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Show NEEDEDWATERMAINS Alderman Moran Defends the Water Committee. THE COUNCIL IS TO BLAME. History of the Unprofitable Squabble Squab-ble Between the Executive and. the Council An Important Report LieM Unheeded on the Table For early a 3'onth. and Is Finally Referred to the Mayor Only to Be Nat Upon. Alderman Moran takes exceptions to the article in yesterday' issue anent the uu, profitable squabble between certain members mem-bers of the council and the mayor and declares de-clares that the needed water main extensions exten-sions have not been in abeyance for three months. The gentleman also comp'ains because the water, committee com-mittee was mentioned, as he is of the opiD. ion that it has done its full duty in the matter, mat-ter, and that the blame for the delay, if there is any blame, rests with the council as a body. In that position he may be right, but the fact remains that the force of the waterworks department has been reduced re-duced during the past week and more discharges are in contemplation simply because be-cause there is no material on hand for the men to work with. The record of the case is as follows. Considerably Con-siderably over three months ago petitions for water main extensions were granted, and on July 22 Supt. Ryan presented a requUi-tiou requUi-tiou for 5ti0 tons of mains. It was referred to tha water committee, and a few days later Chairman Moran invited bids from a number of Eastern firms and they were received in due form, but not until after considerable mail and telegraphic correspondence had been indulged iu. On August 9 the committee tiled ita report recommending the purchase of the mains, but owing to the unprofitable unprofit-able squabble referred to, it was allowed to lie on the table until the 7th instant, when the whole matter was referred to the mayor with power to act. As the executive believed be-lieved that he had been ignored, he at the next meeting of the council- declined to perform per-form a mere "clerical act" at the dictatiou of the committee, on the ground that he alone was by law invested with the power of making and closing the deal. The history is a simple one and conclusively conclu-sively shows that the delay has been caused by a most unprofitable squabble, which does not redound to the credit of those responsible responsi-ble for it. No mitter where the blame lies, the bickerings of the past should be forgotten forgot-ten and the workingaien who hve been promised 60 much and received so little kept at work. |