The San Francisco call., 1896-03-30
bid of James Tuohey of Sacramento to
bituminize the streets fronting on Capitol
Park for $6O, ,399 SO:

DID OF James Iuohey OF sacramento 10
bituminize the streets fronting on Capitol
Park for $50, ,399 So:
The proposition was advanced by the men,
bers of the alleged San Francisco rock COM
bine that the State, owning half of the 'front.'
age, could, with the cooperation of half
of the proper ty-owncrs, take the letting of the
contract from the hands OF the city and award
for $4,000 less than Tuohey's price, that indi-
vidual would be ''frozen out" and prevented
from entering into the business of bituminous
street laying in competition with members OF
the alleged rock combine.
When personally interviewed on the subject
Tuohey said: There is no doubt in my mind
that this combine of San Francisco rock
men will go to great leng tbs to prevent me
getting this contract, as they know that if l
once get q foothold in this class OF work they
will never be able to compete with me again in
Sacramento. Tney have even advanced the
argument that | had no machinery to work
with. That is true, but have plenty of money
with which to purchase it. After the time for
placing bids last Monday had expired l was
approached by one of the members of the COM
bine, who desired to know what my price was.
l told him and then, understand, an attempt
made to have another bid smuggled in.
/ was informed that inferences were made that
an attempt might be made to bribe Mr.. Des-
mond, clerk OF the board, but that gen;leman's
honesty was beyond cayil, and, besides it was
found that any attempt to approach him would
result in prompt bodily injury to the party
making the attempt, SO the scheme had to be
abandoned"
Mr.. Mcdonald denounced as absolutely
false the intimation that there was COM
bination among the dealers and contrac-
tors in bituminous rock. Mr.. Tuohey
could get all the bituminous rock he
wanted at the market price from the Santa
Cruz mines, represented by Mr.. Mcdonald,
or from the San LUIS Obispo mines, repre-
sented by Mr.. Perrine, or from half dozen
other sources.
The facts of the case are, according to
the version of Mr.. Mcdonald, that the
City Trustees of Sacramento and the State
Bureau of Highways neglected to notify
the bidding contractors from San Francisco
of the fact that the State rock-crushing
plant at Folsom woald be in readiness to
deliver rock for the concrete at so cents
per ton delivered in Sacramento. Not be.
ing aware of this highly important fact,
the outside contractors bid on the esti-
mate that the rock for the concrete would
have to be purchased from private sources
at 81 so per ton. This made difference
of $4,000 in the estimate.
James Tuohey, the Sacramento con-
tractor, had the tip on this. and underbid
Mcdonald in the aggregate $2100 on the
thEee contracts advertised. On one of the
contracts aggregating $27 900 he underbid
Mcdonald only 5000 in round mum bers.
On the night on which the bids were
opened, r. G. Irvine, one of the mem bers
of the State Bureau of Highways, an
nounced that the plant at Folsom would
furnish broken rock for the work at so
cents per ton delivered in Sacramento.
! THEN Mr.. Mcdonald and the representa-
tive of n. 2. Perrine, who were the prin-
cipal bidders on the work, saw that they
had been captured by joker.
They protested against this unfair treat
ment, which was designed to cinch the
property-owners and the State out of at
least $4,000, the difference between the
rock on which the San Francisco contrac-
tors hao bid But they were not allowed
| to change their bids, and Tuohey got the
contract.
The work was let under the Vrooman
act, which provides that within ten days
of the letting of contract for street work
the property holders may, upon petition
of three-fourths of the frontage of the pro-
posed work, enter into private contract
with any other person usually one of
their own number) at the same price as
that TO be paid the successful bidder.
Then the person who represents the prop
| erty-owners may sublet it to any one he
pleases at a lower rate. This law was de-
| signed for the protection Of owners OF real