New-York tribune., 1883-12-11
THE CORPORATION CoUNsEHs VIEWS.


NOT PREPARED WITH A REMEDY FOR EXISTING
EVILS.
Corporation Counsel Andrews, when asked yester-
day for his opinion concerning the frauds exposed in
THE TRIBUNE, said: "The city would not have a
valid defence TO actions brought by contractors be-
cause of the facts set forth in THE TRIBUNE. If
you want to do away with that state Of facts you
must make unbalanced bids illegal. The heads of
departments have right to reject such bids They
are entirely legal"
"Do not the heads of departments have the right
TO reject bids which they believe TO be improper,
and would not bid which offered one cent cubic
yard for rock and several dollars for earth
ton be clearly improper its facet" the reporter
asked.
"The heads of the departments had no such pow
er of rejection until last April" Mr.. Andrews
swered "The law said absolutely that the con-
tract must be given 10 the lowest bidder. COnse-
quently, even where there was reason TO suspect
colusiOn or some other irregularity IL it could not
be proven there was nothing to do bnt TO award
the contract as tho law directed. II frequently
happened that the lowest bid would be much
higher than the Commissioners thought the work
should be done for, but the Corporation Counsel
was compelled to advise them that they could not
reject it. To meet this proposed and carried
through the Legislature law giving to the heads
of departments the discretion to reject any and oil
bids even tho lowest. This has been the law
since last April"
SURVEYORS MISTAKES AND CONTRACTORS sUPE-
RIoR KNOWLEDGE.
But unbalanced bids have never been forbidden
by statute" continued Mr.. Andrews. do not be-
lieve they of frequent occurrence. Most Of the
bids are Of the ordinary character When an un-
balanced bid does turn mp and there Is no evidence
t.. - L. 81
Sometimes the surveyors make mistakes, of course,
and where the contractors have better knowledge
of the condition Of tho soil to be- excavateh than
the surveyors estimates show, they may put in un-
balanced bids 10 their own advantage and tho
city's loss. The surveyors should have made trueT
estimates, but that they make mistakes is not
sufficient reason 10 defeat the claims Of the con
tractors. Nor should the heads Of departments be
held responsible for all the errors of subordnaes
They cannot personally attend TO everything.
THE TRIBUNE mistaken in its estimate of the
amount lost to the city by the vacation of assess
ments on the ground Of unbalanced bids. The most
of the vacations or reductions by the courts have
been either where the work was done by days
labor, and so has cost much more than II should have
DONE or for some technical reasons. The number of
cases of unbalanced bids founding basis for
tiOn is very small IL rs true that reductions in the
assessments may have been made by the Assess
ment Commission where the cost made exces-
sive by unba lanced bids but | remember no such
cases before the courts. do not know Of any law
forbddng the letting of State contracts by the sys-
TEN of unbalanced bids; at ali events there is none
passed. and donot know of any serious objection
to it,
TRYING TO EXCUSE THE SURVEYORS.
Gould not the contract be given out in lump ~
"Yes but contractors would not bid on such
proposals. They would not take the risk. There
might prove to be so much more rock than they had
estimated that they would be ruined by their con-
tracts. II is often impossible to tell before the ex-
cavating begun what the character Of the soil be-
meath is TO prove.
with regard TO my letter to President Reilly, Of
the Board Of Aldermen, asking for appropriation
of $75, 900 10 complete work unfinished by the con-
tractors, that referred to work old contracts.
was O case where the city, by expending cOmpara-
lively small sum in completing the work left un-
done by the contractors could to its treasury
much larger sum In interest. Therefore recon-
mended II. The same thing is likely TO happen
again under the present system Of payment !: but
how correct the evil and Just what method
should be adopted is more serious question than
am prepared TO answer"