Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-10-15

graphs which appeared in the Port
| land Press-Herald of October IL, May
or Ernest L. Mclean was interviewed
| Saturday and issued the statement
which follows the excerpt from the
| report of the remarks of Insurance
Commissioner William D. Spencer:
| The cost plus plan was invented
! in hell William d. Spencer, insurance
commissioner of the State Of Maine.
told insurance men of three states at
a luncheon meeting yesterday noon at
the Falmouth hotel.
"a few Years ago they painted the
kennebec bridge in Augusta for $500. 90
and now they are painting it on the
cost plus plan and paying men who
| have not served an apprenticeship. 81 90
an hour for working with a paint brush
! and dropping half the paint into the
kennebec river" said Mr. Spencer"
Mayor McLean's statement Is as fol-
lows:
| "Mr. Spencer admits the correctness
of the report except that he says he
/ prcfaccd his remarks with reference
to the Kennebec bridge with the words
i 4 am informed that Whether he
4 did or not the effect Of his statement
is the same. The Obvious purpose of
the statement in the second paragraph
was to illustrate the assertion in the
first that tho cost plus system was
Invented ia hell by comparing the
present painting job-whicb (the ref
ference isl is being done by incompe-
tent men at very great cost-with
the job done a few years ago at
post of only $4,000.
"Since making the above statement
Mr.. Spencer has admitted that he did
pot know when the bridge was last
PAINTED; that he did not Know what
ras done to remove the rust: that he
i'd not know whether one or two coats
4 paint were applied: whether the
fidge was painted in whole or in part
- fact that he did not know one
vi sing about the painting job Of "a
81 wv years ago other than that he
aderstood it was painted sometime
h ethc past at a cost of approximately
n 1000. He admitted further that he
gs5 "a no basis upon which to make a
" cAparison of the cost of the present
Mwith the former one
He admits that he knows nothing
Ill aMt the mon on the present job; that
- laocs not know what experience they
- ma had or whether they are mem
he of the union or not Yet he as
SEED before the insurance men of
th'e states that these men have not
adts that he docs not know what
themcn are~boing paid, Yet asserts
mat is $1.00 per hour.
Aw. what are the facts? The
irorworll underneath the floor of the
hri& was scraped and cleaned with
Wlrtbrushes and given one coat of
thosx Graphite Paint No. sos dur
ing e administration of the Hon. Ell
tn mcr L Ncwbcrt in 1914. This job of
painsg was done by the Hassam
PAWN Company on the cost plus sys-
,z7 TEN ee city report 1915. pages So, 65
I'd and u Tho cost of the paint, in
- cludiithc ten per cent cost plus was
! $99.oethe labor cost is not shown.
In hsgnorance of facts, Mr.. Spencer
was Willingly comparing one hellish
systoiMith another. His comparison.
howeNswas just as effective so long
as he d not know the difference.
an IS inaugural address on jan
uary 915. Hon. Blaine 5. Nilcs said:
The slerstructure of the Kennebec
bridge ,ould be scrapcd and painted
lie this yqs The city records do not
discloswhethcr this recommendation
was ca led out. Mr.. Viles says that
~ it is secollcCtion that it was. This
may be ie job to which Mr.. Spencer
refers. Nso, it was a one coat job
and wasone in 1915. There are rea-
sons to ,lieve that it was done by
a contract.f this contract job was for
. $4,000 twas for only a part of the
- bridge. E. Spencer is consistent in
his misstements when he says the
II bridge wapainted for 100000. 1t was
III not paintefor any such figure.
III Mr.. Spcer says the men on the
"a job had ntserved an apprenticeship.
hn o,oI hug of
II the Painte'8 Union have given me a
ii signed at1ent in which they state
N that at noime has there been en-
u ploycd in . painting of kennebec
II bridge, nowls process. a man who has
n not served full apprenticeship as
painter andrho is not a member of
III the Paintcr.Cnion.
n "Not onlhave the men on this
II job served a apprenticeship. but
they are m5 of much experience.
II George B. Varton, the foreman of
81 the job. has I'd twenty-seven years
experience aR painter, two years
. years eXperiee with the Maine Cen
- trail Railroads. bridge painter and
six months vi the Texas Company
at Bath on i'd work. Harold Doe
m has had thirtyears experience as a
painter and fnted on the under
meath part of 3 bridge when it was
Or, painted by thaassam Company in
er 1914. WillianH. Carey has had
about twenty Yrs experience. Earle
II. Allen has Ia eighteen years ex-
n perience and ism experienced man
u on bridge and ION work: for ten
a years he was ateeple jack painter.
Henry Quincy n had ten years ex-
perience. JerorA Goodchild eight
ty years. Fred Laughlin several
ii years and Lee Qney the least ex-
tie perienced of anf the men has had
six years expence. Practically
every man has 4 some experience
re on bridge or iroNork. 1t would be
N. difficult to get tother a crew more
n, experienced or beg adapted for this
If particular class dwork. Mr.. Spen-
GERS is the firstfiticism I have
heard Of the meror their industry
- and he now admiShe knows moth
We ing about them.
s. 1.-THE men are beg paid not s1.00
". per hour. but eighHcents per hour,
;,,l,