The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-02-12

to follow up the base and see thai
enough material was removed so thai
the base would be five inches thick
The cost Of inspection was $1,507 or Is
per cent, and the total cost of engin.
eering and inspection was 4.73 pei
cent. In both the amount Of cement
used and the thickness of the base
great trouble was experienced in get
ting results. Judging from the actions
of those in charge of the work, the en-
cheering department saved the city
in quality Of work, not less than $1Ot
600 during the year 1915.
There was strong evidence that
this was not satisfactory state OF af-
fairs. Stl ong pressure was brought to
bear on the engineer by two or three
citizens who lived on and were to help
pay for this work to allow inferior
4 material and construction to go
through. There was utter lack OF CO.
operation, and this existed to such an
| extent as to actually force the city to
superintend the work instead Of mere
| ly inspect it, and satisfy ourselves
that The work was properly performs
ed. A great deal has been said about
the cost Of engineering and inspection
on special assessment work, and in all
cases such complaints are easily trace
able to those who are more or less in
terested in seeing that inspectors are
| controlled by politics. and that the
contractors run the work as they
please and are not hampered by such
trivial things as specifications, con-
tracts and engineers.
81 wish to state here that the paw
ing work done in 1916 was laid as
nearly as was practicable in full con-
formity with the specifications, but
the credit for that is due to the en-
ployes Of the city who. in the perform
ance of their duty, took an amount OF
abuse that no private firm would have
tolerated for an instant.
This is not a local story by any
means but is the history of municipal
work everywhere. Politics and the
municipal contractors combine to con-
troll, and the engineer becomes almost
helpless until public sentiment be-
comes alive, through some system OF
education that will convey to them
the facts upon which they can act. AS
an example as to the pressure that Is
often brought to bear on the engineer,
the following is an instance:
During the laying of the Broadway
paving, the wires were kept hot from
the brick plant asking that the specif1-
cations for brick be waived by the city
engineer. Shortly thereafter prominent
citizens began complaining of the de-
lay,-they understood the engineer was
holding up the brick at the other end
without cause. In another case there
was a claim made for $1.695.75 by a
contractor. and he was paid in settle
ment thereof, $13.48. In this case the
contractor was not aware of the actual
facts the foreman having verified our
record, but the contractor even refused
to be bound by the acts Of his own
agents. What would be your opinion
of an engineer or other agent, who
would pay $1,682 contrary to his own
records and those Of the contractors
foreman?
Several men have stated to me
lately, I hope you will win in your
fight to get contracts properly exc
cuted, as if the engineer was fighting
battle that was all his own. Let me
assure those that have such a con-
ception of the municipal official and
especially the engineer, that such is
not the case. The fight is not the
engineers fight, but your own, brought
on in an attempt to secure a dollars
worth of value for a dollar Of your
money expended. 1t is also true that
we have had reasonable success in 50
doing, and that it has brought results
is shown by the attempts made, IN
certain quarters. to break down the
system of close inspection and there
fore defeat us.
There is only one remedy, and that
is publicity. / take it that this is q
meeting of part of the stockholders in
this fair corporation or ours, the city