New Britain herald., 1926-06-25
Private Drafting Dur ing City Hours Will Not Be Tolerated, As- sistants Are Told.
Employees Deny Using Public Time or Instru- ments for Personal Gain Except at End of Day.

Reports that members of the city engineering staff have been en- ploying the city's time and imple- ments in making surveys, maps and plans for private citizens resulted today in an order from the office Of Engineer Joseph D. Williams that this practice will not be tolerated.
 Approximately go per cent of the maps required under the zoning law are being drawn by members Of the city staff. Deputy Building Inspec- tor A. \. Rutherford stated yester- day at 0 conference held in the mayors office. The inspector said the maps were well drawn and he assumed they were prepared out side of working hours. although he vas not concerned about this fact since 1t was not an affair of the building department. he explained.
 May Work On Own Time
 City Engineer Williams has been aware that employees in his depart ment have been carrying on this work and are also drawing house plans, and while he has heard cOm- plaints the work is being done on the City's time he has not found any evidence to support the claim. He sees no objections to the engineers doing this work on their own time and q previous board sanctioned the practice, it was explained in city hall today. The engineer declared there is nothing in his power 10 do other than warn employcs that citys time and implements owned by the city must not be used in private work.
 Complaints of private work done OH city time have been coming in for many 1onths but since the zou- ing law was passed requiring lot maps as well as house plans the re- ports have been more numerous than ever The city engineers oc- cupy offices adjoining the building inspectors.
 Increase In Visitors Noted
 
 belief that conferences with persons desiring private work done are in- terfcring with the smooth operation of his department, he said today. He las noticed an increase in the num- Ter Of callers Interviewing his en- @inecrs, but has assumed that city operations were under discussion and has not found the contrary to be true
 Attorney David l.. Nair. chairman Of the ordinance committee of the common council. who was in atten- dance at the meeting at which the reported abuse was discussed said his greatest fear is that property owners may gain the impression map secured from someone in the ely employ is to be taken as legal |. without further inyestigation.
 City Engineer William admitted tho possibility of such @ misundcr- 1 standing which he said, would lead . to complications. Should he find . the general public is so regarding maps prepared by city engineers. he 1, will ask hat not only actual work | ba discontinued.
 Pay Called Insufficient
 Previous boards Of public works and some members Of the present commission heartily approve work on private time which will increase the income Of men in the engineer ing department. They argue the pay now allowed by the city is not suffi- Ciant and unless the mon are en- couraged 10 earn money on spare time they cannot longer remain in the nuuicipaIity's employ.
 Assistant engineers today denied emphatically they have ever used the city's time to do private work They have their own engineering equipment which they Use after working hours and plans and maps are prepared in their own homes, they explained.
 The offices in which they work are open at all times and are located -, near the office of the board of pub lie works. making supervision pos sible. A greater part of the work is carried on outside the offices and there are none whose work is en- tirrly inside