The Portland daily press., 1883-09-19
ARCHITECT HILL.
Report of the ommittee- They Find Err
rors in Judgment, bur No Dishonest
Act.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 1S.-The report of the
commission appointed by Secretary Folger to
investigate the methods and management of
the Supervisor Architect is distinctly unfavor-
able to Mr.. Hill, charging him substantially
with loose management and partiality. While
it does not discover any deliberate act OF dis
honesty, it is not such report as the friends
of Mr.. Hill would have made, and it is re-
port which might be expected to lead to the
resignation OF a sensitive officer who felt that
he ought to be serving the government COM
petently as well as honestly.
In the Cincinnati fire-proof shutter contro-
versy, between the United States Shutter
Company and Manley, Cooper & Co., the COM
mittee finds that there was an apparent deter
mination on the part Of the supervising
architect not to allow free competition, but TO
give the contract to the United States Shutter
Company, although Manley, Cooper q Co.
offered to do the work for less sum. The
committee concludes that he not only did not
do all he could to save $4,000 to the govern
ment, but that he did not intend that Manley,
Cooper & Co. should have the contract. AS
to the contract for fre-proof vaults and safes,
the committee finds that bids have been in
vited by advertisement only once since 1875;
that during the last eight years Geo. l.. Damon,
who is also an officer of the United States
Shutter Company, has held the contract for
furnishing all the safes and building all the
vaults required for public buildings, and dur
ing that period he has been paid $3.50 900.
While it is not shown that good work and ma
terial have not been furnished at fair prices,
the committee finds that proposals should have
been advertised for each year, In order to allow
competition. In regard to elevators for public
buildings the committee find that sin ce May,
1879, no competition has been invited or al
lowed, as the law requires in this respect, the
l. II 4
trary to law and has been guilty OF official der
ELECTION. AS to the charge that Mr.. Hill cor
ruptly favored contractors who furnished slate
roof fasteners Of a certain pattern, the commit
tee find that he acted for the best interests of
the government. After a careful analysis and
review of the testimony relating to the charge
that the supervising architect acted improper
ly in approving certain extra bills for iron
work on the New York post office, the COM
mittee say he should have given greater con-
sideration to the reports of Mr.. Steinmetz re-
lating to that subject inasmuch as the circum-
stances of the case were such as to prov oke the
most careful scrutiny. Nevertheless, the COM
mittee express the opinion that the allowances
made by Mr.. Hill were substantially correct
and just
The Commission conclude that the Supervis-
ing Architect has been guilty of official favor
itism, that the business of his office has not
been conducted with care and impartiality,
that the work has outgrewn the system under
WnlCu III - COuuuCtous tud1 tuC uloCAObAOudIy
power confded to the officer is too large to be
given to one man, and that board of public
works, similer to the lighthouse board, should
be created to take the place of the Supervising
Architect, leaving to that officer only the du-
ties which properly belong to his office.
Secretary Folger to-day sent copy OF the re-
port to Mr.. Hill, who expresses surprise at
some OF the points made by the committee, and
plainly says in regard to the tire-proof shutter
contract awarded by him, that he knows more
ahont Hro- ehn 70 than the
and that his action was proper. Mr.. Hill de-
tends his method of purchasing vault safes and
locks without yearly advertisement, by saying
that he followed the practice OF the depart
ment in purchasing at rates lower than he
could hope to obtain under any new contract
1t is his opinion that the prospect of an in
crease in rates for these articles under recent
advertisements, ought to relieve him from the
charge OF favoritism to Mr.. Damon, made by the
commission. AS to the appointment OF Newton to
be Inspector of the Chicago heating apparatus,
Mr.. Hill says that the alleged discrepancies
discovered as the result are of miner import
snce and in private work receive no considera-
tion whatever. In regard to the bills of Bart
lett, Robbins & Co., for extra iron work on the
New York Post Office, in which large frauds
are charged, the statement of the commission
thatMr. Hill should have applied to Mr. Steins
metz for information, seems to Mr. Hill with
out point, as the commission find that the bill
as allowed was substantially correct Mr..
Hill dissents from the finding of the COM
mittee that he was derelict in not advertising
for elevators. public safety" said he, "re-
quires the selection of the best in the market.
To obtain proposals from all manufacturers,
while intending to buy those of particular
make, would have been farce. Besides,
don't believe the law requires me to advertise
for elevators" The Commissions finding
upon the employment of an engineer to make
plans for heating apparatus for Philadelp phia,
Chicago, Cincinnati, and st. Louis seems to
Mr.. Hill to be utterly absurd. The recon-
mendation for competition among architects
for furnishing plans for public buildings is
something, Mr.. Hill says, he has always advo-
Gated. and did SO officially in his annual report
for 1876.