The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-03-13

Il hOVD DIN " 4lOlJ.
Following is the text of n bill recently
introduced into the Legislature by Hon.
J. h. Miles, of Tioga county:
An Act requiring county commission
ers To advertise for proposals for certain
public work and supplies and TO award
the contracts To the lowest bidders.
SECTION I. BE II enacted by the Senate
ard HOhSc Of Representatives. Of the tDD,-
In0Brediih of Pennsylvania iH General
4 dSSesabfy met dHd II iS hereby el,actcd JH
The authority Of The sdBle, That the coun-
ty commissioners of the several counties
in this Commonwealth before making
any contract in an amount exceeding the
sum of one hundred dollars for the cree
tion of any new building or buildings,
bridge or bridges or for any alteration
OF or addition thereto or for such cloth
ing food and articles and materials of la
Dor and manufacture rs they are requIr-
ed by law to provide for county jiils or
for the office furniture books and station
cry required for the following county of
ficers whose offices are located in the
county buildings at the county seat
namely prothonotary clerks of the sever
al courts register of wills recorder OF
deeds county commissioners and treas
urer or for fuel and light shall by public
advertisement printed i'll not less than
two weekly newspapers of the county If
so many bo published therein where the
contract is 10 be awarded for not less than
four weeks one of which shall be pub
liShed IN the county town invite sealed
proposals for The same according 10 spec
ifications which shall be written Orprint-
ed in Il book 10 be kept by the commits
sioners for that purpose and Kept open
for the inspection of all persons for at
least four weeks before the time appoint
ed by said advertisement for the opening
of said sealed proposals and which nj the
time fixed shall be publicly opened and
the contract awarded 10 the lowest bidder
or bidders who shall within ten days
thereafter give security to said commits
sioners for the faithful performance OF
said contract according to said specilicst-
tons Provided That no contract shall be
awarded by county commissioners until
the same with the suretics for its faithful I
performance shall be approved by one of
the judges of the court of common pleas
of the proper county.
SECTION > That any violation of the
first section of this Act by said commits
sioners shall be deemed misdemeanor
and upon conviction thereof said COM
missiOncTs shall be sentenced to pay Il
fine not exceeding two thousand dollars. Z
SECTION 3. That in the case of bridges
the specifications may be for iron stone or
wood all or either of them and at the
time of opening said proposals the COM
missiOneTs may elect which kind OF I
structure said bridge shall be and then
award the contract i'm accordance with
the provisions of the first section of this
Act.
SECTION 4. That in the event of the de-
struction 10y fire food or otherwise of Il
bride or bridges on any important thor
oughfare or where delay in rebuilding
Will bc of serious Inconvenience 10 trade
and travel the commissioners may re-
duce the time of advertisement for sealed
proposals rs also the time the specitic1-
tions shall bc open u inspection on the
books of the commissioners To two weeks. /
SECTION ,. That all acts or parts of
acts inconsistent herewith or that are
supplied by this act be and the same arc
hereby repealed.
The above is a much needed piece Of
legislation aud we hope to see it become
law before the present Legislature adj
journs.
The following from Fridays Pittshurg
Dispatch is pertinent in this connection:
'Blair county's auditors having caught
some Of the prevailing desire for investi- !
CATION have started quiet little inquiry
that has already produced results. Wit
nesSes have been examined who admit /
securing contracts in extraordinary ways.
They have paid no attention To any adj /
vcrtising for bids. One contractor testi- J
fed he gave the county commissioners /
carte blanche - prepare a bid in his I
name AT their own figures and while they F.
were writing up his bids he went ont and /
engaged boarding places for his work !
men several weeks in advance of the let |
ting of the contracts. He neglected 10 /
divulge the reason why he had such inn |
plicit confidence in the commissioners,
however.
No doubt when the county officials are I
called to testify they will be innocent of (
any intention of wrong. Either they are I
able to make better terms by Il private |
contract, or they were shielding them
selves from the bids OF irresponsible con- /
tractors that would be sure 10 pour in as I
a result of any public advertisement. !
They were protecting the public against |
having bad bridges built 10y contractors /
who could give no better assurance Of /
good work than bond with sureties who 1
might get into financial difficulties after 4
signing the bond.
In case any harsh court shall hold the /
law TO mean what it says they will nave 4
bill introduced to repeal the law. That is
the accepted procedure in such eases. |
There are 80 many people prepared To /
put in bids. secured by bond, in answer
To public advertisements that the only |
way officials can protec; the public from
loss is to make secret contracts with 4
friends whom they know 10 be honest, -
honest they disdain 10 give bonds. OF
course, 4 contractor who ASSUMES his own
risks instead of having bondsmcn 10 help
him out in c;tse he gets in too deep must
have some extra compensation. lie can
not afford 20 bid 50 closely as others. Il
Is the same way with depositors. Those
which take the sole risk upon themselves
of losing the public funds cannot afford
to pay interest. This theory of public
business il not only logical but seems to
be supported by almos. universal official
practice. There are exceptions, bnt they
only prove the rule. Even these few eN-
ceptions might disappear if it were not
for the interference of meddlcsone in
vestigators and kicllers acting upon the
erroneous idea that laws are made to be
obeyed, that contracts should be open TO
competition or that the public ought TO
know how its own business is being con-
Quoted"
4 Blow al the Lotteries.
Assistant Attorney-General Thomas,
for the p0St-o;lice department, has given