The San Francisco call., 1895-07-28
Mr.. Mcdonald Confesses the
Price of Rock Has
Gone Up.
TWENTY PER CENT HIGHER.
A Few Instances of Paving Cited
Where the Difference Is Thou
sands of Dollars.

| Board of Supervisors last Thursday by
way of showing that IA cents per square
| foot was not too high price for paving
| Van Ness avenue.
AS previously stated by THE CALL, they
will serve valuable purpose by merely
standing for reference and comparison.
| For instance, take the price of bitumin-
Gus rock.
| A few months ago, when the order Gre
ating the bituminous-rock monopoly, of
which Mr.. Mcdonald is so pronounced a
factor, was up before the Mayor seeking
his appro val, Mr.. Mcdonald made a speech
in its favor, In which he declared that the
price of the rock was $4 25.
Every body not interested in creating the
monopoly declared at this time that the
once this order became a law. Mr.. Nc
| Donald and others interested declared the
contrary.
That was only few months ago, but
Mr.. Mcdonald, careless of the effect of his
| figures and only intent on making another
plausible appearance in public, on sustain
| ing another false position, declares that
the price is now $5 45 per ton. Here, then,
we have in a brief interval of the existence
| of the combine an increase of 81 20 per ton
| on bituminous rock.
| OF course this increase is only i'm
aginary. Nothing has occurred to make
the rock more valuable-only the members
ton to ask all the people will pay. Public
work is no longer put up for bids. These
few tractable contractors do the work,
nobody else is given chance, and, what
ever they fix upon as the figure, it ''goes."
The last work done under the old speci-
fications and for which bids were called
for, was a stretch of four blocks on
| II ,fxvfN r1rth hafr NoctrA oy11
Dolores, which included five crossings.
The City Street Improvement Company
secured that work, being the lowest bid
der. That was before the price of the
rock had gone up to $5 as, and Mr.. Nc
Donald could bid low like the other con-
tractors. His bid was 1879 cents square
foot for paving and 65 cents for curbs. Re-
member, that included all the work
getting the street ready, laying concrete
| foundations and putting down the blum
! inous rock.
| The majority of the Board of Supervisors
at the last meeting directed the Superin-
| tendent of Streets to ''enter into a
| company for doing precisely the same
kind of work-23119 cents for the pave
ment and S5 cents for curbing-a clear in
crease of 5N cents per square foot for the
paving and 20 cents per lineal foot for the
curbing.
In this interesting little bunch of figures
which Mr.. Mcdonald presented to the
| Street Committee he says his profit on the
Van Ness avenue job was 1A cents a
square foot. He said that he was a pros
| porous business man and rejoiced in the
fact He accounts for his success by the
| fact that he knew his business and always
| figured "safe." He accounted IA cents a
| square foot a good, safe margin then.
| That margin must certainly have been in
| cluded inShis Twenty-fourth street bid of
| 1925 cents square foot for paving and 65
cents Gneal foot for curbing.
| When to that is added 51s cents a square
| foot for paving and 20 cents lineal foot
| for curbing-how many safe margins is
that? Come, boys, figure it out for Mr..
that and how many thousand dollars does
| it come to in five long locks of the width
of Twenty-fourth. street?
| All! This is a very expensive luxury
having bituminous-rock monopoly and
street-paving mbine in ones midst
where there is so much street work to be
done. And at a time, too, when there is
such clamor about proposed big tax
levy, insomuch that the School Directors
| must be refused money which they deem
| necessary to carry on the complete work of
the department.; when the Supervisors are
hesitating about providing Chief Crowley
with the new policemen he is demanding;
when the proposed boulevard and other
Improvements are In danger of being post
poned all for lack of money.
A monopoly is an expensive thing at any
time, and when it accomplishes no good,
when it is ornamental not useful, it should
not be allowed to prosper and be Success
ful' at the expense OF the City's best loved
and most necessary institutions, 1t will
not be allowed to do so
Here we have few figures showing the
diffnran in tho cost of Street yyOrlr hatu
the time, some few months ago when Mr..
Mcdonald bought bituminous rock at 81 25
per ton and the combine had not been
formed, and to-day when he figures it in
his estimates at $5 45 per ton and the COM
bine is in full bloom, figuring more than
"safe' and being especially successful"
Under the old regime when it had to bid
for what it got, the City Improvement
Company paved with basalt blocks a
portion of Steuart street at II cents
square foot and IS cents for curbing.
Since the combine was formed the same
company paved the same street betw cen
Fulton and Grove streets at % cents a
increase of cents for paving, and 20 cents
for curbing. No bids were called for-the
Superintendent of Streets was simply
| directed to enter into contract, etc.
Under the old regime of bidding against
| competitors the City Street Improvement
company look contract IOr paving JACK
son street between Steiner and Pierce
with bituminous rock at 1SL cents per
square foot, and 68 cents for curbing.
Since the combine was formed the Super
intendent of Streets was directed to enter
into private contract with the same COM
pany for paving the adjoining block
Steiner street, between Washington and
Jackson-at % cents square foot, and 80
cents for curbing.
Since the new regime the same contract
ors secured another contract for the same
kind of work in the same way for paving
Clay street, from Steiner to Pierce, at 85
cents for curbing and % for paving-an in
crease over the preceding contract, not
withstanding that the character of the
work of preparing the street should have
made it cheaper.
Since the new regime the City Street
Improvement Company got private con-
tract in the same way for paving Vallejo
street, between Octavia and Laguna at 81
cents square foot, and was allowed-this
is essentially the City's part of it-27A
cents foot for paving the crossing at Val
lejo and Laguna.
Under the system of calling for bids
contract was let to the San Francisco Paw
s~- ~. r. II