The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1925-09-25
MARKETHOUSE
COUNTERSHERE
Folks Now Have the Chance
to See What $12,407 of
Their Money Went For

The arrival last week of 100
running feet of refrigerator
counters. for which the city
paid $l2,4W early in July, gives
the people a chance to see what
the City Fathers got for their
money. when they rushed the
markcthouSe counter deal
thru. The counters are in the
City Markethouse and should
be examined, that everyone
may see for himself.
1t might be good idea to take
along on the tour of inspection, one
of the city'S many good carpenters
or cabinet makers. at least somebody
who has some mechanical know
ledge, and is a judge of workman
shin. The counters should be rigid
ly inspected.
\ reporter for this newspaper
looked the counters over this week.
and discovered that the counters
don't look to him to be exactly
what the city ought to be getting.
In the first place the construction
is almost entirely of wood and that
none too stout. How counter OF
this type is expected to hold up
under the rough handling and rapid
fire manipulation of the butchers is
mystery to this reporter.
The Joining together of the wood
work on one counter, looks at least
like the carpenter was using some
dull tools. and had lost his square.
One of the sliding doors. while fit
ting on the bottom corner, has an
openin@ of nearly an eighth OF an
inch nj the top. Ii is so easy To
see daylight thru number of the
cracks. that one wonders how the
city can ever create enough retrl-
ccration on hot July day to Keep
the counters sufficiently cold to pre-
serve meats. If the butchers under
take to keep these counters aS full
of meat over night aS they now
pack their ice boxes. it Is likely
thcrcU he some tall swearing the
next morning. if the night has been
hot.
The gratingS in the boxes. instead
of being made of sanitary MATERIAL
are made of ordinary soft wool
about Il quarter of an inch in thick
ness. and treated to a coat OF enamel
which will be easily Scrapcd OFF by
usage. and permit blood and refuse
to Scak in as if a sponge. AS Il
sanitary proposition, they create
| debatable question.
The vent holes bored thru the
bottoms of the counters were evil
IDENTIFY undertaken by mechanic
/ in u hurry TO get home. His auGer
WAS dull. to say the least, for III
rcmpIetin" the holes. he broke
Sulinters from the bottom, leaving
Il Job that Il mud Scow carpenter
couldn't have gotten away WITH
The bottom itself appears to be made
of number three flooring.
The doors for instance. instead
of being properly insulated and air
tight. are not even wind tight.
Henry Ford puts better Insulation
,round the doors of his flivvcrS and
makes a better job of it.
If the city fathers really intended
70 buy counters of the type they got
they might have given the job to
Joc Elliott. or SGmc other tinker
and kept the twelve thousand dol
Iurs mt home. 1t looks as IL the
Aldermen would have done far bet
fer, had they taken the advice OF
AIavOr McCabe and City Manager
Fcrebce. who had far better plan
than the one adopted.
This newspaper doesn't want TO
hurt the business of the refrigerator
counter folks. But it is Of the hon
est opinion, that Elizabeth City
Board of Aldermen will do the de,
cent thing by the people they snail
represent and try To rectlll!
the mistake they have made, by re-
fusing this job, and fighting 10 tne
bitter end. in the courts OF thlS
state, against taking into the mar
kethouse, what they have been CIV
en-. This newspaper will put 1t III
TO every honest cabinet maker. car
nenter, ice maker, or machinlSt IL
tliis town: If they think Elizabeth
CITY has got what it ought TO nave
for $4,000 of the towns Sooc
money. then it will say $. The
counters no doubt are tlrs'
Grade for what they were III
tended. if it can be learned what
they were intended for. It's GER
tainly deplorable that the Alder
men were so anxious to spend ST.
0oo that they slipped this deal ovel
without careful investigation. lt'
also strange that Attorney Martil
simpson was mixed up in this trans
action. Alderman Louis Anderson
who voted for these counters, tolt
tho hoard frankly at the time III