The San Francisco call., 1898-06-24
Lumber Contractors
 Peculiar Methods.
C0LNON AN EXCELLENT AIDE
THE STATE SAVED MANY THOU
 SANDS BY AN EXPOSE.
Strenuous Efforts to Foist a Deal on the Harbor Commissioners by Interruptions Lumber
 Dealers.

Harbor Commissioner Colnon's ears must have tingled yesterday if there is any efficacy in the old superstition of be- ing talked about. The unfavorable com ments hurled at him by citizens who read of his peculiar attitude toward the lum- Der combine in The Call of yesterday must have certainly caused warmth about the organ of hearing of any one less calloused.
 It is evident that the many exposures made of his methods during the past few months have had little effect, as in the face of his fellow-Commissioners he at tempted to foist a contract on the State which would have placed it at the mercy of a grasping contractor for the next six months, necessitating a loss of many thousands of dollars. As was stated yes terday the interference of Commissioners Harney and Herold averted the calamity, for which every one should be thankful.
 During the past few years it has been the policy of a number of large lumber dealers to form combine" and charge the Commissioners a price for lumber much larger than ordinarily sold to out siders. This went along unchecked up to a month ago, when the E. K. Wood Lum- Der Company broke away from the "com- bine" and placed bid before the Com missioners offering to furnish them with lumber at S11 50 per thousand feet, much less than they have been in the habit of paying.
 When the lumber merchants were in formed through the columns or The Call that this had been done, they immediate ly set about finding a means to punish the daring deserter. The combine knew that the E. K Wood Company would not have sufficient lumber to fulfill the con- tract and must necessarily appeal to other companies for assistance, and it was in usual tariff of s14 50, although the market had depreciated. It was evident that the E. k. Wood Company became intimi dated, as it withdrew its bid, thus allow ing the field free to preferred companies. As was stated yesterday, the s. E.. Slade Lumber Company put in bid offering to next six months at $14. which was vir- tually the old price. Their offer might have been granted but for the fact that Major Harney and Mir Herold had been transacting business and much to the dis appointment of Colnon the bid was re- jected
 A little green pamphlet containing the schedule of prices, which is carried by members of the combine and other dealers fortunate to possess them, gives the present open market price on the same lumber the Harbor Commissioners purchases at SIS. This alone is conclusive evidence that the amount asked in the bid of the Slade Lumber Company was $1 50 in excess of the regular selling price,
 It would seem that there is an out and out job to fleece the State fund, and the sooner this is prevented the better it will be for the citizens whose taxes go to ex- pand it. If the Harbor Commissioners are unable to protect themselves from the grasping contractors it would seem that the matter should be taken up by the Grand Jury. And if the Grand Jury can- not fathom the mystery it might be well for Governor Budd to instruct the Com missioners as a matter of protection to the State and State funds to purchase their lumber through the San Quentin Prison If this Is done lumber can be had at a much cheaper rate than that fixed by the combine, thus saving the State from the grasp of money-making con- tractors.
 For purposes of comparison 1t may not be i'll timed to again refer to the table of prices quoted in yesterdays article. AS can readily be seen. the Simpson Lum- Der Company, one of the combine, fur nishes the San Quentin Prison with lum- Der at a less figure than is generally charged the Commissioners. The follow ing table affords a comparison: