The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-28

Recommends That the Contract
Awarded to NOyes Bros. & Cutler
by the Board of Public Works
be AnnuIied-RandOIp Street
Car Line Difficulty in Allegiance.
The aldermanic committee on streets
discussed the question Of home indus
tries as applied to the purchase Of
street signs yesterday afternoon and
the unanimously decided II at the board
of public works readvertise for bids for
furnishing 1900 signs.
The matter came before the COM
mittee on the approval Of the contract
with Moves Bros. & Cutler, awarded
by the board OF public works. Presi-
Dent Copeland and the other members
OF the board attended the meeting and
Mr.. Copeland voiced the sentiment Of
the board by saying the only interest
taken by it in the contract was to gVe
4he taxpayers the best of it.
It was brought out that the bid OF
Moves Bros. & Cutlsr was not the
lowest, the firms figures being 80 cents
for twenty fOur-inch and Sc cents for
twenty-six-i signs. Ceaser Bros,
of New York, had put in a bid for 30
cents for both sized signs, but they
neglected TO file with the bid either a
certified check or bond as required by
the specifications. This failure threw
out the bid.
Aid. Bell inquired why the board had
not readvertised instead Of letting the
contract to a firm which charged 3
cents more for each sign. President
Copeland replied that the board was
anxious to get the signs up at once,
ILL., =
tiSe.
Aid. Kenny, Bantz and Knauft in
sisted that il would be we'll to con-
slider the question of home industries.
Aid. Kenny said there was deal or
talk and the city was giving the Manu-
facturerS' association part or Market
hall to advertise home industries, and
yet at the first opportunity contract
was awarded to an Eastern finn.
He favored all the work being done in
st. Paul.
Aid. Knauft said the board had re-
stricted the bids to enameled signs,
knowing that this would shut out the
local bidders al this kind Of signs could
not be manu- actured here. He al ed
that the city did not need better sign
than could be made here and was in
favor of patronlzirS home industries,
even if it cost a trifle more mon:y.
President Copeland said he had heard
the same kind OF talk INDUCED in by
the Commercial club members, but he
noticed that the club sold cigars manu-
featured outside the city.
Commissioner Sandell stated that Ala.
Knauft was sore at the firm to which
the contract had been let, ana TINS was
the reason he opposed the approval or
the contract This was Indignantly
denied by the Second ward alderman.
Aid. BantZ, through Z. r. WillWer-
scheid, a local sign painter, presented
a sample of a board sign, which, 1t
was stated, could be furnished at II
cents each and would last at least
for ten years. The further claim was
made that it would cost Is or 20 cents
to mount and place in position the
enameled signs chosen by the board,
and the wooden signs would not have
to be mounted and the cost Of putting
them up would be slight.
Aid. BantZ favored the wooden signs
for the reason that the money would
be kept in the city instead Of sending
it to an Eastern firm.
G. Neumann, a local sign manufac-
tUrer, Informed the committee that he
could furnish "a better sign for less
money than Noyes Bros. & Cutler, but
had been shut out by the board con-
filming the specifications to enameled
signs. His signs would be made in st.
enough of them, he could furnish them
at 10 cents each. He had spent money
putting in plant and should be given
the preference.
It was finally decided to request the
board to readvertise and make the
specifications so that it would embrace
all kinds Of signs.
The ordinance introduced at the last
meeting directing the street railway
company to construct and operate q
single track horse car line on Randolph
street was referred to the corporation
attorney for an opinion as to the le-
gality Of such measure.
Aid. Shepard. Reeves, Bell and San
born questioned if the move was a
good one, as, by bringing up the horse
car ordinance, the company might
claim rights under it which had been
abandoned. owing to nothing having
been done under it in several years.
Attorney Howell recalled that in
October, 1892, an ordinance was passed
directing the company to construct and
operate a horse car line on Dale street,
and that it had received the unanimous
vote of both branches of the council
Aid. Kenny also informed the COM
mittee that, at the time the question
of reaching the harvester works by car
line was brought up two years ago, the
railway company, rather than build
d uOASS Cal lIIlS, udQ arranged WIFI
the White Bear motor line for a five
cent fare to and from the plant
Mr.. Howell said the council could
not order an electric line, but it had
the right to order a horse car line. if
the members so desired He favored
immediate action. and Aid. Kenny
moved that the ordinance be recon-
mended to pass.
Messrs. Bell, Shepard, Sanborn and
Reeves were not prepared to vote un-
til they carefully examined the meas
ure, and feared the city might get the
worst of the bargain. It was by a
vote Of these gentlemen that the ordi-
nance was referred to the city attor-
ney for an opinion as to the legal
points, and the measure will come up
for action Tuesday night.
Aid Murphy, Blomquist and Kenny
voted for immediate action, but they
were in the minority.