Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-06-25
LACHMUND
STANDS PAT
ON SEWERS

Po' lhe mayor to refuse to sign a
sewer contract and the council to
authorize and direct one of its men,
bers to execute the contract is a very
unusual procedure for a city council.
yet this is exactly what was done last
night when Mayor Lachmund an
nounced to those in attendance at the
council meeting that he would not
recede from his former attitude IA
voring vitrifed pipe as against con-
crete pipe, which was favored by a
majority of the councllmen. The
matter of awarding the sewer con-
tracts for lateral sewer districts
numbered Is, 16, II, IS, 10 and 20
brought on the war between the may
or and the council, which upon be-
ing put to a vote resulted in only
one councilman, Townsend, voting
for vitrified pipe.
Several weeks ago the question of
the relative merits of the two kinds
OF sewer pipe came up for a lively
discussion, resulting in the whole
matter being referred to the sewer
committee for an investigation and
report The committee, Of which ].
N. Skaife is chairman, made an in
spection Of the plant of the Salem
Sewer Pipe company, where the rela-
tive worth Of the two classes Of pipe
was put to test, resulting in the
decision by the committee that ce-
ment pipe as manufactured in Salem
was as good as the vitrifed pipe.
The committee so reported two weeks
ago and the counsel directed the
mayor and city recorder to enter
into contracts with the E. w. Geiger
Construction Co. to construct sewers
in districts 16, II ard IS and to make
contracts with George Gordon to con-
struct those in districts Is and 20.
The mayor refused to sign the con-
tracts unless the manufacturers of
the pipe would execute a bond for
$4,000 to indemnify the city in case
the pipe should prove defective
which the mayor held was likely on
account of the experimental nature
of its manufacture.
The mayor stated definitely that he
would not recede from his former po-
sitlon of refusing to sign the con-
tracts, but that If the council saw fit
lie would be glad If 1t was deemed le-
gal that some other person be desig-
mated to enter into the contracts
with the contractors. He also indi-
Gated that he welcomed mandamus
proceedings to compel the signing of
the contracts Councilmen Waring
and White spoke champloning the
ceuse Of the cement pipe, claiming
among other things that as the ce-
nlent piping was manufactured in Sa-
lem that II would be encouraging
home industries by designating that
kind Of pipe. A long communication
from the manufacturers Of the ce-
ment pipe was read by the recorder
in which a plea was made for its
adoption on the grounds Of 1t being
a home product and that the plant
where 1t was manufactured employed
several Of our own citizens. Mayor
Lachmund branded the matter Of
home industry as a farce and a joke
and until the merits Of the pipe had
been determined by actual usage, he
was not in favor Of adopting 1t. The
question as to the legality Of a con-
tract signed by any other person
than the mayor was put up to City
Attorney Rollln X. Page, who ex-
pressed the opinion that such a pro-
cecdlng would be legal, but he would
be sorry to see such an action taken.
Upon being put to vote, Alderman
Pennybaker and the city recorder
were directed to enter into the con-
tracts for constructing all FIVE Of the
sewers.
Two unsuccessful attempts to ad-
journ were made while matter was
urder discussion.