The morning times., 1895-11-14

The fact that advertisements have again
been issued, inviting contractors to sub
NIT bids for the appraisers warehouse uD-
der construction in New York city, has
caused serious charges to be made against
the Supervising Architects office OF the
Treasury Department.
The flatrooted allegation is made that
the awarding of contracts has been 1uggled
and manipulated according to the geo
graphical location of iron manufacturers,
those IN the South being given prefer
ence. Behind it all there is said 10 be
a desire 10 encourage enterprises esIab-
lished in strongly Democratic States ra Their
than those in Republican States pledged
10 the doctrine OF protection.
The underlying purpose of discrimination
OF this character is said to be an attempt
to show that manufa curing Industries are
as equally rlourishiDg under the present
tariff law as they were previous Ia the
repeal of The Mckinley act. AS an illpstra
ton of this policy IL is pointed ont that
4 firm in Alabama, manufacturing struct-
ural iron, would stand far better chances
of being given a contract than a similar
firm owning plants in Pennsylvania.
JUGGLING OF CONTRACTS.
In the case of the New York appraisers
warehouse the bids were for structural IRON
work On eight stories, two having been al
ready completed. The bids were opened
and were as follows: New Jersey Steel and
Iron Company, S463,564; EGgemoor Iron
Company, Wilmington Del. s4os, 800 Jack
son Architectural Iron Works, $3.50 900;
Michael GibIin. S43U, 1866, and Post Il
McCord, S4l9, 800.
Michael Giunn had the contract for the
first two stories, but was unuerbidden
by Sill 900 for the new work.
The contract, however, was not let TO
Post Il McCUrd, much 10 their surprise
but all the bidders received notice mat
all the bios had peel rejected and new pro-
posRls would be invited by public adver-
tiseuent. 1t Is asserted that because Post
4 MCCord expressed their intention of pro-
curing their steel in Pittsburg the contract
was not awarded, anu their competitors,
having a knowledge Of their Figures, can
now COME in and underbid them.
1t is asserted that In the Juggling of con.
tracts for geographical location the method
most employed is 10 invite bids, and II the
favorite is not the lowest, then TO reject
the bids and give him another chance.
The new public building at Kansas City
and many other large structures under
construction by the Government and held
up as examples of the way In which bids
are rejected when those by whom they are
made do not meet the approval of the off.
Gals dominating the supervising archi-
tect's office. Mr.. Aiken, of course, is not
held responsible for this condition OF af-
fairs. While having the semblance OF some
he in reality possesses none, So
far as the awarding of contracts is con-
cerned,
ROBBED OF AUTHORITY.
It is said that the reason given by Jere-
miah O'Rourke for his resignation last
spring was that he had been robbed of any
authority in awarding contracts and had
been made 4 simple figurehead in the
Department.
The same reason is assigned for the Diff
ficulty met with in securing his successor.
No first-class architect cared tn accept n
position in which he had no voice in the
execution of contracts.
The statement is freely made that Con-
gress will be asked 10 investigate the
supervising architects office. Charges
OF all kinds are openly preferred and names
given, so that the matter cannot well be
ignored.
In connection with the appraisers ware
house bids, IL is positively asserted that
Giblin, for whose benefit the supervising
architects office seems TO be run, obtains
his steel from the Phoenix Iron Company,
of Philadelphia, and the charge is made
that a former employe of that company,
named Aus, resigned his lucrative posi-
ton there to accept ono at much smaller
salary directly under the the executive
officers of the supervising architect.
SO long as only the contractors made
complaint about the office, the rumors
as to its management were successfully
denied, but now that the big steel COM
panies have been drawn into the muss
it is understood that an investigation
win be pushed, quietly, but effectively,
until some tangible result is obtained,
and the methods of the office scrutinized
by Congressional Investigation.