The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-08-31
Newest Chapter In
Water Works Roject

TOR the Hickory Creek wafer Wolh
project which the city commission
Voted on Tuesday night to let to
TIE Sherman Machine & Iron
Works for $2S2,000, which was pre-
sented to Mayor Roberts for his
swnature yesterday, was not signed.
lyVhen it was called to the mayors
attention that the original adver-
tisement for bids called for them on
Sept. 3, he decided that it should
lsa.nd and will now hold the matter
topen until then.
This action only emphasizes the
i.aegularity OF the whole proceed
i,lr in connection with this water
works contract and casts still more
Suspicion on the star chamber ses-
sions which have been held.
The criticism of the people on the
way this matter is being handled has
become so open and bitter that at
last one member of the commits
sion has told his friends that he in
tends to resign and it would seem
tlat it is high time that something
like this should happen before the
eItire matter becomes an open scan
dal and is the subject of an Off
clal investigation, for, while the i'm
r.oral conditions prevailing are be-
i,!g considered, it is not at all mop
ortune to consider the financial
fairs of the city and county.
The people are demanding that
tlley be given voice in the handling
o.; their own affairs and that they
shall know how their money is being
expended. Experiences since pre-
statehood days with the Ardmore
water problem are fresh in the
minds of nearly everyone and now
tl,at the war has brought on tire
mendous problems as to finance and
business, there is less disposition
than in former days to wink at pub
lie incfficiency and waste, to say
nothing of the suspicion on the part
of every citizen and the outside
world that things are not just right.
When the commission met on
Tuesday night there was not a mem
Der who did not know that the bids
we're advertised originally to be op-
cned on September 3, but all tour OF
Them voted that the contract be let
at once. And everyone connected
with the project in any way what
ever importuned the mayor to sign
The contract without delay.
As has been said, everyone is more
r less familiar with the utter waste
n connection with the water sys-
tenn.
Many recall how after a season
!. use OF Caddo creek as water sup
ply. in emergency, three OF the pres
n ent board were members of the in
I coming commission which took out
one of the pumps used and installed
Il in a pump house at the city lakc
where it has been left idle and in the
meantime the only remnant OF ttis
expenditure left at Caddo is a switch
board costing $50. During the pres
ent administration a fuel oil burner
was installed at the city lake but
it is not in use and the pumps are
being run by electricity at the open
rate. But why talk ancient history
when things of today are demanding
our attention.
The fact is, gentlemen OF the COM
mission, things look bad, to put the
thing BADLY.
Every step that has been made
since the voting of the bonds has
been the subject of public censure
and now the crowning act is the let
ting of a contract which takes all or
more than the amount in the spe-
cial fund and leaves nothing for the
building of a dam SO the city can
be furnished with water.
After this sort of work there will
,e no disposition to vote further
oonds to complete the project nor
will there be acquiescence to an ap-
plcation to the legislature to permit
the transfer of funds voted for wa
ter works and sewer extensions in
the city to the fund for the compile
ton OF this water project.
Nearly every step i'll this whole
contract-letting movement has been
made at time when the city coni-
mission was wholly without legal
advice, the then city attorney being
in Washington and the later one
not having qualified. And yet there
was never a time when the trustees
0pf this twelve and half million dol
1ar corporation about to expend a
half million dollars needed advice
more than they did in this instance.
The bond issue was originally
voted on the promise that a COM
mittee of citizens should have a
voice in the expenditure of the
money but this has been Indignantly
refused by the commissioners with
the result that they have gone about
the matter in way which has
brought censure, whereas they
could have saddled the respon-
sibili,y on this citizens committee
and avoided the condition they have
brought about by their own OBJ
stinacy.