The Detroit times., 1911-09-07
TO TRY TO FORCE
HAARER TO ACTION
Aid. zoeller Wants Commissioner
Instructed To Finish Paving Job
On Fort-St. West.

Aid. Zoeller, of the Eighteenth ward,
announces that he. will introduce Q
resolution ID the common council. next
Tuesday night instructing Public
Works Commissioners Haarer to pro-
ceed with the paving Of Forrest west.
from Dearborn road to the River
Rouge bridge, without further delay,
using any Of the brands OF brick that
have shown an abrasion Of less than
21 per cent, the standard fixed BY
Mayor Thompson.
This would permit the use OF Besse-
mer, Massillon, or Nelsonville. Com
missioner Haarer ordered Medal block
for Fort-st., but the shipments ceased
when the mayor vetoed the bills OF the
Deckman-Duty Brick Co., manufactur-
ere OF Medal block. and work on the
street was suspended. Haarer declar-
ed in the council meeting, Tuesday
night, that he could not proceed until
the council released the bills, as the
Deckman-Duty Co. still refused TO
make further shipments until 1t was
paid for the brick already supplied. II
was evident that the commissioners
was determined to use Medal block In
paving this street or nothing, and he
Is supposed to be the absolute dictator
In selecting the material for this job
or that Job.
The question now is, will the coun-
ell adopt the Zoeller resolution II 1t
does, It's action will be an unqualified
Endorsement OF the mayors attitude on
the brick question and OF the 21 per
cent abrasion limit. Several alder
men with whom Aid. Zoeller has dis
cussed his resolution have promised
to stand by him. They take the posi-
tion that the council As the real boss
of the streets, that the commissioner
Is merely the hired man, and that they
do not propose to see necessary I'M
provements held up because he In
sists on having a certain kind OF brick,
brick, too, that has failed to pass
the abrasion tests. These aldermen
say that they will not allow them.
selves to be influenced by the fact that
Haarer provides jobs for their con-
stituents. That has nothing to do with
the case whatever, they say.
II the resolution goes through, IL
will not be the FIRST time the council
has sat down on Jake. lately. The
commissioner was very anxious to
have the city buy the voigt property,
at the foot of Twenty-fourth-st., as
site for a new city barn, and a ma
jority OF the special committee ap-
pointed TO look into the matter agreed
to report in favor of the purchase.
The report, however, was not present.
ed, and the council, last Tuesday
night, on motion of Aid. John Lodge,
and without any discussion, ordered
the commissioner TO go ahead and
build the barn on the present city
property at the foot of Twenty-fourth-
at. where the garbage receiving
station Is located.
II is also significant. in this con-
nection, that whenever the mayor
yetoes a brick bill nowadays, the
previous action, ordering them paid,
js promptly reconsidered and the
bills are laid on the table. No at
tempt has been made recently to pass
the bills over his veto, and the coun-
Gil has released only those bills the
executive has asked to be released.
Whether the aldermen are less
friendly to Jake" since the report
OF Secretary w. p. Blair, OF the Ma
tional Paving Brick Manufacturers
association, to the Board of Com
merce investigating committee. con-
demning the methods employed by
the department OF public works In
laying pavements. is a matter OF some
conjecture In the city hall
Mr.. Blair is continuing his investi-
CATION OF the pavements, with the aid
OF q gang of workmen furnished by
the department of public works, and
is locking Into good spots as we'll as
bad spots in the streets. He Is un-
able to say just when he will be ready
e.. rannrf