The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-07-07
Wafer Works Contract.

Water Works Contract.
We copy from the Courier of yes
terday-to whom. as a matter of par
tv favor, it was furnished in advance
the contract between the Water
Works Committee and William @.
Weir, Of Lockpcrs, New York. 1t is,
as Mr. Heilman designated it, most
Extraordinary" document, and we'll
worth 2 careful perusal.
/. lis very evident that the doou-
ment was drawn up BY the contractor,
Mr.. Weir It is fair to presume,
therefore, that his interests have been
carefully guarded, whatever may be
the luck Of the city.
2. The contract has been awarded
without advertising for bids. or invit-
ing competition Of any character, and
in the face of the fact that response
bic parties we're willing to'do the job
for a great deal less money. Every
effort seems to have been put forth to
prevent competition. Mr.. Long him
self, who has obtained the sub-eon-
tract for furnishing the pipe. was pre-
pared to bid on the whole job had q
favorable opportunity been granted
him for doing so, but 10 such oppor-
tuuity presented itself. and he was
compelled to take a sub-contract.
3. While the precise spot for the
location Of the pumps, we'll, engine
house, &C., is not designated in the
contract, the plan for laying the pipe
indicates that they are to be stationed
ID the lower part Of the city, 10 order,
no doubt, that the citizens may have
the full benefit Of the daily discharge
from the city sewers. This arrange
ment is Of itself enough to nauseate
every citizen who had designed using
the water for culinary purposes.
4. The contract does not obligate
Mr.. Weir to furnish Uttered water"
He only agrees that the water shall
be free from turbidity;" that is, it
shall not be thick with mud. This,
We think, will be a great disappoint-
ment to those who have BASED their
expectations upon the profuse prom
Uses Of being supplied with clear. soft
water, filtered through gravel.
5, Mr.. Weir does not obligate him
self to leave the streets In as good
condition, after laying the pipe, as he
found them. On the contrary, the
powders are to be placed in piles on
the Streets" to be relaid at the ex-
ponse Of the city. which any one may
readily see will prove no small item.
6. All changes from the letter of
the specifications are to be paid for
by the city, as extras" As the speoi-
fcations, as we'll as contract, were
prepared by the contractor, no one
but that gentleman has any oouoep-
ton Of what is in reservation for the
city IN the shape of extras"
:. Every fourteen days, upon est
mates made ouf b. the contractor, the
city shall pay ninety per cent. of said
estimate in cash, provided that not
over ninety per cent OF the whole
contract shall be paid 10 advance Of
the completion of the same. But the
only protection the city will have
against extravagant estimates will be
Mr.. Wier's honesty. The contract
affords no protection whatever. We
are inclined to the opinion that the
last mentioned item is without q
parallel IN municipal legislation. It
IS, most uuquestionably, an improve
ment on any thing hitherto ventured
BY the notoriously corrupt Tammany
Council Of New York City.
8. The city has contracted, in ad-
vance of the. sale of bonds, to pay
out two hundred and thirty Ave
thousand dollars "a cash, by the first
Of February, 1871. thus advertising
its necessities in such a way as to
necessarily depreciate the value Of its
bonds.
9. The pretended reservation Of
ten per cent. is no protection whatev-
er to the city in case Mr.. Weir fails
to perform his part Of the conditions
agreed upon. He may so slight or
imperfeetly DO the work, upon which
he has been paid ninety per cent, as to
make it utterly impossible for the
city to make the same good out Of the
ten per cent. held IN reserve.
The above are some Of the objec
tions which present themselves to our
mind on looking over the agreement,
to which we invite attention. With
the details Of the contract, such es-
peeially as refer to the technical
specifications embodied therein, we
know as little about them as the Wa
ter Works Committee. Whether Mr..
Weir, who alone Of all the contract
ing parties is familiar with them, has
given tie city some peculiar and par
iicular advantages 10 ihs details. or