The San Francisco call., 1898-08-14
Mayor Phelan May Block the Awarding of Contracts by
 the Supervisors.
Specifications Will Be Required to Explicitly Specify Work to Be Done for the City.
 An Eastern Example.

There was a noticeable stir around the City Hall yesterday. caused by the expose in The Call of the bold fraud which was sought to be perpetrated on the city treasury by the Supervisors through jugglery of contracts for re- pairing and repaving bituminized streets.
 strikes 'em <hard under the belt ' and shows up the rotten scheme" '" were some of the remarks heard.
 The Street Committee of the Super visors. whose open door specified tions for repairs and recovering of streets caused the investigation and the expose. was by no means in good humOr and had a nUmber of hard things to say about meddlesome newspapers" generally. That the game was blocked was only one feature of the offense. The past history of the street repairing contracts and of the city'S expensive attempt to do the work itself. which was so mercilessly shown up. simply disgusted the gang of poli- ticians who are in the public service for poodle only The act of The Call in printing the bald facts shown by the records was not appreciated at it's proper value by these thrifty patriots : As for Mayor Phelan. he proclaimed himself to be as much disgusted as the Street Committee politicians, but for a different reason.
 : Another attempt to rob the city" was his murmured ejaculation. as he perused The Calls plain statement of the facts.
 .. While he was busted In this way a reporter dropped in upon him at his private office in the Phelan building The Mayor had not yet finished read ing the article. but his observations were quick and to the point.
 Approve this job?" he queried with rising eyebrows Not until l know exactly what the work advertised un- .;der these specified tions consists of to the smallest detail. propose to ascer- :, tain whether the contractor is to do s5000 worth of work or 900 worth for the fixed sum to be awarded him under the bid. I am studying the speci- acations at this time and have also been over some of the streets which the Supervisors expert says need re- laying. One crossing mentioned in the list certainly Is in first class condition. That fact ] have already ascertained, further. The inclusion of that crossing ie certainly mistake. Other mistakes are possible. 1 will find out for myself. There Is plenty of time"
 What is your opinion of specified t!Ons for street repairing and repaving that do not specify whether the con- tractor is to do much or little work for his money, the payment being fixed sum-" was asked.
 Any one who understands matters " at all knows that such loose specified tions invite fraud" tersely replied MT. Phelan. But l will study the whole . matter over and be prepared to act as the circumstances require. No street repairing and repavng contract shall be. let with my consent that does. not exactly specify the work"
 The matter of the award of the con- tract comes up before the Supervisors on next Monday afternoon. and a warm session is expected. Members Smith and Lackmann are outspoken in opposi- tion to the award of the contract to the City Street Improvement Company, claiming that Bingham's $23, 900 bid for repairs and nine and Onehalf cents for repaving IS the lowest. Supervisor Britt Is the champion Of the Improve mant Company on its straight bid of $37. .797. Since The Call has shown up the inwardness of the whole matter 1t Is quite probable that Smith and Lack mann will fight any award under the present specifications, although they make no announcement for the pres ent of their intentions
 It is interesting in this connection to note that some nine years ago. in the city of. Cincinnati, Ohio. the corrup- . tion incidental to the letting of con tracts became so gross that the citi- zens took matters into their own hands. not by driving contractors and political bribe-t takers out of town, but by standing over the contractors and compelling them to dc their street