Daily camera., 1898-05-11
Work Checked
On ClQuQuQuQ
A DANGEROUS DELAY.

Chautauqua.
Work on the Chautauqua grounds has
been entirely suspended. The force of
sixteen men, that has been at work clear
ing the grounds, was laid off this morn.
ing for an indefinite period. This action
was taken as consequence of the pro
test of the Boulder labor unions against
giving the contract to Denver company.
When the Boulder contractor, H. E.
Wiley, announced his inability to per.
form the contract on the terms accepted
by the council, that body decided to
award the contract to the next highest
bidder. This was Geo. Scott & Co., of
Denver, and the price an advance of
$500 over Wiley's bid. One of the terms
of the contract was that Boulder labor
should be employed as far as possible.
As soon as the labor union learned that
the contract had been let to Denver
man howl was raised. A formal meet
ing was held Monday night and it was
decided to pass a petition about town to
secure signatures to protest against
letting the contract to an outsider. This
petition was presented last night to the
members of the council who were pres
ent at the council chamber to close the
deal for the building. AS there was no
quorum present, the consideration of the
petitloMhad to be postponed. Pending
consideration all work has been ordered
closed down. The substance of the peti.
ton presented was that the citizens in
voting the bonds for the Chautauqua had
been led to understand Boulder people
alone would be employed; that the let.
ting of the contract to Denver COM
pany was considered a violation of this
promise and that the council should
award the contract to the next highest
bidder in Boulder.
The next highest Boulder bidder was
I. T. McAllister, and the bid was an ad-
vance of $1,000 over that of the Denver
finn.
In reply to the assertions of the petl.
ton. it is positively stated that the coun.
Gil never promised anything in regard to
awarding the contract to Boulder men
exclusively. 1t was unoffcially stated
by members of the board that Boulder |
artisans and mechanics should be EN-.
ployed and this principle has been kept
in mind when considering the bids. The
Denver bidder to whom the contract was
awarded, had guaranteed Boulder men
should be employed in the construction
as far as practicable, and even this is
more than was officially promised. 1t is
now question with the board if the ST.
200. difference in the bids would not do
more good to the Chactauqua and to
Boulder laborers if expended upon i'm.
provements on the grounds than if re-
tanned in Boulder by one contractor.
The competition among the men secur-
ing the employment would probably reg
uldtC luC wages dS ShSSLNSiy Win q
Denver contractor as with Boulder
man.
There is still another building to be
erected out of the balance of $4,000 lett
after the purchase of the land, and it is
feared that if TOO much money is ex-
pended on the buildings, there will not
be enough left to improve the grounds.
In fact. the bids on the building were
greatly in excess of what Mr.. Hirsh6eld
expected would be sufficient in that di.
rection and TO further increase the amount
would in his opinion greatly cripple the
enterprise.
The matter will be held in allegiance
until the council meets to discuss and
act upon the matter. In the meantime
the time speeds by and it becomes more
difficult to complete the building by the
required time.
Fire Works Explosion.