Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-05-18
Adjourned Meeting of the New What
com City Council
A VERY COMPLICATED AFFAIR
Claims of Contractors and Material Men
Various Views and Opinions OF
Members

An adjourned meeting Of the New
Whatcon city council was held last
evening, Mayor Slade and all the coun-
cilmen except Cosgroye Icing present.
Taylor, Of the building committee,
said that AS the committee had not
held meeting he had no report TO
make.
The contract between Long & Mer-
ritt and the city for the construction Of
the city hail was read by the clerk for
the information Of the council
When lhat clause specifying how
payments were to be made to the CON
tractors aud material men was read,
Taylor asked to have it read over again;
he understood from it that bills certi-
fled by the architect should be paid
without question.
Cooper asked the city attorney if bills
certified by the architect could be
ignored by the city, and the latter re-
piled that he should dislike to say 50.
SteHger remarked that the council
had sat here for five days already, and
the outcome would be that they would
have TO take the architects estimates.
The reading was continued, and
when "a reference 10 "deductioH9n wag
made, Mayor Slade asked Architect
Lee where the deduction arose, and the
architect repiicd-in the change Of site.
Taylor said that the contract speci-
/ fled that there should bc no changes,
except changing the location; he
! thought the architect had the right tu
make the deduction, but the cOntrac-
/ tors did not seem 10 take it that way.
| He thought probably the architects
cut was little too high.
Mayor Slade said they had again
reached the point where they needed q
conference between the contractor, the
city attorney and the council. He took
it that complications were likely tc
arise IN this matter, and "a conference
was necessary in order to come to some
definite understanding; then they
could act upon committees report
aud stand by it. If there was going tt
be a permanent misunderstanding and
litigation they should know it: if "a con
clusion could not be reached, then tho
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action taken.
Taylor thought the only question was
to understand the contract
Cooper agreed with the mayor; he
would prefer to see committee meet
with the contractors aud agree upon u
compromise. 1t was poor scheme foi
a corporation to get into "A law suit
they generally come out at the small
end of the horn.
Cooper then moved that the mayor
appoint "A committee Of three, the
mayor 10 be member Of the com
mittee, TO confer with the contractors
their attorneys, the architect and the
city attorney to try and adjust matters
Taylor opposed the motion; no good
he claimed, would come out Of it; they
/, had tangled enough already, and now
they were getting along well enough
Likins favored the motion; 50 did
|, Roeder, while Arnold thought be un.
derstOod the matter, having no interest
in it, now as well a. he would in q
: week.
On the suggestion Of the mayor tho
motion was laid on the table, and II
f.. Hadiey began presentation Of the
case for the contractors. The discus
sion was still under way when the
HERALD reporter left the council
chamber