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Show TH IT 1'AUVI 10NT1UCT. Tug recommendation of the Hoard of I'ubllo Works lo let the llg contract con-tract for paving lo the llurbtr Aiphalt Comreny baa occulontrl more stir and Indignation among lutlueisiiieutlian anythlnir heretofore contemplated by the City Council. There seems to have lieen some misunderstanding lu regard to tho lowest lid for tho contract Beveral oljectora have stated, as ono of Iho grounds of thtlr prottit, that a homo company had made the loweit bid and that tho Ilailer lid was next. They arguo that If the Council can, for any reason,pus by the low est to the next, they can psts by that to another for some other good and sufllclent reason. rea-son. Hut It epars from tho actual figures that the Harbor bid was really tho lowest, taking the whole Job In the aggregate. In some of the details thero was perhaps per-haps adllTcrcnceln favor of another company, but the total bid of the llarber Company, wo understand, was nearly Jt.000 lets than tho lowest of the other lids. We presume the Ilosnl thought that as the Ilarlwr bid was the "lownt" and thocoaiiany was "ritpomlble," the law abd tho regulation would re-qulro re-qulro thu letting ol the contract to that company. Bo that a little lees denunciation denun-ciation and a little moru ienaonlng and light will rolably be proper under the circumstances. The rule to employ home talent, home material and homo caltal, whenever when-ever Juttlco and economy will i ermlt, wo believe will find hvor with the representatives re-presentatives of the eople becsuso thst It whit the peoplo want. Hut when liomo contractoit want higher figures thou work can bo done, or materials furulthitl for by outside firms, surtly fault will not be found with cfUclals who consider themselves bound by tho rule that contracts mmt bo let to the loweit responsible bidder. Howovtr, lu this esse we think thero are sufllclent riaiocs why tbe Hurler Company should nut have tho contract, but that It should be let to the homo company oflerinn ttiu next lowest low-est bid and tbe comparatively belt materials. These should be considered by the City Council before the recommendation recom-mendation of the Hoard Is acted upon. From many reports coming from vaiioua plsces where Interne dlnatli-faction dlnatli-faction provalti, It appears that tho llarber pavement Is very defuctlve,that it has to be constantly repaired, that the tomiany, notoriously, bj low lidding drlvte out competitors, and then manages to keep the letter uf their contracts ly frequent patchwork until the five years limit expires, and that then tbe public ale tut to endless exponto by the Inferiority In-feriority of the materials employed and the couteiueut renewal or removal of tho pavement. This Is a very serious matter In view of the large expenditure luTulved. Andaamditof tbo money will go out of the Territory II this company It employed, the Iota will be still more erloui. II tho means can lo kopt at home by the employment of home msterlslt, labor and tklll, and lu addition ad-dition the 1 robahllltles sro that belter work can lo secured, true economy and public lutereit would demand that the spirit rather than the letter of tbe law mould govern In this matter. It appears, further, that the home comiany making tho next loweit bid Is not i returning on the fact that It Is a home concern and therefore cteklng to oblaiu high figures, but liavo ut the jrlcedowu to thu lowitt living rates. Alto that Its work already donolsopen to Investigation; In-vestigation; that It has erected expensive expen-sive works for the business, that It la riady with sultablo guaranties; that It is supported b) I ubllo sentiment; and that business men whose iroperty abuts on tho streets ftiropoted to be aved, are willing to pay tho difference between the llarber bid and the figures of the homo company. With all tbeio considerations It looks as though nothing could itaud In tbe way of the Council to tho awarding of thu contract to the homo company, un lets It bo some prlvutu understanding or agreement, or something that does not now oppear which would Juitlfj oonciirrenco 111 the report ol tbo committee. com-mittee. Until something definite It j roducod to show to the contrary, e shall bollove that the committee and tbo City Council are uctlng ou what they believe to bo the law In relation re-lation to the matter, mid for tho Lett interttts of thu city. Hut tho public aro much arouaed over It and wo think the wide spread opinion of thinking men should have due weight with tho municipal uuthorttlee. |
