The herald., 1896-02-24
II Will BE- 4 HQ1 DAY.
The City Council Will Hold an
Interesting Session
THE MAIN STREET PAVING
A Hard Fight Against John r. Long and
Associates
Today-Aiissed Scrap Among Material
Msn-Ths Water Ordinance

Today-Ailsged Scrap Among Material
Msn-Ths Water 0rdlnsnes
The meeting of the city council toda,
will be one of the most important session.
held within q year. The recommendation
made by President Teed and Chairman
Munson Of the board of public works oI
Friday last, favoring the awarding of th'
contract for tho paving of Main street
of fiery contest is expected before tn,
subject shall have been finally disposed of
The majority of the property owners
upon the street are in favor of accepting
the tender to do the work made by John 7
Long and those who represent him as finan
cial hackers in his proposed enterprise.
Longs bid is the lowest of the two opened
just two weeks ago today, and it is stated
by City Engineer Compton, to be within
the estimates made by him for the job, to
leave fair profit only for those who may
be awarded the work. The award would
have been made to Long and his asso-
ciates last Monday had it not been for a
desperate fight which has been and which
it is said is still being made beneath the
surface against Long by certain material
men.
These latter are claimed to be of q vary
ing character, representing various con-
f1ictiug interests. Those interested with
Long claim that had they permitted them
selves to be drawn into making sub-con-
tracts in advance, disadvantageous for
several reasons to themselves, they would
hou hnH th0 soh OF enlr
and that having declined SO to do. the
awarding of the big contract to themselves
has been hung up by the council. Both
President Teed and Councilman Munson
say that with the material fight alleged to
exist beneath the surface they have not
had, could not have anything to do. In
their opinion the Long bid 10 q reasonable
one and should be accepted. and they be-
lieve that their associates will look upon
the matter in o similar light and will back
them up in their recommendation by today
awarding the contract to Long and his
syndicate, as they have formally suggested.
"A VIGOROUS STATEMENT
The Long bid is, on the other hand,
viewed in an entirely different light by
some Of the largest of the property owners
interested. The HERALD has been re-
quested by one of these gentlemen to print
the following communication:
1t is evident that the recent bids received
by the city council for the paving of Main
street are very satisfactory to the bidders.
if not so to the honorable body who have
the bids under consideration.
A review of all the facts connected with
the efforts to let the paving of this street
will produce the conviction that there is q
combination on the part of certain con-
tractors to 80 juggle the bidding as to bleed
the owners of frontage on Main street to
fl,a, Eo11 he Il
vertisement of bids for this work. the Union
Paving company put in the lowest bid,
which was about 19ls cents per square
foot. This bid was admittedly low one,
and the bidders, taking advantage of
threatened injunction, refused to enter
into the contract.
The latest attempt on the part of the
council to let this work brings forth two
bids. both defective, inaslnuch - one was
not siRned by the bidder and the other was
not accompanied by sufficient bond.
These bids when considered together, and
also in connection with the bid herein
before referred to of the Union Paving
of the Main-stree. properly owners q sus-
picion that they are being done.
The recent bids are, in total cost of work
bid upon, almost identical, one with the
other. The Union Paving company. that
put in the low bid of 1917 cents per square
foot, and refused to close the contract at
that price, does not now appear as q bid:
der, but Messrs. French q Reed, we'll
known as the principal stockholders of
said company, come forward with bid
which is just trifle higher than the figures
of Mr.. LoIje, the other bidder. The recent
bids are 40 per cent higher than the sue
cessful bid Of the Union. Paving company,
made less than year ago.
The amount of paving to be done is about
E00 00N aul1a foQf vvhich at the T1nion
Paving company's bid of last summer
would cost the Main street people little
less than 100000. At the present lowest
bid the cost would be over $4,000, a diff
ference in favor of the present would-be
contractors of over $4,000 more than
the Union Paving company said they were
willing to do it for last year.
Why this difference? A year ago labor
was not lower, nor more plentiful, than
now. Sand, gravel, cement, etc., can be
had at as low prices now as then. And it
is claimed that asphaltum, which forms a
large part of the material to be used, can
be had at rate per ton that is 40 per cent
less than the prices that obtained year
ago. tits also said that the specifications
for said work were gotten up with the rs.
sistance of parties nos unmindfui of the
source from which this latter article should
be obtained, and that said specifications
do not admit of the use of Los Angeles
dspudltuI0s NOTWITHSTANDING Tue 1aCt
that the home article .is pronounced
by chemists to be the purest on the
market, and that some of the best paving
in the city has been laid with it.
If this be true. IL is we'll that the council
should consider before letting this large
contract and saddling on the property own
ers an immense expense, which may possi-
bly, be greatly reduced if proper steps be
taken to break the combination and force
competition between the contractors.
Another consideration with me is home
industry. The Los Angeles asphaltum has
been sold to and used by private parties
in this city and in the east and pronounced
entirely satisfactory for every purpose for
which asphaltum is used. Why should it
be Disseminated against by the city in
which it is produced, to the great diead-
vantage of large number of taxpayers,
and for the benefit OF outside manufactur-
ers?
1t is the duty of the council to make
haste slowly in this matter. A delay of
few months has increased the price at
which the paving contractors offer to do
work $4,000. IF the original bid of the
Union Paving company was low, 1t is evil
dent that the present offers are correspond
ingly high. And while the council should
see to it that the hest of material is used
and the work be done in a proper manner