The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-06-16
Mayor Pleads Win Paving Commission
 To Ratify Contract
(contlnued froIn Rage l.l

| ne WOu1Oz 11kA0 LO ASK SOIIle paEL&Cu1akIS regarding the new paving. He was 1 seconded by Commissioners Keating. 1 Commissioner De Loss suggested that 1 Mayor Wilson who was then present, l might like to make a statement. The Mayor said:
 This matter has been discussed pro and con, much mooted in the papers I and by this commission-eithe indi- vidually or in meeting. I presume.
 T apprehend that what you have in mind is particularly a word on com l tracts for the laying of Warrenite, and 1 pear before the board and state the situation. A year ago the city was | busily engaged in paving work. They l laid Stratford avenue with wooden I block. The question came up for the. laying or repairs Of Connecticut ave- nue and Fairfield avenue from the I railroad viaduct to Tin Bridge. The attitude then was predicated upon the decision or opinion of the then city attorney (PuIlnan) as to what was l permanent paving. He found 1t, as I recall it, a question of similar perp1ex- l ity to the opinion Of Attorney ComIey | you have just has read to you (which was printed in full recently in the col- umns of the Farmer) as to what really l is permanent paving.
 eff recall rightly the opinion then I was to the effect that the paving and
 
 Ito handle permanent paving and that I the word pavement was not a. legal term but was a term employed by the trade to distinguish one class Of pave Inent fronlsanothe
 "The engineer (NIr. Terry9 was here | when the opiniol8 was read. The I-suggestion was made to him that in view of what Attorney Pullman had ] decided the question was an engineer I ing question, and that he decided he could not consider Warrenite a perma- I nent pavement nor in fact any bitun- inous pavement nt-so the paving and sewer commission at that time consid- ered-and I think rightly that they had no Jurisdiction as a board for the laying of Warrenite pavement 1 It was laid and no one questioned 1t at all. We had the election. in May at which the question was whether I paving other than water bound ma 1 cada1n should be laid or whether we should issue bonds and that was act l ed on favorably and the issuance of I $2OO, GOO notes was authorized The l natteR was at once taken up. had presumed the same attitude which prevailed a year ago would prevail at this time wanted the money to go as far as it would go and to do as much paving as we could do.
 sI considered with past experience and observation in other places that I Wacrr6n1T6 pavement was better man any other Of which I knew and that l the council met. as they thought they l had the right to do, gave the direc- I tor of public works authority to Lay this bituminous macadann. When the i director talked with me I immediate ly agreed Warrentte was the pavement l to. lay They had suggested in the first I instance that only a few streets be I paved and the price would be $1.25. I suggested that in view of other work I we were to do here we ought to have the work done for the same price as last year-$1.2O. You will recall the E work last year was dome in conjunc- ton with the state highway comnis- sioner who had obtained a price of $1.20 with a live year guarantee I which we have this year-and that this price was based upon about $4oO,- l 900 worth of work.
 I've undertook it this year and I signed with the Warren Brothers for the work, for as am aware and prob ably you are also, the Warren Broth CTS are the only concern that lay War l renite. The contracts were therefore signed and are in existence today l identical in terms with the contracts l of a year ago. So that the contracts l are in existence
 There has been apparentIy-I am l assuming, but presume it is so-tEaat this board questions whether they tShou1d not assume the laying and Su- l peryision of this work.
 I tiff that be so, I want to say very 1 frankly have no axe to grind and I I know of no one who has. T shall 1 be happy to have this board look into I the question, take supervision of the I work and allow the work to go on
 without any delay, and if you do find any nigger in the wood-pi1e, want you to say so.
 l s'I am just as desirous Of spending this money as fairly and economically as any one in this city. If there is any | thing questionable in any way should I be glad to have you probe it to the bottom. If you do not find 1t then I would suggest that it would be equally I good work in order to facilitate the work to ratify these contracts and as I surne the supervision of the work so it goes along expedittously
 There was no desire, as I have said before. to usurp any powers of this board, which was simply as the city I attorney would say standing upon pre- eedent which this board had itself es- tablished and which worked we'll last lyear. and which see no reason should i not work as well this year.
 We have the opinion of the pres ent city attorney in this matter. It is advisable for the purpose of obviating all possible questioning or conflict of opinion between boards at any future time and it is perfectly agreeable to let this sewer and paving commission take the paving and do ft--but want to see the work done quickly I may say that the Warren Brothers plants will be ready for operation in a. very short time and I should dislike to see the paving work held up by any con f1ict that might be invited by the board of aldermen or the paving and sewer commisssoIl- I think you can read fly understand that the same proceed ure that we had this year as was had last year.
 Com. Lashar: We Cannot take lip this work without delay
 The Mayor: 'I think that can be done as the city attorney has told me that you can ratify the contracts