The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-08-22
TO BID ON THE POSToFFICE.
MIR. LEwMAN GONE TO WASHING
TON FOR THAT PURPOSE.

None of the Local Builders Expected
to Put in Bids-Their Reply 10 the
Criticism on Southern Builders
and Their Bids-Northcrn COntrac-
tors Lose Money on Work Here.
They Say, Because They Bid With
out Understanding Local Condi-
tions-Government Requirements
Objectionable, Too.
Mr.. Lewman of Lewman Bros, who are
now putting the finishing touches to the
Citizens Bank building. is now in Wash
ington, where he went for the purpose of
putting in bid for the superstructure
of the postoffice building. for which bids
have been asked by the supervising arch
itect.
While Lewman Bros. have their head
quarters in kentucky, they have done so
much work in Savannah in recent years
and have spent so much Of their time here
that they are almost regarded as belong
ing to Savannah and the announcement
that they had secured the contract would
be received with general satisfaction. The
firm is accustomed to undertaking large
contracts and the work it has done in
Savannah speaks for itself. The De Soto
Motel. the Independent Presbyterian
church and the new Citizens Bank build
ing were all built by them.
1t is not likely that any other Savannah
builder win put in a bid.
The Washington Dispatch in yester-
days Morning News on the subject Of pub
lie buildings bids, criticising the southern
contractors for their poor success in Sc
curing government contracts, attributing
it to the fact that they do not calculate
closely enough, excited the ire of the Sa-
vannah builders somewhat. a, ssag
One prominent builder who was seen by
a Morning News reporter said: THE con-
tractors at a distance who do the close
figuring on Savannah contracts are liable
to get left. We have the instance of the
contractor who built the basement of the
postoffice building. The verdict of every
builder in the city is that if he escapes
with less than $1,000 loss he will be
Fortunate and If the government enforces
the penalties for delays, his loss will be
much greater. He figured without a
knowledge of the local conditions We
pay more for everything that goes into
a building here than is paid anywhere
else. Lumber costs. more although 1t
would seem that we ought to be able
to buy lumber here cheaper than any
where else in the country. Labor costs
more, and we get less work for our
money. Workmen from other cities are
glad 10 come here at the prices we pay.
They work all right for awhile, but when
they discover that 1t costs sthem more
to live here than it did at home they
drop into the local habits and do as lit
tie work for a days wages as possible.
That is why it is so easy for contract
ors at the north to underbid us. They
bid on what they estimate the price of
labor and materials to be, and when
they get the contracts they US
ually find themselves to come out in
the end with a large net loss. When l
bid on buildings in any neighboring city /
always bid less than l would do the same
work for in Savannah. have found by
experience that 1 can do the same job
cheaper in Augusta, Columbia or any
neighboring city than in Savannah. The
young man who wrote that article from
Washington imagines himself very bright,
no doubt, but If he were to take a govern
ment contract down here he would lea-D
something by experience. had thought
of putting in a bid for the superstructure,
but 1 do not feel that it is worth while
to go to the trouble and expense of sub
hitting a bid according to specifications
and having my certified check tied up in
Washington for two months just to be
undenbid by some fellow who is unac-
quainted with the conditions here"
Another well-known contractor gave en-
tirely different reasons as to why he did
not make a bid. He differed with the
other contractor as to the
greater cost of labor and material here as
compared with other cities. Br
II don't bid on the government work."
he said because the government wants
to know too BANKED much about my bust
ness. / don't care to have to report the
exact cost CT every bit of material that
goes into building, where 1t was manu-
featured, and who manufactured it, and
everything else about it. That's nobody's
business, but my own. am willing to take
a contract and work accordingly to specif-
cations and when l do that 1 think it is
sufficient. What business is 1t of the gov
ernment's what / pay for my labor or my
material so long as the work is done ac-
cording to contract. Another thing is that
1 don't care to go down on my knees and
ask somebody to sign my bond which I
would have to If 1 got a contract. There
are other drawbacks but these are the
principal reasons why do not bid on gov
eminent work"