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PETITION.
<br />To the Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana
<br />Gentlemen; There has been presented to Mayor ft. R. Hinkle a resolution requesting the
<br />resignation or removal of the present members of the Aviation Commission. The resolution
<br />is based upon the fact that the Aviation Commission didpresent to the people ok,Routh Bend,
<br />through their Common Council, a reqtxest for the approval of a m lease of certain lands, and
<br />based that request, either intentionally or unintentionally, upon misleading information, and
<br />that the Common Council and the people of the City of South Bend were lead to be believe that
<br />if the lease were approved the total cost for rent, expenditures of movie and the coutr-
<br />ion of smme cinder runways, would not exceed $10,000., between $6000 and 17000 to be a1locrated
<br />for the moving of the hangers and.the grading, and the balance to cover the rental provided
<br />in the lease.
<br />The facts of whether or not the public has received value in full for the money spent
<br />or whether the work accomplished is well done are not the points under consideration in the
<br />resolution presented to Mayor Hinkle. The resolution is a protest against a public Board
<br />presenting to the Common Council for its approval a lease providing for three years with an
<br />average rental including all expenses for moving, etc* not exceeding 03.333. per year, and
<br />that this would not be considered excessive rent in view of thw work to be given families
<br />on poor relief, then, after obtaining approval under the conditions related above, proceeded:,
<br />according to statements made by the Aviation Board to exceed the amount estimated to be
<br />expended, and that said rent now, instead of being 3,333. will approximate #12,000 a year
<br />for the three years. It may be admitted that the amount of work accomplished for the differ-
<br />ence in rent is better than waa first considered, but likewise, concrete runways, etc. would
<br />be still better.'
<br />The Aviation Board, in their plea to the people and Common Council for approval of this
<br />lease and in support of the fact that they had no definite estimates or contracts covering the
<br />expenditures they claimed necessary, stated to the Common Council that they had no extensive
<br />plans, very little work was necessary to place the land in condition for airport use, and
<br />further stated that the land contemplated under the lease was then in use as an airport and
<br />that with the provision of a cinder runway and the moving of the hangars, would be capable
<br />of caring for the needs of this community without additional expense. It was further explained
<br />to the Common Council by the Aviation Commission, that the money spent grading and building tk
<br />them runways would be used in the employment of men taken from the Portage township poor
<br />relief line, and it was with this information before it that the Common Council did approve
<br />the lease and the people did not remonstrate against that approval.
<br />Immediately following the meeting of the Common Council the Aviation Commission did enter
<br />into a contract with a private engineer and when remonstrance was lodged with the Aviation
<br />Commission regarding the employment of a private engineer, they claimed the work and plans wee
<br />so techtLical it was necessary to employ a qualified man.`
<br />Newspapej5 despatches state that this private engineer was employed for #1000 and apparent;
<br />ly the Aviation Commission knew they intended to employ him when appearing before the Common
<br />Council, but mention of his employment was not made.
<br />Newspaper despatches quote Mr. Davies of the Aviation Commission as saying they have spent
<br />$22,000 of the taxpayers' money and have borrowed $3000 from a private party, agreeing with
<br />said private party that if the City of South Bend purchased the land now under-lease the private
<br />party would cancel the debt otherwise the city was to leave hangars or other improvements on
<br />the land to offset the $3000 borrowed. 4
<br />In view of the foregoing and the undercurrent opinion among taxpayers and citizens of our
<br />community that the Aviation Commission did not present all of the facts to the Common Council
<br />at the time they obtained its approval of the lease, that they had knowledge of.more extensive
<br />plans than were presented to the Common Council and further, that they City of South Bend has
<br />been without air service for over a month ( #and incidentally without discomfort or inconvenience)
<br />that the airport is not now in condition for use without the expenditure of additional -.sums
<br />of money, we ask your honorable body to refer this matter to an investigating committee, that
<br />all engineering plans' and profiles, for the,grading work done at the airport, all contracts
<br />for the removal of dirt, employment of mechanics equipments engineering service and other ex-
<br />penditures, be submitted to this committee for investigation, and that a full and complete
<br />record of the facts disclosed be made public. We further request that the Common Council do
<br />not appropriate or include in the 1934 budgetor tax rate, any additional sums for the Aviation
<br />Commission, except that amount necessary to meet the actuab rent under the lease contract, at
<br />no additional expenditures be permitted upon the airport as long as the present Aviati
<br />Commission is in charge, on
<br />See page 198
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