The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-08-12
COM MITTEE
HEARS N CHAN
AND THE BOARD
CHARGES OF DISCRIMINATION
ARE Tt4aAsAEo OUT BEFORE
REPRESENTATIVES, OF CITY
couNctL-MoRE EVIDENCE TO
BE HEARD TO-DAY.

In meeting which consumed near
" three hours. beginntRg AZ noon yes-
terday, the haEbor and sanitary com.
mittee Of the city cosancA thrashed Out,
so far "a possible. the McGhan con-
rroversV over some recent decisions OF
the board o< pablo worSEs IA re&sesnoe
TO the plumbing ordnance
There were present ChRirr1an Oliver
and Aldermen Meyer and Kena Of the
harbor and sanitary committees: Chair
man Blocker and Massrs- Mayes and
Roch of the board OF pAhlfc works;
Plumbing inspector Hinrtchs, City At
torney ]. B. J0pss. Geo. MeChan, ii.
and Judge b. B. Carter representing
Geo. H. MOGhan q Sons
Chairman Oliver stated the pnrRosi
Of the meeting and MIR. McGhan pre-
sented the same proposition that he
had originally put before the city
council The charges OF d5scrimina-
rion and Of over-r1oang the plumbing
ordinance, as made by hSr, McGhan,
were discussed by neaEIy every one
present.
The board of public works took the
position that 1t was not Discriminating
against Mr.. AcGhan or anyone else,
that the same rules wSaich governed
other plumbers should govern him,
TO amend any ordinance. and that its
sole and only business id the cases
cited was to constrae the ordinance
and instruct the plumbing inspeetOF to
enforce il.
Ne Discrimination Shown.
In the cases at soc North Guile
marde street, -l1S North Davis street,
and 422 East Cervantes street where
the board had ovarryRied the plumb
ing inspector as to the interpretatiea
of the ordinances goveraiAg the in
stallation of vent pipes for Inside fix
lures, 1t was shown that McGhan had
never bid on the work, had no in
terest in It, and that the small differ
enee Of opinion as to the construction
of the ordinance governing the case
did not affect the cost OF the fixtures
in any way. On this case, the harbor
and sanitary committee decided that
there had been no discrimination.
IN the case Of the terra Gotta pipe.
cited by AIR. McGhan, which rival
Mcclellan at 42l East ZaFFagossa
street 1t was shown that the werh had
been stopped by the plumbing inspec-
tor, but that, on an appeal by the con-
tracing plumber, the board OF public
works had overruied the inspector and
ordered him 10 issue the permit for
the terra Gotta pipe
In this case also the only point at
Issue was an Interpretation of the
meaning Of the ordinance governfng
the matter. The board of works was
sustained IN ite interpretation 0e the
ordinance by Ctty Attorney john B.
Jones'. BY Building Inspector Cade H.
whose opinion had been asked for,
MoGhan Did SirsiIar Work.
1t developed during thu discussion
that Mr. McGhan had himself repeat
eddy done work of a similar character
during the Reconsideration OF the pre-
vious plumbing Inspector Chairman
Blocker presented list of names and
places where such work had been in
stalled.
Mr.. McGhan replied that this work
had been done under permits issued
by an incompetent plumbing inspector.
DO you mean to say" asked Mr..
Mayes. that you took advantage of
what you call an incompetent plumb
ing inspector to fofst onto property
owners. and the city. work that you
knew to be unsanitary and in VIOLA
ton Of the city ordtnanoeT'
Our work was all done under per-
n1its issued by the plumbing fnspec-
tor" replied Mr.. McGhaa.
1t developed also that until the ad-
vent Of the present plumbing inspector
no such new construction had ever
been placed on the plumbing ordinance
and the Mcclellan case was the first
that the board Of works had been
called upon to constras.
Judge Carter, representing McGhan
& Sons, quoted extensively from the
ordinance and commended that the
board Of works had misconstrued 1t.
He said it was perfectly clear to him
that terra Gotta pipes were prohibited
from being closer than Ave feet to
any buildings whether erected on piers
or on solid foundations.
City Attorney Jones replied to the
effect that the boards construction Of
the ordinance regarding terra Gotta
pipes was correct and was in perfect
accord with his own construction of it.
The committee will meet again to-
day to secure further fa cts and WV
then formulate its report to the council.