National Republican., 1881-08-31
THE ASPHALT MONOPOLY.
Presentation by BaiIcy a Fletcher OF the
nImcnItIea Rurroundlng Them.

DtFWFuthNet SURROUNDING
The District Commissioners were waited
upon yesterday by Mr.. W. C. Murdoch, represent
ing Mossrs. Fletcher 4 Bailey, with a reply to the
notification recently sent them TO their failure
10 carry out their contract for laying asphaltum
pavements on certain streets. In their reply they
state that in April, 1881, the Engineer Commits.
soner advertised certain streets to be paved and
resurfaced with asphaltum, and portion of the
work was awarded TO them. Amer protractcd
correspondence with c. Hart Smith, president Of
the Baltimore Chemical and Coal. Tar Company Of
the city Of Baltimore, and through him with
Messrs. Campbell Hanney & Co., Of Port Of Spain,
Trinidad, and several other parties in this country
engaged In the business Of importing asphaltum,
they felt assured that they could get sufficient
asphaltum to do the work proposed, and
made bills out at fair and reasonable rates ;
that they were the lowest bidders for The work by
about $4,000 and expected to have the contracts
awarded to them. The Engineer Commissioner
delayed the award for twcnty-three days, and
then only awarded portion Oft the work to them
The result Of the delay In the award wGs that the
opposing bidders were enabled TO go on and pur-
chase oil the asphaltum in the market and obtain
from very able chemist an opinion that such ns.
phaltum as Fletcher & Bailey could procure was
unft for use. This opinion was submitted to the
Engineer Commissioner, and resulted in his con-
demnaiion OF tho nsphnltum in question and
closed their supply from the one place where IL
was certainly obtainable. That the Mcssrs. A. l..
Barber 4 Co. have perfected arrangements with
parties In theisland ofTrindad, by which they con.
i.ol all the asphaltum coming TO the United States
from mat island except such rs was TO be found
outside the lake proper. They had every reason
TO believe that II they secured all the contracts
which called for the use Of asphal.um they could
break up this combination and procure a supply
| from the lake itself In point of mct Mr. Camp
hal ali ,l,.
owners at La Brac to furnish his house with all he
ordered. In addition, Mr.. Meyers had opened a
new deposit close TO the lake and had sent forward
q cargo to New York. lie was on his way back to
the island OF Trinidad. after perfec,ing arrange.
ments in New York city, TO supcrintend the ship.
ment of asphaltum TO this country and to Fletcher
d Bnileys order, when the action of the Engineer
Commissioner condemning his cargo and prohibit
ing any further use Of such asphaltum prevented
any further shipment from that deposit. The
| final award to Fletcher & Bailey of only por.
| ton Of the work, and that award coupled
with extraordinary proviso, placed them in
| the market under suspicion, and the result was
| they were powcrless to break the combination
| against them or to purchase asphaltum in any
| direction. Under such circumstances they were
compelled TO buy the cargo brought to this country
| by,Mr Myers and proceed TO refine II at their own
risk. The result showed the opinion of the New
York chemist TO be utterly false and worthless the
nsrhnltum proving 10 be OF better quality even
than that in use, and they were permitted to use
It, with entire satisfaction to the Engineer Depart
ment, In the execution of their contracts That
| this condition Of affairs, which they are not re-
spOnsiblc for, leaves them at the mercy of A. l..
Barber q Co. unless the Commissioners will aid
them by extending the time to the end of the
fiscal year. This extension Of time would enable
them to do portion Of the work this season, and
during the winter months to procure asphaltum.
either from the island of Cuba or through Mr.
Meyers and others from Trinidad or from the Com
missioners themselves, who have issued an order
to the Engineer Commissioner TO advertise for
fifteen hundred tons of asphalt, which he proposes
TO do this winter. They therefore respectfully ask
that the time for the execution of their contracts
be extended to June 80, 1882 because they believe,
under all the circumstances they are entitled to
such extension That II will be for the best inter
ests Of the District that the scheme of A. L. Barber
4 Co. should be broken up, and the work Of paw
ing tue streets of Washington and suburbs with
asphaltum should be open to competition. They
do not believe that they deserve punishment at
the hands of tn Commissioners for trying TO save
10 the people Of the District the sum of $4,000 for
in no way does the District by their action lose
any money. Had their bids been set aside
the Commissioners would have been compelled TO
pay the advanced price put upon the work
by Messrs Barber and Crawford. As II is they have
completed Rhode Island avenue and N street at
their contract price; have laid two thousand
square yards on Pennsylvania avenue east, and
have asphalt on hand to lay at least four thousand
square yards in addition. Their price for the
work is fnir and honest yielding profit of at least
twenty per cent, and the price of A. L. Barber and
Crawford an exorbiant price. yielding q profit Of
at least forty per cent. that the prices agreed
upon between Barber and Crawford show upon
their face an agreed division OF the work at an ad-
vanced price upon their former price, which could
only be obtained by a combination excluding all
other bidders; and because they honestly believe
that il is the duty OF the Commissioners to protect
the lowest bidder from the schemes OF unscrupul-
Gus opposition and conspiracies TO prevent the ex-
ecution Of contracts taken in good faith by such
bidder, and which, Of course inure to the benefit
of the District itself The Commissioners carefully
considered the paper, but declined to express any
opinion at present as they desired TO refer 1t to
lAn nLAuA Il lln 4. .Ia