The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-12-10
.OCALA NEEDS A CHANGE
Of GOVERNMENT

AS the city election is held tomor-
row, December II, think it would be
an advantage to the property holders
Of Ocala TO carefully consider who
they are going to cast their votes for
in this election
/ note in an issue of the paper sew
eral week SGD that the city council
has made mistakes. Well, am glad
to see somebody admit it. But that
issue of the paper also stated that it
was its belief that the members
should be reelected. Now, l would
like to ask, why? So they can make
another mistake to cost the citizens
another fifty or seventy-fye thousand
dollars? These mistakes were all I'M
called for. In June of 1916, appear
ed before the city council, and took
up the matter of an oil engine, and
1 showed them the following teIe-
gram:
"Daytona, Fla, June 1, 1916.
III. W. Tucker, Ocala, Fla:
Your telegram received. You can
tell the people of Ocala that De La
Vergne engines unreliable for central
station service.
(Signed)
"Daytona Electric Light
and Power Company"
Tho a ffarpoop hoforo rocoivod +nic
telegram there was an article in. our
local paper stating that the engine in
Daytona was giving the best of ser
| vice. My object in getting this wire
was to prove that the statement made
about the engine at Daytona was
| false. Ocala has spent large sum
plant in the last year and half Mr..
| Meffert's own statement in the paper
of Tuesday, November 13, shows that
| the city has spent so far $113,979.72.
with still lot of bills yet to be set
tied that the city will have to pay
! Out of this amount the so-called en-
2
ed $644045 as their salaries for super,
intending this work. Out of the en-
tire time, Mr.. Henney was not in
Ocala 80 days altogether. Mr.. Rob.
ert Elmer, who built this plant, was
a chauffeur for one of the local hotel
men of Ocala, and didn't fill that job
very good
q | also appeared before the council
and made the statement that Twom
bly, and Henney were not electrical
engineers. Mr.. J. H. Taylor of ouI
city produced about ten letters of rec
/ ommendation in behalf of these gen
tlemen, but not one of these letters
showed that thy had ever built any
electric light plants, or recommended
them as electrical engineers. Mr.
Taylor was on the council at the time
they were employing an engineer, and
bly, and Henney? The only reason
can see is that Mr. Taylor knew these
people were not responsible engi.
neers.
This is not the engine that the city
contracted for. The engine that the
city first contracted for was a four
cylinder engine, and this is a three
cylinder engine and it cost the city
about seven hundred dollars extra for
a, change of foundation from the four
cylinder type to the three. I may be
wrong, but it is my belief that this
change should have been made with.
out any cost to the city. However, on
the minute book, on page 315,, date
September 25, 1916, you will find that
Mr.. Meffert approved of the action of
the engineers in this change. Should
not Mr.. Meffert and his hackers be
responsible for the burden that they
have placed upon the people? Fur,
| thermore, this engine will not be &C.
cepted by the insurance companies un-
less steam is kept up all the time in
! the steam plant The only reason
can see that the members of the city
council want to serve another term,
is to cover up the mistakes that they
have made.
/ I have nothing personal against
anybody on the city council, but I do
think the public should he enlighted-
ed on this subject.
Now, about this new city charter.
Can the people change the constitu.
ton of the United States without a
vote of the people, and a two-thirds
majority at that? Or can they change
the state constitution without vote
of the people? However, Ocala chang.
ed it's city charter without vote OF
the people. Discussing this matter on
the street with the parties that got
up this charter and passed it, they
will give you the reason-that the
people who didn't want the charter