Baxter Springs news., 1918-05-03
.ABROGATE SEW
Err CONTRACT.
PLUMMER-ADAMS CLAIM,
CITY HAS NOT FULFIL
LED CONTRACT
WILL COMPLETE MAIN 4"
Says War Has RevOlutiOnized
Purchase of Materials Dur
ing Delay of the City
Hence AbrOgatiOn


Will F. Plummer, of the Plummel
Adams construction company, appear
ed before the city council Tuesda
to be present at the reading, by tn
city clerk, of lengthy communica
tion abrogating the contract between
the city and the Plummer-A -Adam
company for the construction of ,
sewer system.
The councilmen present and thu
mayor agreed that the problem wa.
too big to act upon without some de.
liberation and next Tuesday night was
named. Mr.. Plummer gave assur-
ance that he would be here finishing
up the work that he had started and
that there was no necessity for haste.
Previous to the reading of the COM
munication Mr.. Plummer asked the
council to go on record in the pas
sage of resolution advising that
there is an emergency in the con-
struction of the lateral sewer between
Twelfth and Tenth Streets in the first
alley back Of Military st. The coun-
Gil can give no authority but recon-
mend that there is an emergency and
encouraged the company in this man.
ner to use ten hour instead of eight
hour labor, in the absence of any rul-
ing yet from the state labor commits
sion to which an emergency request
was sent some time ago.
Mayor Wright in a brief outline of
the sewer situation to the new coun-
cilmen spoke in substance as follows;
Some months ago we let contract
for the building of sewer system to
this company--not the mains but
sewer system. We issued all the
bonds the law would allow for the
building of the main sewer, $4,000.
We made arrangements for the col.
lection of Sl30,000 in lateral sewer
tax making $4,000 more than the
con -ract with this company calls for
VIII n is S151, 900. We have gone just
as 'ast as the statutes of Kansas
will allow us. We have paid the
con ulting engineer, Mr.. Moore, most
of his fee of $7,555 and also several
Other large expenses. There is moth
ing in the way of securing the $780,
900. We were up against the propo-
sition of being unable to switch the
sac, 900 for the building of the sew
er mains to the building of the later
al sewers. It was up to the city ad-
to raise the money to |
build the lateral sewers and the time |
ELAPSED last night at midnight, and
now there is nothing to do but pre-
pare the bonds for acceptance by the
bonding company.
During this discussion a represen-
tative of the bonding company, whose
presence evidently was unknown,
said that his company was ready and
anxious for the bonds and would like
10 make a deal with the city for the
water bonds for E. E. Dunns e. Co.,
Df Wichita, Kas.
It was finally agreed to refer the
matter to the two city attorneys and
10 the consulting engineer for report
1t the next meeting of the council.
Following is the Plummer-Adams
rc.'s letter to the council, in full:
April 3Oth, 1918.
Honorable Mayor and City Council,
Baxter Springs, Kansas.
Gentlemen;
We regret to notify you that we
ire forced to abrogate our contract
or the construction of sewers dated
october 18, 1917, on account Of the
allure Of the City, after five months
0 obtain money in a sufficient amount
o enable the City to fulfill its con-
ract.
Also on account of the fact that at
he time the contract was made the
,ity represented that bonds had been
old and arrangements made to draw {
noiey 'on the Engineers estimate
needed pending the deliv- i
~ Of the bonds, but such arrange
nents have been repudiated. /
Also on account of the fact that q
be city has elected to divide the a
,ork into two sections, although the I
ontract is for the entire work with v
ui separation, and, on account OF ]
be lack Of money which prevented !
ID building but a restricted part Of c