Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-09-08
CONTRACT SIGNED
FOR PAVING PLANT
Assertions Made 1t Was Over
WOrked-Ex-MayOr Says
II Was Double Crossed

As result of the trip of the street
improvement committee yesterday to
Albany in regard to the purchase of
new paving plant the committee signed
contract on the part of the city of
Salem with Mrs. Travis for the pur-
chase of her plant at price of $4,000.
The city has an option on the plant
for thirty days for the purpose of Civ
ing it trial, and if at the end of that
time it does not wish to buy it, rental
is to be paid at the rate of ten cents a
yard superficial area. At the end of
thirty days if the plant is found satis-
factory, the rental that would accrue
is to be applied to the purchase price.
In regard to the condition of the old
plant, Councilman Buchner said he had
investigated the matter from A to Q
and found that the plant was lemon
in the first place and that it has turned
into a white elephant on the hands of
the city.
Was Burned Out.
In the first place the plant was a
concrete mixer with boom to swing
the concrete from side to side and a
traction engine so that it moved with
its own steam. An oil tank was at
tached along with boilers and vats for
the preparing of asphalt ana by using
it for this work it was severely abused
The plant was practically ruined by the
hot mixtures at 260 degrees Fahrenheit
but he says it is still good concrete
mixer and will do the work it was
originally designed to do. The engine
that was used for the work of mixing
concrete he said was too small for the
work of preparing asphalt.
Councilman Buchner stated that the
machine was turned over to the men,
bers of last years council without that
council knowing just what kind of a
machine they had He said the re-
ceiving of the machine without an in
vestigation as to its qualities was
something scandalous, and he was glad
he was not on the council at that time.
He declared the machine was accepted
on the word of Salesman johnson of
the firm that made it.
With the new paving plant on hand
and with purchase reasonable GER
tainty, he says the council will prob
ably dispose of one or other of the
concrete mixers. The council may turn
the present old paving plant into what
it was originally intended for, con
crete mixer, or it may sell it and re-
tain the new mixer secured short
time ago.
These matters will probably come up
at the next meeting of the council.
Put Out Of Business.
TT is a. matter of common repute, u
said former Mayor Harley o. White
this morning, "that the city engineer
has been against the city doing any
paving or other work. He has been in
favor ef city contracting and opposed
to the city doing its own work Mis-
management has been the cause of the
loss of the city paving plant. Against
the advice of Street Commissioner w
s. Low, who had handled the plant
successfully, it was turned over to in
experienced parties, the engineer in
charge not knowing how to properly
handle the plant"
The opinion was also freely expressed
by others familiar with the city's paw
ing plant that it had been deliberately
"jobbed" and that paving had beer
made so expensive to the city that the
people would be willing to go back tx
the old system Of letting work out t.
contractors.
"In other works." said Mr.. White
"the attempt has been made to put the
city out of the paving business. 1t i,
claimed that the boiler was deliberately
repaired in such a way that it soor
burnt out and that waste was found il
the injector pipe, although the pipe wa,
protected to prevent this. -
As an example of expensive work
reference is made to the paving a
the fair grounds, to the lack of system
in working the men and also to the in
efficient way of handling laborcr,
while he work was done on South Com
mercial street.
The plant originally cost $4,000 anC
was not second hand plant. That i