Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1913-10-07
$16,4OO.39 $24,295.36

Maintenance -. 21,209.65 1891 04
IOupPLcb ...... ......'.'
Equipment -. ........ .........
$30,9S6.53 $37,984.69
Walks, Chehalis river bridg's 5000. SO
$43,SS8.5s
Thus 1t is shown that the city's
cost Of maintaining its streets has
more than doubled in the short period
of four years; this too. in the face of
the fact that to large extent, the old
plank streets have been replaced by
hard surface pavements.
The expenditures of the street de-
partment have increased far more
than the population. in a like period.
Today the city is employing twenty
seven men in the department of
Streets and Bridges. Five years ago.
from seven to twelve men were EN-.
ployed.
Below are the duties of the men EN-.
ployed and their stations:
men on Heron Street Bridge.
l man on North Aberdeen Bridge.
s men cleaning streets.
men repairing plank streets Cab
erdeen proper.
4 men repairing plank streets $50.
Aberdeen).
/ man repairing plank streets mo.
Aberdeen).
men raising plank streets West
Of Division).
men repairing plank sidewalks
man cleaning cutters ION hill).
barn man
| 2 teamsters.
, helpers.
Total number OF men employed in
the department of Streets and
Bridges, 81.
/ After going over this matter care
fully, your committee believes that
nine men can be cut off the street
department pay roll, without serious
impairment of efficiency, as follows:
man. teamster.
II helper.
2 cleaning streets. sg{
repairing plank streets in South
Aberdeen. ~4N'
raising plank streets.
Total, 9 men.
We believe that two men repairing
sidewalks could also raise the plank
road west of Division street. To have
four men in South Aberdeen repair.
ing streets is useless expenditure
of money, for the reason that two
Is sufficient. Three men cleaning
streets will flush and clean twenty
blocks per day. which means that
every block of pavement in Aberdeen
could be flushed and cleaned twice a
week with three men.
1t is quite apparent that two men
could be eliminated here.
BY properly distributing the plank
for repairing purposes, we believe that
the city can eliminate one team, one
teamster and one helper. Thus the
city can eliminate nine men from its
pay roll, which at an average of $2.75
per day would mean a saving to the
city of $24.75 per day, or in 300 work
ing days $7,425.50; therefore we have
cut the item Wages and Salaries Of
Laborers from $2O,OOO.00 to $12,5OO.OO.
We believe that this sum is sufficient.
We make no recommendations rela.
tive to wages paid labor, but offer this
comparisons:
O Wages of common labor in saw
mills and elsewhere, work 10 hours,
1925.
(2) Wages of common labor EN-.
ployed by city, work hours, $3.50.
Laborers in saw mills receive 22H
cents per hour.
Labors employed by city receive 81
cents per hour.
Thus the city pays nearly 10c per
paid elsewhere in the city.
We believe the swinging of the Her.
on street bridge should be let by con-
tract, and your committee is satisfied
that $4,000 could be cut from the
Budget by so doing.
We recommend that a special com.
,,o;ttoo of tho Noupo;I bo oDoo;,tod ~
confer with the proper officials of the
o. w. R. & N. Co. with the idea of
reducing the cost of swinging the O.
& w. bridge. The Budget provides
the sum of $3,240.00 for labor, current
and repairs This is excessive.
We see no reason for the Street
Department allowing the sum of ST.
1850 for miscellaneous tools. If
proper system Of checking these tools
in and out was inaugurated the allow
ance could easily be cut in half The
loss must necessarily be great where
there is no system. ~MX
The city is now paying $75O :
thousand for its street lumber for
repair purposes. We are satisfied that
lumber prices will not increase in the
near future, and recommend a cut of
100000 on this item. We likewise have
cut the other lumber items.
The Budget provides the sum of
$4,000 for horse shoeing; at the same