The herald., 1896-08-21
LONG AND HIS CONTRACT
Will Come Before. the
Council Today
4 SPECIAL SESSION IS CALLED
To Consider the Main Street
Paving Improvement
THE MATTER IN BAD SHAPE
But II Is lust Possible That Something
Can Be Done
THE MATTER IN BAD SHAPE
But II Is lust Possible That Something
Can Be Done
There Is Ample Margin on Which the Con-
tractors Can Work
Said to BE Forty Thousand Dollars In the
Job, Which Permits Considerable
Latitude Being Exercised.
City Hall Notes

The Main street paving matter be-
comes more complicated every day.
Despite the fSct that the city council at
its meeting Monday had declared the
contract forfeited, the contractors
started in Wednesday afternoon plow
ing up the street, between Ninth and
Tenth streets, and continued until they
were stopped by an injunction yester-
day. AS stated in The Herald yester-
day morning, the council will hold a
special session today to further consider
the matter.
Just what can be done now is a mat
ter of conjecture, and in the meantime
the indignation among the property
owners is rising every moment The
rainy season is approaching. and every
days delay now is serious, as if the
street is not put back in proper condi-
tion it will be practically impossible
and much damage will result to those
doing business on the street to say moth
ing of the Inconvenience to residents.
But this is not all. The contractors have
put in several thousand dollars in work
on the street, in laying curb and also
in eXcavating, and they will not give
this up without a struggle. Nor can
the work be readvertised and let, for
no contractor would bid on 1t, with the
uncertainty existing as to the validity
of the bonds and the certainty of law
suit to defend themselves against the
present contractors But there is still
another complication. There was much
opposition to the awarding of the con-
tract to Long in the first place, and tine
feeling of hostility has been greatly in
tensfied by his dilatoriness, and the
consequent annoyance and inconven-
ience. For this reason, even If the
council should reconsider its action, and
there is so far not the slightest reason
TO believe that they will it is more than
probable that the contractor will have
to fight in the courts on the greater
number of his assessments, as they
never will be paid without a contest,
and good lawyers say they would
not want any better thing than to
take these cases into court Thus it will
be seen that not only are the property
owners in a bad way. but the contrac
tors are equally involved, and it will
require considerable diplomacy to bring
them together on a practical basis.
But this is not beyond the range of
possibilities. II is stated on good author
1ty tnat the contractors du1nlt tnem-
selves that there is $4,000 profit in the
contract The contract was awarded
at 2S cents per foot. when 1t costs but
IS cents to do the work, and Mr.. Brod
rick of the Main street railroad, has
stated that his company expects to get
it's paving done on the street at about
% cents. Thus it will be seen that there
is a considerable margin on which to
work The contractors can afford to
make concessions, and the property
owners will probably be only too glad
to meet them half way in order to get
the work done, so that in the end some
thing may yet be done. Twenty thou
sand dollars profit these hard times is
considered pretty good business, so
that it is not altogether impossible for
something to result.
Street Superintendent Howard, when
asked about the matter yesterday, said
that he had taken no action toward stop
ping the contractors, for the reason that
he had received no official notification
of the forfeiture of the contract. EIe had
of course seen the reports published in
the newspapers, but he had received
nothing official from the city clerk. He
was prepared to carry out any instruc-
tions that the council might see fit to
give.
The action of the council this morning
will be awaited with much interest.