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Show SINGS OF ACTIVITY. City Engineer Riter is beginning to show signs of mental activity. Heretofore his line of effort has been confined mostly to changing grades and obstructing public improvements, as in the case of the recently completed Brigham street pavement, where his interference cost the city thousands of dollars. But Mr. Riter has now been devoting considerable time to reading a classic upon asphalt, the author of which he states in an interview, in-terview, was none other than Mr. Clifford Richardson. Rich-ardson. It would be interesting to the public to learn from whence Mr. Riter received the book, and whether the astute gentleman who sent it to him did not represent some asphalt concern con-cern Which intends to break into competition for local contract work. But, at all events, the fact that Mr. Riter has commenced to read something some-thing regarding his profession is a hopeful sign. It would have been just as well had he read something regarding concrete paving before he began his silly interference with the admirable work recently completed by Mr. Moran on Brig-ham Brig-ham street. At the same time, it is to be feared that the engineer could have put in his time more profitably than in his present researches for the reason that all high-grade asphalt is the same, whether it comes from Kalamazoo or South Africa. Why doesn't the engineer show some varsatil-ity varsatil-ity and read up something about the proposed concrete conduit from Big Cottonwood? That is certainly of vastly more moment, and up to date the engineer has shown no more capability of dealing with the matter than he would with the construction of an aerial tramway between the temple and Venus. All the important phases of that proposed improvement have, up to date, been left to Second Assistant Engineer I N ;!f 8jj Bacon, who is, of course, more competent than ', HI his chief. But that would not prevent the. en- jj 'ml gineer from "reading up" a little on the sub- jjl Iff ject; otherwise the whole affair is liable to be 'j jjjr bungled in about the same way as his previous j ' fl engineering feats, i 1 1 On the face of it, the engineer's recommen- i 1 j r aj dations regarding asphalt, as stated in the letter of Chairman Wall of the board of public works, ljftf amounts to an asinine effort to obstruct future ; j j. f r ! public improvements, following the policy which : ! If nas governed him ever since Mayor Morris made I 'i i the eggregious mistake of appointing him as city ; ft ; engineer. I , If i But the fact that he is now doing a little i '( y: ,, , . . ... s m t reading on subjects pertinent to engineering is j i ) very encouraging. Under such conditions he ! might develop into a fairly capable engineer in If e next ew decades. When he becomes a fully ' if J developed asphalt expert some of the great east- I tern or European metropolises may send for I if i; him. If such a contingency ever occurs, the local p j public believes that it will be able to struggle i It along without his extraordinary and unique ! II ,i services. |