The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-26
HOW MCDONALD MADE IT QUITE CLEAR,

!
based upon the cost of materials and ex-
perience in the business: One and quar-
ter tons of bitumen, at SIS 45, delivered,
S.06S1 per foot; royalty on same, at 25 cents
per ton, $.0031 per foot; cost of laying,
S.Ol5 per loot; preparing roadway, $.0125
per foot; cost of repairs, at $.U03 per year,
$.021 per foot; total, s1197; 5 per cent
commission. $.007; total, $.1267. That
would leave him profit of IA cents
square foot.
Mr.. Walrath, president and manager of
the Santa Cruz Rock Paving Company,
followed in brief and sympathetic adj
dress. He said that Mr.. Mcdonald had
wholly covered the ground. He would
say that he would defy any man to do this
work and do it well for less than IA cents.
Some work on the streets was disgrace,
he said; anybody could see it in many
parts OF the City. 1t was not only the
fault OF the poor work, but it was poor BIZ
luminous rock in most cases.
Then he took long breath, looked away
from the reporters as if in hopes of appear
ing not to intend it, and worked in this
gilt-edged advertisement of his wares.
MY bituminous rock, now" he said, sis
L
that Mr.. Mcdonald is going to purchase
the bituminous rock for this work from
me-"
Great Scott! OF course he is. What is
the use of having bituminous rock COM
bine, dead cinch monopoly, prepared by
oneself, cemented by the Solid Eight of
the Board of Supervisors and clinched by
the Southern Pacific Railroad, if one can't
use ones own rock on ones own job? Is
not the City Street Improvement Com
pany and the Santa Cruz Rock Paving
Company one in this matter? Mr.. Wal
rath forgets-or, no, he does not forget
that alongside of Mr.. Mcdonald in this
business he is a comparatively small fac
tor, although physically Mr.. Mcdonald is
short But this is DEPRESSING.
George Morgan was the next speaker.
He did not announce his name, but said:
"I am a resident of Van Ness avenue. /
want to say that we are all satisfied. Ii
Mr.. Bingham had the contract, or if any
other contractor than the City Street I'M
provement Company or the Santa Cruz
Rock Paving Company had it, the
property-owuers would not have signed"
Mr.. Van Cassell, who also did not give
his name, but who announced himself as
solicitor for Mr.. Mcdonald in securing
the contracts, said the property-owners
were all satisfied.
Of course they were, or they would not
have signed. They recognized this as the
only means of getting the street paved.
Both these gentlemen were very difident
about giving their names for publication
Mr.. Morgan absolutely refused, and his
friends declared they did not know it. But
Mr.. Mcdonald himself finally gave it. He
admitted also that Mr.. Morgan was also
one of his solicitors. So it will be seen
that Mr.. Mcdonald had REINFORCED him.
self for this public answer to THE CALLS
criticism.
Now let US see what was accomplished
by it all. Certainly Mr.. McDonald's per-
sonaI invective against competitor who
is out of the com bine, and therefore largely
out of business, is not in point. 1t de-
creases nobody's street assessments. The
fact that he says Jordan cannot do what
Jordan says he can do land backs his say
with bond) also proves nothing.
But Mr.. Mcdonald figures are more in
teresting. They do prove things; they
prove just what THE CALL has said about
the price at which the Solid Eight of the
Board of Supervisors directed 1.-THE Super
intendent of Streets to enter into a private
contract" with j. w. Mcdonald and Aus
tin Walrath is all very well founded.
They figure out the cost price of doing
this work at 1857 cents. Of this nearly
cents (S.O6sD is for bitumen. Think of it
Seven cents per foot for the price of the
rock alonel How long has it been that
the price was so high2 Since the forma-
ton of this monopoly under the protecting
laws of the Solid Eight of the Board of
Supervisors. A rival contractor who
would not buy Mr.. Walrath's rock says
the whole work can be done for cents.
Added to this is charge for royalty
what that is must be guessed-of 25 cents a
ton.
But here is most interesting point,
which alone is worth the price of the cigars,
in case OF this kind. 1t is the value
which Mr.. Mcdonald places on this "bond
feature Of his contract which requires
him to keep the street in repair for seven
years. 1t is just and one-tenth cents.
Now let US look back, with these data in
hand, to the time of the original bidding
on this contract Here are the original
bids (for a previous contract which have
been heretofore printed in THE CALL:
Warren g. MaIley, for the city's half,
only cents.
Santa Cruz Rock Paving Co. (Austin
Walrath), 10 lie cents.
j. NJ. McCrossan, ii cents.
City Street Improvement Company
u. w. McDonald), Ia 1-2 cents.
1t has been explained how Warren &
Malley were dropped because their bid was
not for the entire job.
Then Austin Walrath, the Santa Cruz
Rock Paving Company, stood next in line
as the lowest bidder, but Supervisor Den
man noticed that the next highest (Mc
Crossan) had this bond feature attached
to keep the street in repair for seven
years-and in his lack of the knowledge
that Mcdonald has kindly placed on file,
he thought this feature made the 14-cent
bid lower than the 10L cent.
Now it seems that that feature is only
worth two and one-tenth cents to Mr.. Nc
Donald. Take the Walrath bid of 10H
cents and add this 81 cents for the bond
and we have 1875 cents. Between 1875 cents
and IA cents there is another clear margin,
one and four-tenths cents,