Evening journal., 1914-12-10
CITY WORK FOR
THE UNEMPLOYED
Council Will Spend $4,000
at Once on Sewer
Project
$25,OOO MORE FOR
STREET GRADING

! lore City Council last week by COun-
Gilman Weller h. StOver. that the city
start municipal Improvements at
/ once for the benefit of the unemploy-
/ ed. City Council as a committee of
the whole last evening held a confer
ence with the directors of the Street
and Sewer Department, and decided
TO proceed with three different oper-
ations at once, the aggregate cost of
such being close to 100000. II is
! thought that work on one or more of
the projects will be started on Mon
day.
At the conference il was decided to
| pass a bond issue of 100000 to cover
the cost of proposed sewer in West
Thirty-first street and also S25 900
for the grading of Tenth street be-
tween King and French Streets An
other project which will be provided
for will be the installation of a
trunk line in the Second ward to
, carry water from lands near the old
Diamond State steel mills. Besides
| approving these projects Council and
directors of the Street and Sewer De-
partment considered the matter of
opening streets for water mains pre-
paratory to paving the thoroughfares
next spring. This matter was left
over until this evening.
When the meeting opened last night
Councilman StOver, as chairman Of the
Finance Committee of Council, spoke
of the letter received from the Streer
and Sewer Department by Council
some time ago. setting forth that hun
dreds of former employees of the de-
partment were clamoring for work.
Colonel Slower said that it was the
! opinion of Council that if the Street
and Sewer Department could do any
work at this time It should be done.
! even if it cost more money than il
would under ideal weather conditions.
! Councilman Stover dwelt at length on
the sewer project in Thirty-first street
and the grading of East Tenth street.
Colonel George w. Sparks, president
of the Street and Sewer Directors.
said that Colonel Stover had covered
/ about everything that could be said
on the subject at this time. President
! Sparks explained that in extreme
weather work as contemplated costs
more The department he said, had
often desired to finish work that they
had started, but the excessive cost of
such work, during the winter had COM
PEELED the department to cease.
Colonel Sparks declared that the
4 city engineer had estimated that ex-
treme weather would increase the
| cost of the Thirty-first street sewer
project 20 per cent. Under the con-
ditions, however. personally feel the
city should take the risk" he de-
4 clared, adding that all the weather
4 might not be such as to add the 20
per cent. TO the cost. He explained
that the 100000 necessary for that
operation was on the basis OF $4,000
for the actual work and $4,000 for
property damage.
While not a good time to begin
work on the grading at Tenth and
King streets, Mr.. Sparks believed that
unless the weather should be extreme
the work could begin at once, and he
described the work TO be done at that
point, which 1t was estimated would
cost approximately S25,OO0 Mr..
Sparks also remarked that the city
might grade other streets about the
city which stood in great need Of such
Il improvement.
The matter of laying the trunk line
to drain the property opposite the
, Diamond State mills was then men
toned by Mr.. Sparks. he pointing out
the extremely bad condition of the
property, which caused a number of
houses there TO remain untenanted
although the owners are paying
taxes on them. He believed that work
could be done advantageously at that
place, but explained that It would
be necessary to make an appropria.
tion for il. too, as the department
could not do It out of their regular
funds.
In conclusion Mr. Sparks declared
that he did not think it wise to teal
up any streets at this time of Tho
year.
Councilman McDermott. who las
week favored immediate work Oi
streets that are listed for pavemen
next year also spoke of this worl
but President Sparks pointed ou
that work on the streets at this tim
would cause the streets to remain Il
horrible condition until next year
Colonel Stover likewise contende
, that It would be better to start wor
on the three projects already planne
and to discuss paving later. Council
man Draper suggested that the wor
be carried through at once as he ha
. heard many complaints. some o
which we're heart rending. Coun