The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1892-10-07

bly, complete the work of improving the
lower Columbia and Willamette, and
that improvement will be ont of the way
of others.
The construction of the canal and
locks at the cascades to completion, has
been secured by the adoption for the
work of the contract system. There has
been a great deal of misunderstanding
and Misrepresentation about this system.
1t was adopted by the senate committee
on commerce two years ago for the new
locks upon the Sauft Ste. Marie canal,
Galveston harbor, and Philadelphia and
Baltimore improvements. It was then
considered to some extent experimental,
and the committee did not dare to in
crease the contract works for fear of
defeating the bill. was then promised
by the leading members of the senate
committee on commerce that in
the next river and harbor bill, one
of the Oregon works should be placed
under the contract system. / said to the
people of The Dalles IN public speech
a year ago last July that would in the
next river and harbor appropriation bill
secure such provision for the cascade
locks and hope to induce the senate
committee to treat the cascade canal
and The Dalles improvement as one and
to secure similar provision for the boat
railway. I should have succeeded in
this, and bothsworks would now have
been provided for, and the speedy open
ing of the Columbia assured if it had
not been for Instructions and difficulties
emanating from my own state.
The contract system resulted in secur-
ing a contract for the construction of a
new lock upon the Sault Ste. Marie and
improvement of Hay Lake channel for
more than million dollars less than the
estimate and in a great saving in the
Philadelphia and Baltimore improve
ments. Under such provision contracts
are let for the whole work, the contrac-
tor receiving in due time as a payment
upon the work the appropriation already
made, and receiving his future pay
ments as appropriations are made by
congress. The secretary of war is au-
thorized to incur indebtedness to the
amount of the contract price and the ap-
preparations are thereafter made, not in
the riveriand harbor bill, but in the sum
dry civil appropriation bill, as appropria-
tions are made for all liquidated claims
against the government and will be
made annually.
I have observed that it is supposed by
EIo4 \ 8
curing contract for the completion of
the canal and locks but have no doubt
that there will be bids from every quar-
ter of the Union and contract will be-
secured for price much below the esti-
mates. To help secure responsible
bidder for, price within the estimate of
the cost, the limit of the expenditure, ]
secured in the east the names of all the i
bidders successful and unsuccessful for
the Galveston harl,or, the locks on the
Sault Ste. Marie canal, the Baltimore
canal, the Baltimore and Philadelphia
improvement, and brought them to Maj.
Handbury, and had copies of notices of
the letting of the work upon the cascade
canal mailed to them.
There has been complaint because the
engineers have not proceeded with
the appropriations made in the
last river and harbor bill. / do'not
think the secretary of war had authority
to expend the money for work carried
on under the government engineers.
AS I have said. the appropriation is
made to apply as the first payment on
the contract price of the work. It nee
essarily takes time to effect the change
of the work from the old system to the
contract system. Official communica-
ton between the department and the
local engineers was necessary in order
that the department could be fully in
formed as to the condition of the work
and the local engineer could be fully ad-
vised as to the character and effect of
the new provisions concerning it.
Careful working plans and specifications
forevery part of the work were required
before the work was advertised. Ex-
tensive advertisement of the letting of
the contract was required that contract
ors in all parts of the country might
have an opportunity to bid and reason
able bid secured. But when these nee
essary preliminaries have been attended
to and the contract let, the work win
proceed without delay until completed.
Much that has been recently said in
the press concerning this work has been
Highest of all in Leavening Pow