Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-03-11

Attempts to get at the real truth OF
the boards activities in connection with
the purchase and operation of the garb-
age reduction plant, which is the self
same plant valued for taxation purposes
at about $4,000 for which the board pafu
$1I5,O00 to a company in which former
Governor James P. Goodrich was inter
ested, have repeatedly met with crafty
rebuhs for several months.
REPORT UNDERSTOOD
TO DISCLOSE LOSS.
The annual report, it is understood,
discloses just how much money the board
received through taxation and the sale of
byproducts for the operation of the re-
duction plant and how much such opera
ton cost. The extracts from the report
permitted publication by the board ara
thought to disclose that despite Mayor
Charles W. Jewetts boast of a year ago
that the plant would be operated at a
Profit during 1920 that it really was run
at loss of $33, 96.
When it was learned that the report
had been completed Mr.. Lingenfelter, who
Is city civil engineer as well as a mem
ber Of the sanitary board, was asked IL
he had a copy of it that might be exam
ined. He replied that he did not have
be copies in the boards Office. Jay A.
Craven was in the boards office. When
he was asked for the report he said that
no copies Of it were there. that he thought
they had all been turned over to Mayor
Charles W. Jewett At the mayors of
fee it was said that two copies had been
left late Thursday, but that one Of them
had been given out and the other taken
to the mayors residence, where the chief
executive is confined by illness.
When informed Of this Mr.. Craven said
that 1t was possible that Mr.. Swift might
have a copy. A telephone call to Mr..
Swift's office brought the response that
he was not in.
TACTICS
NOT NEW.
The sanitary board has pursued similar
tactics regarding the operation Of the
garbage plant before. Several months
ago there were certain indications that
the plant was being operated at loss.
Search for figures on the income and ex-
penditures of the board for garbage re-
duction led from Mr. Lingenfelter to Mr..
Craven and then to Mr.. Swift. Mr.. Swift
said he could not furnish such figures
because the boards bookkeeper was on
her vacation, but that he would have a
report prepared and made public when
she returned. The report was never fur
nished to the person who made inquiry
for it, although extracts from a state
ment, which Mr.. Swift prepared, were
published through the agencies that the
board uses when it is attempting to
throw q smoke SCREEN around its ac-
tivities.
A few months ago the board revoked
the contract Of the William P. Grace
Company for the construction of the main
interceptor sewage line unit of the sew
age disposal plant, which is to be estab-
Iished at Sellers farm, and relet the con-
tract to the United States Fidelity and
Guarantee Company, which had bonded
the original contractor. The contract was
relet at a higher price than the William
P. Grace Company had contracted to do
the work. Before a real inquiry could
be made into this transaction the board
had an explanation" published through
its pet agencies which print what 1t
wishes them to print and that is all the
public has ever learned Of the deal, so
far as any information obtained from the
board is concerned.