The Saint Paul globe., 1896-12-09
THAT GASOLINE BID
DISCUSSED IN THE COMMITTEE OF
THE BOARD OF ALDER
MEN.
THE LACK OF COMPETITION
MAKES AID. DONAHOWER ASK A
NUMBER OF QUESTIONS OF
THOSE INTERESTED.
GASOLINE CHEAPER THAN 1T WAS,
But the City VIII Have to Pay So.
602 More Than Last
Year,

Whether the city Will readVertiSe for
bids for the gasoline lighting contract
or will accept the solitary bid of the
American Development company is as
much a matter of speculation as ever,
notwithstanding that the board Of al
dermen committee on gas deliberated
over the bid for nearly two hours yes
terday afternoon. The committee came
to no conclusion, but adjourned until
4 o'clock this afternoon, when the mem
bers of the assembly committee Will
be invited to confer with the board
committee upon the subject.
The members of the committee pres
ent at yesterdays meeting were Aid.
Shepard, the chairman, and Aldermen
Bigelow apd Donahower. Mr.. Seeger,
the manager of the American Devel-
opment company, and his attorney,
Harris Richardson, were also on hand.
The first question raised was as to
the meaning of the bid. The commit
tee wanted to know whether the first
bid of $1,04A per light per month in
cluded all appliances and service, or
whether the subsequent clause of the
proposal, in which the company offers
to rent the burners to the city for
eight and one-third cents per month
signifed that the total cost per gaso-
line lamp would be $1.13 LIP per month.
Mr.. Seeger informed the committee
that the bid Of $1.04A included the
burners and everything else. The pro-
poSal to rent the burners for eight and
one-thdrd cents was simply part of
the prescribed form of the bid de-
signed to meet the contingency of the
city's prefering to furnish the burners
;-11,1 Lei, t., -
nection that the form of the bid sub
mitted was in accordance with that
drafted by ex-Corporation Attorney
Chamberlain WheQ he held that Office,
for the purpose of avoiding confusion
in the bids.
The committee then computed the
cost per year of gasoline lighting un-
amount to $40224, as against 1882,
the amount of the present contract
The excess is 81, 592.
Aid. Donahower asked Mr.. Seeger if
it was not true that the price of gaso-
line was much lower than it was when
the contract was awarded to Mcclellan
a year ago. Mr.. Seeger admitted that
it was lower, by about half cent a
gallon.
How much can you buy it for noW?"
inquired Aid. Donahewer.
Six and half cents a gallon" re-
pl0O MI O00k0T.
Asked how much gasoline a single
street lamp consumed when in use
every night in the year, Mr.. Seeger
answered:
From eighty to ninety gallons,
which means at least 256,000 gallons a
year"
Mr.. seeger referred to the ffuctua-
ting prices of gasoline, wf1ereupon the
committee wanted to know if he could
not purchase the entire quantity need
ed under a single contract. Mr. Seeger
said 1t was difficult to make a contract
with the Standard Oil company to fur
Ilish gasoline at a uniform price for
specified time, as the price so frequent.
ly changes.
At this stage Mr. Seeger produced
a number of gasoline burners, which
were inspected by the committee. Then
he called the attention of the commit
tee to the fact that while the bid or
the American Development company
was ST. ,592 higher than that of the
present contractor, 1t was considerably
less in all other respects. such as the
price of new posts and lamps and
street signs, and that no charge was
made for moving and resetting the
posts.
Aid. Donahower, after listening to
Mr.. Seeger and Mr.. Richardson ex-
ratiate upon the cheapness Of their
bid remarked:
81 believe in competition. There is
nothing like 1t, I don't believe in this
one bid business"
"How can you expect to get more
than one bid" faeetiously inquired
Aid Bigelow, when these fellows
have bought up ali the property?"
I'VE certainly expected competition
said Mr.. Seeger.
sDo you think the city would re-
ceiye more than one bid, If It sre-adver-
tised ?'s asked Aid. Donahower.
tI couldn't say, exactly rejoined
Mr.. sseeger, .sbut I think it. might. =
The committee then discussed the
adyisahility Of taking Immediate ac-
ton on the bid Aid. DonahOWcr de-
elared that there was no-d8Ibt I'M llIs
mind as to the proper course to pur-
sue. but Aldermen Shepard and Bige-
low were not prepared to say that