Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-09-19
ARCHITECT HILL.
The Report Of the Investigating Com
mittee Not So Favorable rs That
Gentleman
Would Like to Have Had the Public
Believe-MahOne's Attempt at
Blackmail.

|
Secretary of the Treasury to investigate
the charges against Supervising Architect
Hill was gi Ten out for publication to-day.
The findings OF the committee are the
same as those heretofore published, and
| are very severe on Hill, and his resigna-
ton is freely talked Of
The synopsis of the report sent to some
of the leading papers last night was fur
| nished by Supervising Architect Hill, and
as will be seen from the following findings
of the committee, in various cases was
somewhat imperfect. The report says as to
| the charge of the Manly & Cooper Com
pany, that after advertising for proposals
| for making and furnishing shutters for the
| public building at Cincinnati, the Super
| vising Architect refused to let the contract
| for this work to the lowest bidder. The
committee finds that there is no obliga-
| ton upon any officer OF the government to
| award contracts 10 the lowest bidders, but
| they express the opinion that it would
| have been better and in the interest of the
| government if the Manly & Cooper Com
pany had been allowed all the time asked
| for making their best shutter. The firm
| being responsible and in good standing,
| and the lowest bidders by over $1,000,
| every opportunity should have been
| accorded. it. The government might
profit by the large difference between its
| bid and that of the United States Fire
proof Shutter Company. The committee
| finds that such opportunity was not ac-
| corded it, and that there was an apparent
determination not to extend them time,
| although good and sufficient reasons were
assigned for the request. The refusal to
| make the test, the haste with which the
award was made after the refusal to make
the test and the further fact that the success
| ful bidders had been furnishing the gov
ernment all the work in this line for seve-
raj years, compel the committee to believe
that the Supervising Architect did not,
| although he might have saved this $1,000,
not intend that the Manly & Cooper COM
pany should have the contract if he could
avoid it.
With respect to the work on vaults,
safes and locks for public buildings. the
| committee expresses the opinion that Tor
I all such work proposals should have been
| invited by public advertisement at least
once year, and it says that i'll giving
| orders continuously for term OF years to
any one firm corporation for any class
OF work or material without an oppor-
| tunity for competition by the invitation OF
| public proposals, is not in accordance with
| the law, which requires that such pur-
| chases shall be after advertisement, but is
| in direct conflict with the letter and spirit
OF the law.
With regard to the purchase of ele-
vators Of one particular make exclusively,
and without advertisement, the committee
| says that such purchases were and are
| contrary to law, and that proposals should
| be invited by public advertisement, as
provided by the statute allowing compe-
tition and enabling the government to
| purchase upon better terms than by pri-
vate contract and obtain the benefit of all
| improvements, and that failing in this the
| Prchitect was derelict.
In the matter OF the Chicago heating
apparatus, the committee says that in the
| absence of skilled workmen in the Super
| vising Architects office, it was necessary
to have the plans and specifications drawn
by outside parties, but the price paid,
| which was very generous, should have
been fixed by proposals from other firms
equally competent, not only in this case
but for the st. Louis, Philadelphia and
| Cincinnati buildings. The committee also
/ finds that the appointment of Newton to
! inspect the material furnished was clearly
not in accord with official proprieties, as
the Supervising Architect knew that he
was an employe of Bartlett, Robbins d
! Co., and that his only duty was to inspect
material to be furnished by that firm, and
that in the absence of reports from New
ton as to wherein the work did not com
! ply with the specifications, coupled with
| the knowledge that he was an employe of
the contractors, the committee is not sur
| prised that the impression should be OBJ
tained and the charge made that Newton's
| appointment was part of Il scheme to ena-
| BILE contractors to furnish material inferior
in quality to that called for in the speciti-
cations.
The committee Said it seemed clear to it
| that Hill was disposed to favor Geo. l..
| Damon II HaNWnri MI hat Ia
| actions in the matter in which these men
were concerned have the appearance of
| serving his friends as much as the govern
ment whose interests lie is representing.
1t finds that during the past seven years
| Hayward's friends have done the lions
| share of the repair work on heating appa-
ratus, secured without competition, and
that the appointment of Newton is an il
lustration of Hills good will toward this
firm. 1t says: "Such official fayoritism is
so manifest In the conduct of the Super
| vising Architects office as TO give some
| cclor to the truth OF the statement made
by Mr. Coleman in his argument, that in
| everything that goes to make up dwell
| ing Hill has some one person, or some one
| firm, with whom he deals 70 the exclusion
| everybody else" The committee does not
believe that this is necessarily an evidence
of corruption on the part of the Superyis-
|
ness of the office has not been conducted
with that care and economical impartiality
which it should be. "Your committee does
not hesitate to say that the press of the
country will justly TEEN with criticisms
unfavorable to any offices in the govern
ment conducted on such principles as
have been pointed out in these cases.
The report closes with a showing of the
great extent of the business in the Archi.
teCt's Office ana tEG Architects discretion
airy powers, and tho recommendation of
the appointment OF board similar in
character to the Lighthouse Board for the
exchange of all administrative duties re-
lating to the selection of sites and the
| construction OF public buildinrs.