The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-10-19
CITY SAVED MONEY
BY COAL PURCHASE
McConagle Declares That He
Alone Was Responsible
for Contract.
MAYOR WAS NOT PARTY
Other Firms Not Able to De-
liver at Dredge for the
Same Price.
MAYOR WAS NOT PARTY

sole responsibilities for tho purchase o'
coal for the dredse, from the Federal Goa
company. rests With nc" said George r
McGonagle city engineer, yesterday
am quite willing 10 assume that rcspon'
sibillty. for l know that In making the
purchase ] not only saved money for the
city, but WAS able 10 facilitate needed
work.
1T Is correct also that Mayor Brans,
ford told M, moi To buy any more coal
from the Federal Coal company and that
when | did so il was ON my own initl8
live When some coal for the cnsineerlns
COMPANY councilman Mark Rccdall called
attention 10 the fact thas ih' mayor was
q stockholder in tho COMPANY. and rollo" !,
ing This city Attorney Dininny adNiscd
tho mavor. | am informed. that II was
not advisable 10 buy from the company,
when the mayor tora me this made
every effort 10 get coal s-otn other com ,
panies at the same price: but soon fouh'i
1hate IL could not be done, The coal
needed WIS FOR the dr"dgc. which then
Was working al Twelfth South on the
Jordan river. This was IN the early WIN
Ter. The various companies objected TO
Tho delivery. the roads being very bad
] did manage 10 get some coal from the
Granite Lumber company. but nor All
needed.
Others Could Not Furnish.
good condition Ia deliver it. as they had
many teams Idle at that season. which
were in the stables OF Inc president OF the
company. p. j. Moran. 1t took four
horses 10 haul u losh 10 the dredee over
the roads in that parr Of the city,
team that started with a load i'm the
morning would NOT return until well in
the afternoon. The various companies
therefore. aud rightly. did not consider
that there was any money IN selling MS
coal at sj.26 ton and hauling II such
only through the fact that Nh. Moran
teams werc Idle that the Federal Goal
company would undertake the contract.
''tiy making this contract We we're able
Ia keep the drcdge worEIuG without miss
ins SHIFT, and that. TOO. when fhe work
badly needed. Under these circum
stances ! was forced 10 buy from The
Federal Coal COMPANY, which delivered 10
The drcdge. o0o0 pounds n day. except
Sundays. and kept us supplied. As this
was a matter coming wlthin the scope nj
trivial ] did not bring 1t 10 the mayors
attention.
Had | made contract with other coal
firms they would have added al least 90
or - cents ton for The hauling. and
would not have wanted to do II al MI
al the Increased price. do mol think
that any Of tho coal dealers have any
complaint To make because they were not
Gtvcn conirac, TO supply the dredse.
"'rhc Federal Coal company charged us
jbr regular retail pric.. This was sub
s5.25. though believe, that some was
delivered nj $3.50 I was able To get
the quality wanted from this company,
which also.Yas a dificult matter"
Mayor Did Not Know.
was not aware that tho city was
Tiili getting coal from the Federal Coal
company." said Mayor srausford ycstcr-
DAY morning. About wear ago. when.
II %as found that the city could make a
substantial saving 10y purchasing coal for
INC dredgr irom This company. there WAS
som" coal bought but u question as to
the legality OF the matter was raised hy
the city attorneys Office owing 10 my
being connected with the COMPANY as
81 stockholder and / advised Mr. Nc
Gonaglc not 10 get any more coal from
tho company
Il naturally thought that this was the
end OF tie matter, and although I knew
tndl II Would cost more from other COM
punics thought that The city had ceased
To buy 1T from the Federal Coal company.
Il own bur $1,000 worth OF stock in
ilc business and have nothing 10 say
concerning the control OF the conpany's
business. have never asked anyone
10 purchase coal FOR the city from this
company ana did not know that IL was
being done
AS for my signature on the bill which
Vas reproduced this morning in the
Herald Republican. tho matter came mn
to me with 2O4 other matters on the
general appropriation list. Of course |
knew thai the list had been carefully
gone over by the heads OF departments
and the city council committees. and in
tlc usual way I attached my name 10 H.
did not sec this item OF the coal mat
Ter on the Dill, only casually
glanced At the last several items as
attached my name. I was ignorant
OF the fact that this bill was among
them.
Did Not See Item.
'0f course. in its attempts To discred;t
me ths Herald Republican a least makes
IA
The hlls. That attached my signature
10 ihis particular hill sepa ratciv and
knc" that I was doing co. But This IL
not trnc and such an inference thrSws
an absolutely wrong light on the mat
ter, | did not sign the dill knowingly
aud was NOT aware that il had been IN
c!pded in tue appropriation list
Ny signing the list was merely a
investigate every item. II j did this |
would be doing nothing else. as II would
require my. whole time and then some
leave this matter with those with
Hhom IL properly rests and I simply at
tacli my name 10 IL as a matter OF form
oi cour8e. the attack Is like others
5lad to he able 10 confidently say that
know the people pay no attention 10
such thing
Rudolph AIG. city auditor said yes
signature 10 the bills was n simple for
raliiy and that this was done after tho
nilla he'd been checked and recheckcd.
then passed hy the city council
Dealers Have No Complaints.
Scarcely coal dealer In the city but
WIN say, as a number did yesterday that
They had no complaint 20 make conccru-
ln5 ticlr treatment by the city adminis-
ttauon- Tney agree that thcy always
1ad square deal and that 10 partial
iiy had ever been shown
j. ;, Critchlow. manager OF the West
cIn Fuel COMPANY said:
No partlslity has ever been shown
In coal purchases BY the mayor or tho
Guy. cannot sec where tho mayor has
done anything wrong, So far as fur
n'ahins coal for the dredge lapt Janu-
AIRY at The price paid, could not and
would not have made such contra RI .
Prcposterous said G. G. Smith
manager OF the e. 5. Martin Coal com
pany. I'VE always had = square deal
from the MAYOR and ] don't know Of n
single coal dealer who has ans con,p,afnr
10 make concerning Mayor Bransford.
Mayor sransford owns $1,000 OF the
stock Of the Federal Coal company. one
hundred,h OF the capital stock The to-
ial price paid The company for coal
bought this way in 1911 was $isiOa5'
~ all this coal was hauled for miles