Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-23

Charges that State Senator Edwin
H.. Ware inspired Director Datesman's
notifications OF the STRENGTHENING
specifications for 1919 are contained in
statement issued by Magistrate
Robert Carson.
The statement was followed by an
admission from William II. Connell,
chief of the Street.C Cleaning Bureau
under Mayor Blankenburg, that Sena.
tor Ware had repeatedly urged him to
remove the clause stipulating the mini!
mum number Of men to be employed
Elimination Of this clause was one
of the notifications made by Director
Datesman, who on Monday, in an
open meeting at the Chamber OF Com;
merce, asserted he alone was respon.
sible for the changes.
Senator Ware, when shown copy OF
Carson's accusations. read it carefully
and then said he would make no state
ment Of any kind concerning it. He is
low bidder for the contracts in two Of
the city's nine districts. his figure be-
ing $1.5o0,OO0.
Magistrate Carson Is a member of
a committee authorized at Mondays
meeting to investigate the changes in
the specifications. This committee has
demanded that all bids be rejected
and the notifications withdrawn. It
has called OH Director Datesman to
make reply by , O'Clock next Monday.
when another general meeting will be
held.
Carson's Statement
The statement issued by Magistrate
Carson follows:
Director Datesman must decide now
whom he shall serve, the people or the
contractors. The elimination OF the
minimum labor clause in the 1919
, street-cleaning specifications would save
result in an even worse condition of
the streets than during 1918.
THE minimum labor clause IN the
former specifications was the nlg safe
guard that ii was possible TO put in to
! guarantee the city that the work
would be properly done. II compelled
the contractors at all times to keep at
! work on the streets in heir districts
certain, specified number of men,
which. according to a scientific invest
CATION in all the large cities, was suffi-
cient to keep the streets in proper con-
dit'on. 1t also made It possible for the
Director of Public Works to estimate
accurately the cost of the work. there
by enabling him to tell whether the
bids were fair.
Not Entirely Deaf
Since the Incorporation of this clause
in the specifications by william II. Con-
nell the former chief OF the Bureau
of Street Cleaning Senator Edwin H.
Ware has made repeated efforts to have
/ it eliminated but under the admins
tratlon of the former chief he was un
successful. The fact that this change has
now been made by Director Datesmam
would indicate to any fairminded per-
son that while he may be deaf and
dumb to the queries Of citizens regard
ing this matter, his ears are still al
tuned to catch the sound OF his masters
e. voice"
| When Mr.. Connel was asked con-
cerning the charges made by Magis-
trate Carson he said .
Il have not seen any statement made
! by Magistrate Carson or any person
else on the subject
Us It true. he was asked. that con,
tractors approached you during your
administration Of the Bureau of Street
Cleaning with the request that the min
imum labor clause be eliminated from
the street cleaning specif1cations?"
1T is," replied Mr.. Connell
Approached by Ware
Did Senator Ware ever approach you
on tie suhject?'
He did" was the reply. Senator
Ware argued with me On several occa-
! sions that the minimum labor clause
should ne stricken from the speclflca-
: tons! We had several conversations In
which he urged the change. He has
| always favored such Il change"
what was your reason for turning
down such propositons?" was asked
: "The minimum-labCr clause was in
serted in the street-ceanins spec!fca-
tlons." Mr.. Connell replied "to make
with the minimum equipment specinca-
tions and the clauses specifying the
work 10 bJ zone n uOuDle CneOk on the
B contractors II was the only means we
hal to have IA reasonable guarantee that
/ ut least a minimum OF work would be
/ done
We considered the clause vital to
the interests OF the city as regards street
~cleaning. II furthermore gave us some
( thing u,Non which to base an intelligent
analysis of tie bids submitted by con-
! tractors Wien we knew how many
! mon were to be Oh the streets in each
I district ana the equipment to be used
We had n place 70 start In figuring a
reasonable ccst for the work TO be DONE
| on Monday Director Datesnan con-
demned the mnlmum-labor clause be-
! cause Il was ineffective In it's purpose. /"
fIe went &c far as to aver that wooden
Indians" coG'd be employed by the con-
tractors 10 futll the clause and that
/ nothing could be done except to fine the
! contractor when the force was not up
to the minimum.
on Thursday Director Datesman was
I; confronted with clause No. 26 Of the
old specifications, in which II Is stated
that ali employees must be thoroughly
I able-hodied and Capable mentally and
! nhysically..' The Directors only ex-
planation was, ~ am deaf and dumb, Z
H ~ NtSl fI Il .I k aIo ~ 4