Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1921-06-07
AMAZING IS
CITY STAND
ON STREET
WORK
Question Raised by Taxpay-
ers Why Policy of Watch
full Waiting is Adopted
When Job is Attacked.

The city council is being bothered
by complaints from taxpaying resi-
dents, the ones most particularly af
fected along Sandalwood and West
Main streets, that the street paving
and curbing work along those thor
oughfares is being done in a faulty
manner and not in accordance with the
specifications The Press printed a
statement yesterday from Samuel B.
thinner, an architect of known ability
knowledge of building matrials, par
ticularly concrete work, gives him the
right to speak by the card the origin
al of which was sent the city council,
condemning the West Main street
work.
Other complaints it is reported have
been made along similar lines from
streets where curbing and paving are
being laid by the contractor.
The city council, it is reported, is
watching closely the work of the con-
tractor and it is naively said that they
will undoubtedly condemn at least a
portion of the work already done; that
they feel they have no right to stop
the contractor after issuing a warning
that the work is being done improper
ly and that they will take no action
in the matter until a demand is made
by the contractor for payment for his
work.
TO the general taxpayer and the or
binary, average citizen, this is an
amazing stand for the members of the
city council to take. The question is
at once raised in the mind of the tax
payer as to who is responsible for the
welfare of the city if the men occupy
ing the positions of city trustees are
not.
"A grave question has been raised,'
said leading business man this morn
ing, "as to the quality of the work
being done by the contractor who is
putting down paving and curbing in
and along certain of our streets. The
work is supposed to be done in work
manlike manner according to specifi-
cations made and prepared by man
supposed to be competent to do this.
An inspector has been appointed by
the trustees to watch the work Of the
contractor and see that the required
amount of sand and cement and stone
goes into the concrete that is being
poured. 1t is not known except by in
ference that there has been any report
from the inspector on the work, or that
he has approved or condemned any
part of the work. gather from pub
LEGATION about the matter that the con-
tractor has been warned that some OF
his work is faulty. What | want tC
know and | feel sure that there are
hundreds of other citizens in my posi-
ton, why the poor work is not stopped
the moment it is discovered and the
contractor compelled to do it properly
Why is the hands of the city trustee:
tied so that they cannot stop thi:
faulty work, and have to wait unit
the lob is finished before they can cal
the contractor to book. There are laws
governing the performance of con
tracts on all public work and if thes'
laws are not complied with is it thu
fault of the city trustees, the inspec
tor on the Job or who? | for one VIII
has to pay for the work, would lik'
an answer to the question:
Former City Engineer Philip W
Knights was asked by a Representative
of The Press what impression the &C
ton, or rather lack of action on tn
part of the members of the city coun
ell, was making.
'You ask what | think of the coun
cil's attitude of 'watchful waiting a
applied to the faulty construction o
our street work? I'll confess that
do not understand the object IN tn
position the council has TAKEN, re
piled Mr.. Knights. "The specification
require, before the final acceptance
the work, that the contractor sha
correct any imperfect work wheneve
discovered
at is customary for the inspecto
to shut down the work when the COZ
G..,4i.,..,l . I