The San Francisco call., 1896-10-20
SUTRO'S GIFT MAY
LAPSE AFTER ALL
More Scandal About Pay
ing the Architects
Commission.
Governor Budd Insists That the
Contractors Contribute
the Money.
THE MAYOR Is INDULGENT.
Time for Beginning Work on the
Affiliated Colleges Is Again
Extended.
THE MAYOR IS INDULGENT.

The Legislature two years ago appropri-
ated $3.50, GOO TO erect building in San
Francisco for the Affiliated Colleges OF the
State University The Regents secured
gift of land. beautiful site, from Mayor
Sutro, on condition that active work of
construction should begin at a specified
time. When the time limit expired no
work had been done. owing to the delay
of the Regents in agreeing upon the plans
of architecture.
Mayor Sutro was asked to extend the
time. He created quite a scare at the
meeting of the board by an open declara-
tion that there was scheme to defeat the
enterprise. He agreed, however, to an
extension, and papers were accordingly
drawn. Other delays followed, and few
days before October 8, the day for the ex-
piration of the extended time limit,
meeting was held in Regent Reinsein's
office to effect the signing of contracts
under the award made by the board. Gov
ernor Budd did not attend this meeting,
as he was not notified when it was called.
Subsequently he raised the point that the
approval of the contract by the Attorney
General had Lot been gwen as required by
law, and therefore no valid contract had
been made.
Hearing of the Governors opposition, the
building com mittee. of W hich ]. West Mar
tin is chairman, suspended operations, and
the time under the Sutro extension expired.
A scene occurred at the meeting of the
Regents last Tuesday. The Governor and
Regent Martin addressed each other
sharply as "Slr" and each shook a finger
ton was laid that waiver of Sill 900
which the architect had made in his COM
mission to bring the total cost within the
amount appropriated was to be made good
by the contractors. This so complicated
affairs that it was decided to have joint
meeting of the law and building commit
tees in Judge Wallace's cham berS to ad-
Just the difficulties.
Accordingly these committees of the
Board of University Regents met Gov
ernor Budd and Mayor Sutro in Judge
Wallace's courtroom yesterday forenoon
The conference was attended by Regents
]. West Martin, Arthur Rodgers, Fl. S.
Foote, ]. B. Reinstein, together with At
torney Mhoon and Secretary Bonte of the
board.
Mayor Sutro, as an interested party,
was present. He had been informed of
the complication, and had consented TO
another extension until October 30. He
was at first inclihed 10 declare a forfeiture
o. his gift. The explanation which Gov.
ernor Budd made OF the new com plication
which had just arisen did not seem to be
compre ended by the Mayor He said:
II have made proposition to do a gen.
erous act, and ii the regents choose to re-
ject the gilt let them do so. The pu bic
may say that | have backed out, but I
know that 1 have acted in good faith"
Governor Budd replied that the work
had been commenced in good faith by the
regents, but it had tran pired that the
.f>NcS had ~<a<.l
missions of $11, 900 waived by the archi-
tect.
The Governor described the fine mate
rial that was 10 enter into the construc-
tion of the building and declared that the
proposition to allow the work to proceed
under the direction of an architect receiy.
ing compensation frem the contractors
supplying the material could not be toll
Grated. The Governor recalled many Incl
dents of the early meetings to consider
the plans and mentioned that the archi-
tect had given bond that the cost would
not exceed $3.50, 900, yet the bids did exceed
that sum, and in order to avoid readyer-
tisement an arrangement had been effect
cd whereby the architect waived his com
mission.
Mayor Sutro said he did not understand
what this had to do with the conduct of
the regents in jeopardizing the gift which
he had made
Judge Wallace explained to the Mayor
that The Regents could not permit their
architect to be governed by the contract
ors.
The Mayor admitted the improperly of
such control, and in view of the complica-
lion would extend the time for beginning
work until October 80.
Architect kroits was requested 10 make
a statement of the case. He acknowledged
that the bids were a trifie higher than his
estimates, but denied with great deal of
emphasis that he was in the paw of the
contractors, or that he expected any COM
pensation from that source. "When the
bids were found to exceed $250.0OO some
way was suggested to reduce the figure
and to avoid the expense and delay Of re-