The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-02-02
QUESTIONS OF VERAClTY.
The Other Side of the Philadelphia
Public Buildings Wrangle.
ARGUMENTS OF PERKINS AND HILL.
They Prove to Their Own Satisfaction
That tho Work Under Their Super
vision Is n Model of Cheapness and
Durability.

Durability.
HARRISBURG, Feb. 2.-The municipal af-
fairs committee of the senate gave hear
ing yesterday afternoon to President Per-
kins and John l.. Hill, representing the
public buildings commission of Philadel-
phia, in opposition to the Penrose bill pro-
yiding for the abolishment of that COM
mission and the finishing of the city hall
under the supervision of the director of
public works. The gentlemen who ap-
pearSd last Wednesday in favor of the bill,
including the committee of conncls and
representatives of citizens and business
organizations, were also present. The
. hearing was held in the senate chamber
and large crowd of legislators followed
the proceedings with interest MIR. Hill
was the first speaker, He said in part:
.'Great stress has been laid on the auto
cratic powers of the commissioners, and
blame appears to have attached to them
for the possession of those powers
Only two members of the present COM
mission had anything to do with 1t the
time of the passage of the bill, and il the
powers given are autocratic it was not at
the solicitation of any one of the present
commissioners
''The commission, however, has never
availed itself of these powers. b. the
act the commissioners were allowed to
select their own treasurer to audit their
own accounts, deposit the appropriations,
whenever they saw fit, and render state
mcnts to no one.
Such course was, however, rejected
by the commissioners from the start.
ltemized statesments have always accom-
panied the requisition upon councils.
Many Changes Necessary.
'Since the first estimate the new consti-
tuition, then the Bulitt bill then the
Baker bill, necessitated great changes and
large increase in the floor space occupied
by the courts and municipal departments.
In each instance walls had to be taken
down, necessitating considerable increase
in the cost
"The commissioners have been charged
with delay in the prosecution of the work.
In answer to this, will say that no build
ing of anything like the same magnitude
was ever completed so rapidly either in
this or any other country. Had councils
appropriated the amounts required the
public buildings would have been conf
pleted four years ago, as the reauisitions
OF your commissioners up to 1890 amounted
to $50, AIS, 600 which would have been suf-
ficent to finish the work, and less than
SlI0o0,oW has been appropriated alto
gether."
commission with the Tacony Iron Works,
Mr. Hill said:
1.-THE committee on construction of the
tower pursued in this matter the same
course which the commission has adopted
throughout Contracts for the iron work
were from the first entered into with some
of the best firms ofthis and adjacent cities
but of them all the Phonx Iron company,
OF Trenton, gave the most satisfaction, and
their work was done entirely under the
supervision of Mr.. Francis Schuman, who
then was their superintendent.
"When Mr.. Scbuman bought the plant
at Tacony he became a bidder against the
Phenix Iron company for the metal work
of the tower. The plants of both establish
ments We're inspected, and the plant of the
Phoenix Iron company was found entirely
inadequate, and the awarding of the con-
tract to that firm would have required a
far greater outlay on the part of the COM
missoners than was necessary in the case
OF the Tacony Iron works"
President Perkins Comparisons.
Samuel c. Perkins, president of the com
mission, entered into an elaborate defense
OF its transactions, quoting the supreme
courts $ decision to prove the constitutions
ality of its powers and arguing that the
trainers of tlIe Bullitt bill, in preparing the
new city city charter, had considered the
question OF placing the work of erecting
the buildings In the hands of u city de-
paftment, AMI had deliberately decided
against the adyisabilty of such II measure
as evinced by clause excepting the conf
mission in the reorganization of the city
government
During the course of his remarks Mr.
Perkins frequently denied that the COM
mission had refused information to the
rs ct tp stIiI To inf
reports which We're furnished every coun-
cilmen and newspaper.
Mr. Perkins found fault with Mr. ut
ting's comparisons at the last hearing be-
tween the cost of Philadelphia public
buildings and those of other cities, assert
ing that Fitting had not made proper
comparison of their dimensions in cubic
feet. His opponent, however, secured a
copy of the stenographer's report of the
hearing and later confronted the commits
sioner with the figures which he COM
| planned were absent.
Fittings Alleged Misstatements.
The city hall, according to MIR. Perkins,
has Inca, frontage on its four sides, not
counting those facing on the court yard
| inside, of 2, ,520 feet, while the Philadelphia
postoiice, cited by his opponents in com
| parison, has but I25 feet A comparison
of the cost of each building without heat
| ing, lighting or ventilating showed that
the city hall had been erected at a cost of
| 55is cents per cubic foot of contents while
tht postoiiiee building cost 5s cents, the
Richmond public building 6t cents, and
the Baltimore city hall 66 cents. AT the
same time marble had been used on the
Philadelphia city hall at 81 per cubic foot,
| while granite was used on the postofiiee at
| 81 per foot.
Mr.. Perkins could not explain when
questioned later by Mr. Etting why the
total cost per cubic foot of the city hall
should be less than the postoffice, when the
stone it contained cost 81 per foot more.
| Marble, he said, had been used at the re-
| quest of councils, 50 as to afford employ
ment to Philadelphia workmen.
! The advantage of the city hall at fifty
| five cents foot over the postotiice at a
| cost of fifty-eight cents WAS pointed out in
| the shape OF the bronze stataary, marble
| wallis Il finer staircase, and particularly in
wainscotting and furnishing.
There WAS n great deal of cross exanin-
ing by Mr. Etting of the Philadelphia
councils and others, but no new facts were
| developed. Several other gentlemen de-
sired to address the committee, but after a
session of nearly five hours Chairman
| Osborn declared the hearing closed.
| The Weathor.
| rIaar;,,u. ooI,la,,. ,.,;pIa