Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-06-29
= Citv Council Only.
iLyurury? Asks Mccain

~ 70 such contractor woih a'
nuss ~ : engineers have completed 'he
,.as and specifications.
plans .,ro,oses to erect destructories
ne ainerate MI the rubbish. They
. .u save money and do away WIN 'ne
Unnecessary expense OF long hau'S "
4 the dumps. .,o e,,v owing TO rs
o,s cannot take over this work
notober 1. is without foundation.
On contractors entered into written
~. invent Mt the beginning OF this
in which it was set forth and
yea.,a that the cit, might terminate
Ms,r contracts October !, 1e2l'
VI, T,ery contractor signed It, he
~ r. rscosnized its binding character
mu9 iecai force. Every preliminary
sn' s,,l6lling the Charter as to street
~ D1s.ning by the city is ready to go
forward.
!, will require an appropriation OF
!, onf). 900 to purchase new equipment.
pTbe thirteen members OF Council
Tho way. They refuse to act in
" ~ matter. They say to Director
r.ven. eve will not permit you to
@ .sse $3.50. 900 in three months for the
sa,n,e You must Keep the contrac-
- az work until January 1. They
sre our friends
Tbere are ten of the thirteen who
..tc elected on contractor basis.
cnsulv. avowedly and vociferously
.har are champions of the contractor
bosses.
:, is different with Weglein, Lime
.,,rrsr and Montgomery. They pledged
themselves before election to sustain
No Charter, to help eliminate the boss
contractor system.
Taeir course in Council on this
.restion is convincing proof that they
S.ve gone back on their constituents.
Tbsy have lined up with the contrac-
sors They are cheek by jowl with the
y old bosses.
Director Caven, in the EVENING
puBI1o LEDGER, recently said that he
a,d not propose to buy lot of second
hand machinery when the city started
on the job.
That remark fred the mine. 1t
marked the beginning of trouble.
The contractors and their friends got
mad They had expected to load on
me city a lot of wellused parapher- :
MALTA. Much of it is said to be junk.
Their friends in Council seized on
the directors statement as a call to
arms. They determined that the city
should not begin cleaning the streets
until January at the earliest. 1t
would give the contractors an oppor-
tunlty to make more money. 1t might
force Director Caven to buy junk.
It will be midwinter by January 1.
.he Highway Department will be under
handicap. The director wishes to
avoid this, also to save the city $3.50,
900 in the three months between Octo.
kr and January l.
But the thirteen Councilmen, friends
Of the contractors, apparently desire
above all things to handicap the De.
psrtment of Public Works.
Council in effect says "No" to the
director; I'VE are the friends of the
contractors rather than the representa- :
tives of the people who elected u.s."
Conspicuously, as gauged by theft
speeches and votes. is this the attitude
| Of Councilman Weglein, who it is con =
ceded expects one Of these days to ask
the people to elect him Mayor; like.
wise that of Councimen Limeburner
and Montgomery.
The Ware contractors advanced their
or;nao Con- Cf al ~, t.. 1901
thing like 80 per cent over their prices
for 1920. AS whole the contractors
over the entire city increased their
rates 32 per cent.
Among the claims of the thirteen
Councilmen is that the Administration
wants to take over the work on Octo.
Der ! so that it may replace the con
tractors men just before the November
election with its own men.
1t is fool defense. The Highway
Bureau has to take men who are Ger.
tifed by the Civil Service Board, with :
out question as to their politics.
Councilmen of this stripe invariably
mink in terms of patronage.
The Director is going ahead and will
introduce ordinances to acquire ground
for the destructories.
Weglein and his Ware contractor
friends may refuse the money. They
may dillydally in the hope that the
city will be forced finally to revert to
ue contractor system again.
As curious psychological study il
Is to be wondered if these men have
deuded themselves with the idea that
their constituents and the public AT
large are without the faculty Of mem. Z.
ory.
Commodore Vanderbilt generation
ago incurred the wrath of the country
BY his declaration, THE public be
damned"
council in its haste to serve contrac.
,or bosses has apparently adopted the
Vanderbilt motto.
PARTICULARLY does this apply to Veg.
iein, the future mayoralty candidate,
anu Councilmen Limeburner and Mont
sOmery, once for the people, but now
I0r the contractors.
What does the Director of Public
works say to all this?
we will get this thing through nc
mstter what they do" is his answer.
meantime the city will be losing
SioO,OOO in three months.
unless Council tonight decides I'd
sand by the taxpayers.