The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1891-11-10
.BATCHELDER'S STORY.
He Tells the Investigating Commit
tee About the Contracts.
REASONS FOR CERTAIN THINGS.
Why He Locked Up the Records When
the superintendent was Absent-He
Denied that Reads Figures Were Ever
Made known to Ross-Continued To-
day.

The special committee appointed to in
vestigate the methods Of the City Property
Committee continued the hearing until
4:30 o'clock, when an adjournment was
taken until o'clock this afternoon. Chair
man Batchelder stated that in the matter
of the awarding the contract for the Man
ual Training School, Ross first bid had
been S25,4l5 and Read & Sons $4,000
The committee did not think Read a
proper man to have the contract and Mr.
Ross was talephoned for to come TO the
City Hall Ross was asked what his low
est figure for doing the work would be,
and he said s24 900.
Chairman McGuinness asked il Read az
Sons bid had been intimated. Mr..
Batchelder denied that Reads figures had
been made known 70 Ross. He was asked
why he did not want Read a. Son to have
the contract, and stated that the firm had
some work for the city on the Sixth Police
Station, and 1t was hard to get them to
do it according TO the specifications, and
il took them much longer than it ought
TO. He was asked il the city did not
have bond from Read q Son TO do the
work according to specification, and
said il was not the bond the city wanted
but the building"
Mr.. Batchelder was asked regarding
the contracts for city work and how they
have been executed. He said that they
were drawn up by the Superintendent of
Buildings, under the approval OF the City
Solicitor and signed by him as chairman
of the city property committee, and then
turned over TO the Mayor TO sign. He did
not think it was necessary for Tie whole
committee to see the contracts, as they
knew what the bids were He never read
the contracts through, as they were all the
same. He simply looked TO. see If the
figures were correct and then signed them.
"I understand" :" he said, what the fig
ures are, see that they are all right and
sign the contracts. All Of them are made
out in printed form, which are all alike,
and there is no necessity OF reading it all
through each time don't believe His
Honor the Mayor does"
Eyes. | do, every one OF them," an
swered Mayor Smith.
do the rest of the corpmittee see these
contracts?" asked Mr.. McGuinness.
"No sir: there is no need of their seeing
them They see the bids, and the con-
tracts always correspond with the bids"
In regard to the matter of buying hard
ware the committee on city property had
very little TO do, Mr.. Batchelder said, as
il was generally left with the superin-
tendent of buildings.
Mr.. Batchelder said he had given Mr..
Burton of the city property committee
several jobs for gas and steam piping,
without making n contract simply verbal
contract. Such work was done by the
day. 1t could not he done by contract
without going to the City Council with
it,
Alderman Dyer: "Have you ever given
out such work TO anyone beside Mr..
BurtonY
Eyes sir, to Edwin Winsor and several
others. without drawing up written
contract"
Mr.. Batchelder was questioned as to the
charge made by Alderman Fuller that he
had locked the records of the city property
committee up.
He admitted that he had done so.
BY what authority" asked Chairman
McGuinness.
/ thought had the right to look them
up as chairman of the city property com
mittee, he replied. Alderman Fuller was
prying into the affairs of the committee:
would come i'm and get all the information
that ne could and then go out on the
street and tell everything, He was not at
tending any Of the committee meetings at
this time, but simply came around to see
what he could find out and tell outside.
/ thought under the circumstances that
had right TO put the records under lock
and key.
" Can you prove that / ever went out
side and told anything about the city
property committee that / found at the
office - asked Alderman Fuller.
81 don't know that can prove il, but
am pretty we'll satisfied in my own mind
that you did, was Mr.. Batchelder's re-
tort.
An adjournment was taken at this juno
turc until 2 o'clock this Afternoon.