Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1917-04-24
MEMBERS OF SEWER COMMISSION EXPLAIN THEIR POSITION SAY
REPORT HAS BEEN ON FILE SINCE EARLY IN MARCH ALL
MEETINGS OPEN To The PUBLIC
Record Now File Shows All Receipts and All Expenditures
Claims Money for Extra WokResent Assaimen of Regulations
Leading Business Men of Boomers Ferry

pools in the future if the sewer were
not now ready for service? Does he
not know that last fall the state pure
food and health inspector of Idaho
made a complete inspection of the
city and that he ordered all business
houses and many residences to con-
meet with the sewer?
There are none so blind as those
who would not see: none so ignorant
as those who prefer the proverbial
bliss. Happily, we credit our con-
temporary with the full use of all
his faculties and therefore are COM
PEELED to draw the conclusion that
there was an Interior motive in the
publishing of the reflective article
of the last issue of the Times.
Whether or not this is true time
will doubtless tell.
In view of the fact that some cred
it may be given the fabrications
that the Bonners Ferry sewer is
worthless the members of the sewer
commission today issued the follow
ing statement:
"At the time of starting the sewer
work, an ordinance was passed by
the village board, and was printed in
Boomers Ferry papers several times,
providing that the minutes and rec
ords of the sewer committee should
be open at all times to the inspec-
ton of the public. Any person de-
string to examine the minutes or
records could do so at any time.
All meetings of the sewer committee
have been open to the public.
"On March 18th, 1917, the sewer
committee filed its written report
with the village clerk, showing in de-
tail the sources from which it re-
ceived every cent of the sewer
money, and showing where every
nickel of that money was spent, to-
gether with receipts and vouchers
for every cent of expenditure, and
the minutes of the sewer committee
showing every act performed by that
body, and the reasons for each act.
''The sewer system installed is in
perfect working order, and all that
is now required to make it of great
est good is for the citizens to con-
meet with it. 1t is a gravity system,
and the greater the amount of sew
age running into it, the more eff
ficiently it will work. The system
has been turned over to the village
by the sewer committee Gas appears
from the public records in the hands
of the clerk) and the committee is
automatically discharged, in accord
ance with the Idaho laws.
upon the completion of the work,
the contracting firm of Clifton-Ap-
plegate & Company claimed damages
against the city in the sum of $4,000
for extra work it claimed to have
performed. This sum the sewer COM
mittee refused to pay, and the news
papers were asked to withhold pub
licity until this matter was settled
for the reason that a public an
nouncement of the sewer having been
completed would have made it more
difficult for the city to win in case
the contractors brought a law suit
The editor of the Times was told OF
this, but continued to print his de-
lrogatory articles, regardless of the
taxpayers interests in the matter
The dispute with the contractors has
now been adjusted out of court.
"The author of the malicious and
insinuating article appearing in the
Times recently must be either a per-
son grossly ignorant of public af-
fairs, and so incompetent that he
cannot read report which a ten
year-old boy could understand, OF
is actuated by a desire to see the
Clifton-Applegate company win &
$4,000 law suit against his fellow
citizens, the taxpayers of Boomers
Ferry. The implication in the article
that the public is knowingly being
kept in ignorance" regarding the
sewer is, of course, without founda
ton, because all of the records anC
proceedings are, and at all time!
have been open to any man or wo
man who cared to see them"
w. D. BAXTER,
NJ. p. DeWOLF,