The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1912-05-07
Atkins i'm His Own Behalf.

| upon to speak before the Nerulct i
rendered in his case, but | will say
something in reference to the
charge filed against me, that OF III
competency. Competency often de
| prnds on the means with which one
has to accomplish results. On enter
| ing llDOn the duties of the office of
| street commissioner | was confront
| ed with a dIapidated outfit, both as
to equipment and teams to do the
street and sanitary work, and with
but little money with which to dc
| the work. So economy was the
| watchWOrd. I found it necessary tC
build and equip city shop to re
pair and rebuild the equipment for
street and sanitary work and to
shoe tie stock. This was not polite
but very profitable to the city. |
did not reduce salaries but reduced
the salary list. | found four men
drawing salaries for doing the day
work. | employed but one. ] found
| the engineer either walking or rid
ing behind disabled mule in an
express wagon. bought him a bug
gy and horse so that he could cover
the city and attend to his work
promptly. While Wilkie WO0dard
was city engineer, when the former
paving was done, he used three
field crews who had to walk and
pack their Instruments and stakes
on their backs and then were be-
hind with their work half of the
lime. Now with only one field crew,
and with the same if not more work
10 do, the field work is kept up to
The minute with the aid of mule
and spring wagon, horse and buggy.
thereby not only saving time, but
several hundred dollars per month.
Today we are getting along with
half the force that was employed
when the streets Of Shreveport
We're being paved before.
| have fed the city teams cheaper
than any one with whom | have
compared prices. This at cost o.
$50 per head per mouth for the
year 1911. have purchased cy
press lumber for drain boxes,
bridges and street crossings thai
will last two or three times as long
as ordinary pine at from $1,000 to
$t375 per 1000 feet, thereby making
saving to the city of the differ
| encc between the wholesale and re
tail price. | have organized the city
prison labor, and under the direc-
ton of a competent man have ac-
cOmpIished great deal OF work in
the streets and alleys.
Last but not least, was instru-
mental in breaking up the cOmbina-
ton in the paving of Shreveport,
which resulted in a saving to the
city% of approximately $4,000. In
addition to the saving, better work
| is being done. So far not one crack
has occurred that I have been able
to detect in the new paving. | have
exercised a generous supervision
over all the work in my department
and have tried to see to it that all
contractors doing work for the city
lived up to their specifications.
| know that have given the city
an economical administration in the
affairs of my department. If what
have done, as enumerated, consti-
tutes incompetency, then [ am
guilty as charged; but at this point
| wish to say that I am somewhat
acquainted with the citizens OF
Shreveport and know their disposi-
ton to be fair, and I predict that
my vindicatiOn is near at hand and
that the instigators of this recall
movement whose names do not ap-
pear on the petition will not be
heard from politically for many
moons after the 9th inst.
w. S. ATKINS.