The Advocate and news., 1898-04-20

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out previous advertising lot DlOb. III was
for $4,000 and provided that 1.-The wear
ing surface [top dressing1 shall con-
sist OF bank gravel and crushed boul-
ders as taken from the Kansas city
Bank Gravel Co.'s bank, the same
to consist Of fine and coarse particles
as they come from the company's
crusher This shall be laid on the
above described base 1.-THE BALLAST in
layer when finished, to be at least
four inches in thickness, this work
to be rolled, then sprinkled we'll and
rerolled, upon which shall be placed
another coat sufficient to make
finished surface"
1t was provided that the work should
begin August 10, 1896, and be finished
by October 10 Of the same year.
The following remarkable clause Is the
last one in the contract:
1t Is further agreed between the
parties, that If at the time said work
Is completed, or at the time any
estimate as above stated Is made,
there is not money In the State house
fund, sufficient to pay for the work,
that party Of the second part 1.-THE
Kansas City Bank Gravel Col is to
accept vouchers for the same, to be
paid not later than January 18th,
1897 same not to bear interest"
The Executive Council was evidently
getting restless with deficiencies due to
extravaganza staring them in the face
Perhaps Mr. Seward had all invested
that he could stand and wanted to have
his warrants stamped mot paid for want
of funds" in order that he might secure
the interest which is paid under such cir
cumstanCes. At any rate, the Executive
Council was guarding against such con-
tingency.
An example of the loose methods of
the Executive Council is shown in the
fact that this contract was made July
8, 1896, but the bond was not filed until
August 1896. The State was tied up
with a contract but had nothing to bind
the contractors to fulfill its conditions.
The State would have been in fine con-
dition if the contractors had refused to
execute bond after the contract was
signed. Nobody with business sense
makes q contract In that way.
The specifications in this case were evil
IDENTIFY furnished by the contractors them
selves. This was hardly necessary, it
would seem, in view Of the fact that the
State had on its payroll an architect, a
superintendent and a civil engineer, each
of whom was drawing a comfortable
salary These specifications show on
their face that no representative of the
State prepared them. One clause pro-
vides that the ballast for this top dress
ing must be laid satisfactorily to the
contractors. Who would let contract
to firm to do work and permit the firm
to specify that preliminary work should
be done satisfactorily to them, and
thereby sign away power to direct that
it be done as would best serve the in
terests Of the party for whom the work
was being done?
State Architect Holland estimated that
in this top dressing there would be 1855
square yards; this under the contract
should be four inches thick, making
total of 37845 cubic feet or 1,401 cubic
yards instead of 1871, as was estimated.
1t is possible that in this case he was
allowing margin to compensate for the
ordinary extravaganza Of contractors
The total cost was $8,46S, $468 having
been allowed for sample piece Of work
which had been done previous to the
letting Of the contract. AS the whole
job only called for 1,401 cubic yards Of
material, this made the total cost reach
$6.O4 per cubic yard. To this should be
added a reasonable amount as this jobs
proportion of the expense Of the State
in retaining ON the payrolls an architect,
a superintendent and civil engineer
Competent contractors figure that the
work could have been done at profit for
$1.40 per cubic yard. The material used
was common bank gravel, which could
have been secured from the Neosho river
without any expense except that Of load
ing and the freight bill for its shipment.
This material is at least as good, and is
generally regarded as better than that
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