San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-11-08
ADVERTISEMENT
CONTRACTORS MEETING.
The Special Committee Make Report
Upon E Guenther and @. A.
Reiman.

/ The Special Committee Make a Report
Upon E Guenther and g. A.
Reiman.
| To the Members of the San Antonio Builders
| Exchange:
! Gcntlemen-YOur committee appointed at
! the last regular meeting of the exchange TO
| inquire into the reputed crooked transaction
! between Mr. Il. Guenther, architect, and Mr.
| G. A Reiman, member of our exchange
| growing out of the recent letting OF the CON
| tract for the building of n residence Tor Mr.. f.
| Grce. beg leave To report as follows:
Mr. Reiman endeavOrs 10 set himself Alright
| by publishing the following in the shape OF
denial in the SAN ANTo 10 LIGHT OF OctO-
| Der %:
The following appeared recently in the Ex-
press:
Contractors end builders may be interested
| in knowing that the contract for building
residence in Maverick grove for Mr.. Frank
| Or CO has been let to Mr.. Z. Il. Shields, Mr.
Reman failing to enter into contract on his
| bid Mr.. Guenther, the architect, has been
kicking himself, metaphOrically, because as
| he says, when Reiman failed TO come TO time,
| and the architect opened the envelope SUP
posed to contain RCiman's money or check, as
| a forfeit deposited with the bid. the envelope
aforesaid Was found 40 contain only blank
! paper"
make the following statement in the interest
| and for the benefit OF themselves and the
guidance of the public. hFVe consented 10 90
| mC that IL the building could not he built for
$500, he would build it himself He then said
TO me: GIVE me figure according TO tnat;
and will require no deposit from you ana
VIII allow you TO withdraw at any time you
may wish. " This explains why my bid CON
tanned no forfeit. | would have signed the
| cont act according to nv hid, but not when
MIR Gucnther added 10 ana changed the plans
and specifications, which look at them Will
prove he diI, two distinct hand writings being
seen on tn" papers.
if Mr. Guehther is not sat SIZED with this
short eE posture of the kind of worn going on
in his Office. we cat furnish me public with
great deal more of the same sort "Beriiner
GUS A. REIMAN,
MACMILLAN SUTOR.
Sworn to and subscribed before me this 23rd
day Of October, 1885. ANTON ADAM,
Justice of the Peace and Ex-OficiO Notary
Public, BeXar County.
Your committee have visited Mr.. Guenther,
who after being quite closely questioned by
the members of the committee, gradually ad-
mittCd that he did, upon the occasion referred
to in the printed extract make the statement
to Mr. ReIman, that he, Guenther, would him
self erect the building in question, IN the
event of the bids OVerrunning SI,2GJ, and that
he, NJ. Rciman. might put in his bid without
a for "eiturc. as the specifications were not
avail able when said Reman figured on the
plans alone, and consequently the bid would
not be responsible one-in other words he
would not be held for IL. This transaction Mr..
Guen,her claims was not intended to effect
the fual Did put in by Mr.. Rem IN, inasmuch
as he bad, subsequent to the transaction cited,
obtained plans and accompanying speclnca-
tons to figure over again and that the former
arrangement in regard to the forfeiture did
not count in this. When Mr. Guen-
ther was Intercepted as to his object
in seeking from Mr.. Reiman bid
lacking the clements of genLineness aud in ex-
emptin2 him from deposiCing forfet I, he an,
swercd that he had no particu ar object, ana
being further pressed for reason be made all
sOrIs of evasiYe replies entirely foreign to the
question. Whatever may have been the mo-
4 thnF tn M
the course he did, the bare fact stares you in
the face that he had an object which he sought
TO accomplish and that be chose dark aud
crook ed path to attain the same. That object
undoubtedly existed in his endeavor TO find a
way out of the diema he placed himself IN,
when he led Mr. Grice 10 believe that the resi-
dencc for that gentleman could be built &C.
cordng to his (Guentber's) plans and specitca-
lions for 5000. Upon inquiry Mr.. Guenther
learned that the res deuce in question could
not be built for anything near like the above
amount hence his resort 10 the tactics herein
described.
But the architect tries TO yindicate
himself with the statement that when Mr.
Remun received the plans and specifications
unOn a subsequent occasion this private
arrangement was not renewed; yet, when
asked whether or not the previous private
arran cement had been annulIed on the latter
o ,casIOn, he replied IL had not, for the reason
thai he did not deem it necessary. No lotclii-
gent con, rae, II can for one moment entertain
The belief, that the bid OF q. a. KEENAN, WIN
the accompanying blank check, was sur
prise to Mr.. Guenther; for, did not the latter
gentleman read ADD receive The Did OF the Tor
mer without raising single ObJec-
tionat the time, although said bid was not
in accordance with plans and specifications,
but was made on the basis of several mate
rial changes, involving considerable reduc'
tjOn in actual cost Is it not reasonable to
suppose that the architect was aware OF the
condition of the check when the same was
handed to MIN as a forfeit together with the
bid in question? All the circumstances sur
rounding tbs matter certainly point that way.
Now that tue architect and the contractor
have failed to come to an understanding WIN
regard 10 the price of certain work not in
cluded in The bid, and have found IL much
easier to arrange the det.ils OF bogus bid
than those of the building contract satisfac-
tory TO the prospective owner, the latter gives
vent TO a feeling of Indignation through
medium of a local parag raph in the san AntO-
MO Daily Express, wherein the entire blame
for the result of the aDOve.described tranSac-
ton is fixed upon g. A Reiman alone, when,
in fact, said f. Guenther, the architect, was
the most prominent ytor IN the AFFAIR. lnthe
course OF this investigation we have ascer-
tanned from all reliable sources that Mr.. L.
Guenther has not the remOtest idea of how to
make even an approximate valuation of the
work he maps out in his drawings, and there
fore it happens that in cases like the above
he has TO fall back upon methods that are
both un-businesslike, and dishOnorable, and
subject contractors to mach useless trouble
and loss of time i'm making estimates? Feel
ing confident that we have represented mat
tiers pertaining to the management of the
business IN Mr. GucnIIltf ounce III lnblr true
light and believing that continuance of any
further business relations with said office will
ultimately throw discredit upon every nem-
Der of the Builders Exchange, your commit
tee would recommend that the members of
the San Antonio Builders Exchange from
aud after this day, cease to have any business
connection whatever with said E. Guenther,
or his Office. Your committee Is not in the
least disposed to shield Mr.. Reiman for the
part he took in the transaction. On the con-
trary, we hold that the blind. in the shape of
blank check, and the bogus bid, gave evidence
of downright discourtcsy and lack of fair
ness on the part OF said G.. A. Relman
towards his fellow members The lack
of fairness existed in the deliberate act
of deprjyiug every bddec of all
their labor and tiUe expended in estimating
upon the plans, the bogus bid cectainly had
that effect. Tue blind thcown to tue cOnirac-
tors proved both discou,esy and un a'rness on
the part OF the offender. The cowDiCtee are
OF the opinion that the seal OF condemnation
shou I'd be placed upon The conduct of Mr.. Rel
man in this AGAR and that be be let of this
time with a simple reDrims nd For oil future
cases. however, we would recon mend the
adoption of an amendment 10 our bylaws,
making that aud kindred Offences pun shable
by expulsion from the exchange. respectfully
submitted, c. H CO. TON,
W. s. PLEASANTs,
K. WEDESFELD.
HENRY PAULv,
Committee