Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-28
COUNTY ENJO|NED
ON PRIVATE WORK
Fairfax Suit Would Prevent
Use of Public Force on
Citizens Property.
special pIspateh 70 The star.


FAIRFAX, Va, March 28.-Harry
Shockey, attorney, of Great Falls yes
terday filed with the clerk of the Fair
fax County Circuit Court a suit brought
by Thomas P. johnson of Merrifield
land other taxpayers similarly STU
ated" seeking to enjoin and restrain
the board of supervisors of Fairfax
County and F. N. Larkin, county en-
gineer, from unlawfully using the
county tools, machinery, equipment and
employees on privately owned enter
prises and privately owned roads, and
particularly to enjoin and restrain
them from using this equipment on
the subdivision of Greenway Downs
near Falls Church, and the roads
owned by G. e. Aiken"
Supporting Petition.
A supporting petition, signed by be-
tween 20 and Is taxpayers of the
county, resident in or near Falls
Church, Vienna. Merrif1eld, or vicinity.
was filed with the suit.
commemorative Attorney Wilson M
Farr, who will represent the supervisors
and the. county engineer, stated last
night that he did not see how q hearing
could be held on this suit before the
May term OF court, as several cases
have already been set for hearing each
DAY OF the present term.
The suit Is understood to be the out
growth of resentment felt by some of
the men who do hauling and road work
on contract who feel that the county is
entering into unjust competition with
private labor.
F. N. Larkin, county engineer, stated
yesterday that his office did no COM
petitive bidding. He stated that before
the supervisors authorized him to do
work for incorporated towns, subdivi-
sions or private enterprises, they had
secured through the commemorative
attorney an opinion from the attorney
general that such procedure was legal
Mr.. Larkin further stated that no pri-
vate work was done by his forces when
funds were available for them to work
on county or district roads He point
ed out that the favorable conditions for
road construction which existed last
Fall and during the early Winter
enabled his men to complete practical
ly all OF the construction work for
which funds were allocated by the SUI
perv1sorS in last years budget. This
meant that the citizens have had the
benefit Of the improved roads during
the bad weather of the late Winter
There remains now on hand in the
county road accounts, he stated, only
the minimum amount necessary to con-
duct the routine maintenance work un-
til new county funds become available
next July.
Must Reduce Force.
He has curtailed the number Of
employees and unless private work or
subdivision or corporation work is
taken on, he stated that it will be nee
eSsary still further to reduce his force,
all of whom are local men. Mr.. Larkin
stated that 1t Is his custom in figuring
costs to charge rental for the use OF
county machinery and equipment, with
actual cost of materials furnished.
Although this Is the first time that
suit has been filed in the effort to stop
such work, the practice was questioned
by several citizens last year at the
public hearing on the budget. The
county engineer last year rebuilt the
streets in the town OF Vienna, in &C
cordance with a town bond issue, the
transaction resulting in a profit to the
county on the use of equipment and a
saving to the town. He also did work
for several of the road boards in the
town of Falls Church and for various
subdivisions and private individuals, IN
Guiding the Greenway Downs suDdl-
vision particularly mentioned In the
present suit.