Vicksburg weekly herald., 1878-04-26

The POOF Eceaomy OfCheaps
sess
New o leans Times.l
New Orleans builders are laboring
under 9 fearful it Of the blues little
work doing and less talked OF, and that
under way, is at absolute starvation
prices. The cheap contract system now
In vogue In this city will be found to
be great detrimsnt to lie permanent
improvement, for no contractor will do
better work than the terms Of his con.
tract will pay for, and Il would be
foolish for an owner Of property to ex.
pect TO build q fine house for the same
amount Of money required to put up an
ordinary job. Contractors are like
most other men, willing to give 8 qOid
pro quo In service for money received,
but have not the self.sacritcing spirit
ofS politician, who is willing to serve
his fellowmen for glory alone besides
being generally men OF small means,
they have no money 10 invest In other
peoples property; therefore when Q
contractor makes bid upon q job, at
about what is required 10 put the matte
rial upon the ground, we know that
some one must suffer, and the owners Of
property, not being experts In the ma.
nipulation Of building material, are apt
10 be the suffering parties. We could
point out several houses put up latterly
on the lowest bi system which knife
blade can be run clear between the
bricks, and where the sap lumber used
10 different portions Of the building ID
already rotting away.
The blame for this work does mol
rest entirely upon the builder, for II Il
utterly impossible that be can do onC
dollars worth Of work for afty cents il
money, but is more directly at thI
door Of the greedy owner who, 10 saw
9 few dollarS for having his plans anG
specifications drawn up by an architect
places them upon the market for com
pe'itlve bids from every jack.leg car
penter and mortAr.slinger to figure on
Having obtained q bid probably one
third less than the architect calculated
the work could be done for, now mari
the result: the contract signed, the Are
work Of the contractor is TO let on
those portions of the work not directl!
within his line; the bricklayer goes t
work upon the foundation, aud inSteat
Of using one barrel of lime to four o
sharp sand, as the specification call
for, and which will lay one THOUSAND
bricks, be will use eight barrels o
loamy sand to the barrel Of lime, whic
will lay 1900 bricks, saving thereb
about 20 per cent. on his mortar, an
by making his Offsets 3 or 4 inches Ia
stead of "a as required, large savln
10 made In bricks; then comes th
carpenter; now the specifications prot
ably call for good merchantable lum
Der throughout. Knowing, hoWeve
that what be receives for both lumbe
and labor will hardly pay for that chal
} acler OF stuff alone, be is compelled b
/ hiS necessity TO use the most inferio
wood wherever 1t can be done an
!; whenever the architects back 10 turnet
aud II Is the same story from fOundt
, ton TO combing, each individual, Il
/ stead OF exercising oil his ingenul
, aud experience In making Q 6n0 job,
. compelled to slight his work wherevC
. It can be done. Another aud moi
4 grievous result is that inlerier worl
, men must be employed 10 ell depar
ments 10 the great detriment Of skille
{ mechanicp), for none OF the bosses vii
be able 10 pay mechanics wages, an
to these men will pay, not what b
/ should, but what he can.
It ls true we have many builders |
/ this city who would rather do nothin
. or turn their attention to other labol
/ than be guilty Of such deception an
. wrong, but such men are not ofte
found among the list Of bidders, an
that answers the question often askeI
. what has become of our old contrac
+. ors whose reliability was to be d.
Q pended on, whose word was the
, bond, aud who constructed thot
4 houses In this city which we know al
4 as thoroughly built and finished {
3 any In the world? They have quietI
3 subsided, or rather have been pushe
!, aside BY clustering fraude, who al
9 only semblsnces of mechanics. II ma
Q be asked, how eau this state of thinI
q be avoided when our best men reiul
/, TO bid? They don't refuse, but do r
i fuse to compete upon jobs which o.
open TO irresponsible parties VIII
having neither means or reputation
! stake, cannot. lose, and may by SUI
:. shifts 81 we have mentioned come o.