Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-04-11

bosTd OF public works. Neither is any ae-
count taken OF the cost OF the old mater al
found uTon the streets. This latter has been
allowed In part 10 property owners Is a
drawback upon their assessments under the
board OF public works; has been paid In part
by certificates of the board OF audit, aud re-
mains In part unsettled, 10 be allowed upon
special assessments to be hereafter made.
CORAL contracts of the late board of public
works which have been recognized, having
been put under the form OF extensions, APP
pear In the foregoing tables, aud are indica-
ted in the column OF remarks"
The wide discrepancy between the actual
by the board OF public works aud the esti-
mates on that point OF the joint select COM
mittee OF Congress, OF 1874, calls for some
report of June i6, 1s14, estimates the indebt-
edness which would probably be funded In
the S-65 bonds at q, 305, SS6.59, and includes
"amornt due or TO become due on incom-
plete contracts" amounting to 1875 900.
That this sum fell FAR short OF the facts of
the case will be evident from the following
considerations: The balance due for work
already done must have been but a small
proportion OF the amount 10 be paid for work
then remaining TO be done. But for this bal
ance the board OF audit reports that II audited
1--WE use round numbers Sl,5I7 .OCo, and the
commissioners paid In cash S75 900. ma king
a total of not less than Sl,392, 600 for work
alre ady done, and for which payment was
actually due at the moment the Joint select
committee made its report. This amount of
Sl,IS2,Oco does not include any part OF the
expenditure for work under our al ministra.
lion. The whole amount OF the estimate by
the joint select committee for work done and
10 be dore should have been quairupled I'm
order 70 cover the two classes OF eXpendit ure.
For this error Of an estimate, which in
many quarters has 3 en- accepted as correct
we respectfully su0rI I that the Commission
ers can tie in no ma ler responsible.
as Specify plainly nature and cost of any
works now IN progress or contemplation,
aud proposed to be paid in a.Gl bonds with
cafes and hunters OF contracts aud names
=. AuNrcr. First Series There are 70 works
OF any kind now in progress or Contemplated
and proposed 10 be paid in Is DO lds. Under
the act OF Congress of the l4th OF March
ultimo, and by our several circula AR letters 10
tie contractors, under date OF September 20,
rs; February >, $50. and March -, 1875, we,
under the advice OF counsel, terminated aud
Cancelled every contract payable fn 3 g. bonds
For these letters see tables No. aad ,. ac-
comranying the engineers report, trans
mitted herewith.
40. Have you extended. ENLARGED or moii-
fed in The amount of work To be done, or
otherwise any or all of said cOntractS-if
yea, state what this enlargement, extension
or modification consisted, whether said en-
laTgement, extension or modification was
confined 10 work Done on the same street,
avenue, sewer, or whether IL was made to
cover work TO be done on contiguous streets
and avenues, or the building or new sewers.
gravel pits. in grading, pa wing or curbIug,
&C, parts of the District remote aud distant
toned and Included in the contracts recog-
niZed as legal obligations on the 10th June,
1874. Give the cost OF such extensions, en-
iargements or notifications, If any were
were given to the contractor under the bOarl
of public works in all cases. If given to
others, state why so given; If given To the
contractor under the board of public works
state whether IN any case other parties OF
fered to make these extensions at n less
price than the party who did the work of
n ~ IL sNaznsn
detail the amount of expenditure incurred
by the Commissioners for work, labor, ma
terial, &c, on such extensions, enlargements
ana moulncatlOns, over and above the cost
OF the work required To be done and expeud-
Ell on the work covered by the contracts rec
ognized as legal obligations OF the board of
public works; giving location OF improve
ment, character and kind OF improvement,
and the name of contractor and mum Der OF
contract so extended, enlarged or modified 4"
.. dHSreT.-We answer this question in the
affirmative. Upon the recomm endation OF
the engineer, WHO has under the law coatrol
and charge OF the work OF repair aud i'm
provements, we have modified many OF the
contracts as the public interest aud necessi-
ties OF administration required. Taese moi
ifications consisted sometimes In the SubsJi-
tuition OF one kind OF work for another, OF
work in one locality for that contracted for
IN another, of a diminution of work under
contracts when such diminution was practi-
cable. and the work could be dispensed with,
OF additional work considered necessary and
ALI these will fully appear in each
case in tables one % and two ~ ac-
cost OF these notifications is stated In
Detail IN these tables. For some years
past these notifications have been known
In this District under the technical name OF
extensions" which term has been accepted
by contractors and others, and is in com non
use. 1t does not necessarily imply an in
crease OF work, but designstes all moiifica
tions or contract, whether by enlargement
or dininution of the work in the original
letter of tire contract, or change OF kind or
locality. The extension has besu given 10
the original contractor except when It has
been given to some third party by virtue Of
section OF the contracts used by the DO tri
of public works when ii considered the con
tractor as delaying unnecessarily the work
or wilfully violating his contract, to employ
other parties to finish II at the expense OF
the contractor, or by virtue of section . of
said contracts, which obliged the con-
tractor to keep his work in repair for
a limited period, generally three years,
and empowered the board OF public works
upon the contractors failure TO so keep his
work in repair after due notification of its
defective condition to make the repairs at
the expense OF said contractor. and except
also, in the case of the approval by the Com
missioners Of the assignment to other parties
OF his right by the contractor. We know OF
but one case In which parties other than the
contractor have offered To perform contract
a I a less price than the sum named In IL The
Ofer was informal in every respect. The cir
cumstarces attending IL have been fully ex-
planned in the evidences taken before your
committee; It related to a contract for ilth
street east, which had been made with Jas
Walsh, who had assigned il TO William
Hussey. An oral offer was made TO a
former member OF this commission 10
do the work at less rate Than the
terms OF the contract. The Commissioners
had 20 authority to repuciate the existing
contract in favor OF the applicant. 4 propo-
sition IN writing was received for resurfacing
copcfete pavements, at a lower rate than the
p0ce required by the terms of the contra ct
already made for this work But even IL the
Commissioners had not been called upon to
repudiate an existing contract for the pur-
rose OF accepting the offer, the bad character
OF the former work OF the parry making the
offer, and the fact that ne did not control
either one of the two patents acceptable 10
the engineer for the concrete pavement,
would have prevented it's acceptance. We
have recently heard that il Is ciaimei that
one Langcon made us al offer to do for moth
ing the repairs required on the work of
Charles T.. Evans, or the Evans concrete
company. No such offer was made 10 us:
We understand that casual remark about
an offer 10 repair was made by Mr.. Langdon
i'm conversation with the engineer, ard
that he was invited by that officer Ia put IS
o1er IN Writing; with this Mr.. Lansdon did
not comply, bur offered, as we are advised.
soon after in writing to the engineer To 90
the work for pay. He made, however no al
fusion TO any intention TO repair the WORK of
other contractors at his own expense. We
are informed that at the time when IL is