91, eight
chainmen at S65, one assistant stenog-
rapher at $75, one custodian of vault at
SIS and one telephone operator at $50.
In his report to the board of public
works asking these employees Mr.. Ham
lin says:
During recent months the annex
ations have rendered necessary large
amounts of work in this department.
Furthermore, u great dea, of work has
been done in connection with harbor
surveys and development, all of which
has been handled by this department
up to the present time.
In addition to this extra work and
the regular work of the department.
orders have recently been received
covering the permanent improvement of
nineteen streets connecting the paved
area of the city with the roads to be
improved by the county highway COM
mission. This work aggregates 20.5
miles in length, and represents an
amount equal to the total amount of
pavement laid in eighteen months or
more at the rate at which such work
is now being done.
Storm Drains Urgent
''The adoption of the policy of con-
structing storm drains under assess
ment makes this matter a live issue,
and there are at the present time on
file in the office numerous orders for
the construction of such drains. This
is work which public and private well
fare demand should be done, and work
which cannot be taken up by the storm
sewer department with any degree Of
speed unless more assistance is fur
nished.
I'm the ordinance have provided
for Ave extra craftsmen, to be dis
tributed between the street and the
storm drain departments; two survey
ors. to handle the extra field work, and
extra instrumentmen and chainmen,
the intention being. wherever possible
TO organize small parties made up OF
an instrumentman and a chairman to
do certain work at a reduced cost.
During the last eight months so
many men have been detached from
current office work and placed upon
special work connected with the Will
mington and San Pedro annexations
and harbor werk all Of which work
Is chargeable to special funds, that
gIrplus has accumulated in the salary
fund of this department sufficient TO
meet the expenses of these employees
fer the balance of the fiscal year. This
employment therefore will not call for
extra appropriation"