The record-union., 1896-03-31
Fastern business Offices.
Weather Forecast.
thern California-Fair; colder; high
erly winds.
A LUDICRoUs AFFAIR.

A LUDICROUS AFFAIR.
Some of the San Francisco contractors
who lost in the bidding for improvement
of streets around Capitol Park in this
city, have rushed into print to explain,
and the explanation is little the rich
est thing out They say in the San
Francisco papers and through press dis
patches to the Record Union" that
their bids were based upon the assump-
tion that they would have to pay from
81 so upward for broken stone for the
grouting for the substructure. They
seem to have no knowledge Of what it
was that knocked the price of broken
stone down to 81 80 from So, though
nearly everybody else remembers that
it took that fall soon after the bill for
the establishment of the State plant
passed. When they came up to hear
the awarding Of the contract, to
their ''astonishment'' they "dis.
covered that the State has
it is ready to furnish the necessary
broken stone for use on streets and
highways at about one-third the old
cost
According to a dispatch from San
Francisco, which appeared in the "Rec-
ord-Union' yesterday, there was then
set up the plea of want of knowledge,
and whine that the bidding should
therefore be reopened to permit the San
Francisco contingent to "get in" Forti-
flying this appeal was the statement
that some of the contra ctors who wanted
to bid, some of the big Companies"
did not know that the rock could be
had from Folsom. This is supplemented
by the charge that the Sacramento
Trustees and the State Bureau Of High
ways did not notify the San Francisco
contractors that rock could be procured
from Folsom.
Here is freshness, indeed. Have these
contractors been asleep? 1t has been
published time and again in the Sacra-
mento and San Francisco press that the
State plant would be ready to deliver
rock in April; it has been printed in
nearly every newspaper in the State
what the price would be, and what the
freight charges. Indeed, this latter fact
was published broadcast nearly year
ago, at the time the agreement was
made with the railroad company estab-
fishing a schedule. The Highway Com
missioners have stated the same facts
at their official meetings in every county
in the State. Everybody, indeed, except
the San Francisco contractors, knew all
about it.
There is no law requiring the Bureau
of Highways, nor the State Prison Di-
reetors, nor the Governor to advertise
the rock price after the manner of a
grocer, or merchant, or otherwise. 1t
is not the business of the Sacramento
Trustees to call the attention of bidders
for street work to points where they can
procure rock. To the everyday man it
would seem to be the special business
of street and road building companies
to know all about every rock crushing
plant in the State, and every possible
source Of supply for grouting material
It is a ludicrous affair, this whole
scramble for the Park work. That the
politicians of San Francisco got in and
kept telegraphic wires hot in the effort
to induce the Capitol Commissioners to
throw down the lowest bidder and give
the San Francisco men, who were left
through their ignorance, according to
their own plea, a chance to get in, is
simply discreditable, and proves that
the average San Francisco politician
stands ready to have the State do dis
honorable and dishonest thing, and back
it UP in the doing in order to accommo-
date San Francisco political pets.