The Jersey City news., 1898-12-13
DR., ALEXANDRA,

performed may seem a small one, but
reference to work paid for Will at once
Piled
So much had been done during the year
previous thar the tentacles of nOn-pay-
merits on contracts were reaching out for
the monies of the new year and could not
be denied Consequently. for an entire
season we were practically but the dis
public vision should be clear on this point.
What the condition of the fund permit
do only thar. rather than to mortgage
our expectations of the future. -
For the year ending November 30 1880,
the, record will speak for itself: # Is
of arid. although not SO rich in that which
appeals to the eye alone. it means much
Tor the better health ana cof1T5 con se q no,, ouf
81, ,66s square yards and 9,94V lneal ieet'
= Totals for 1898 are 1854 square yards;
The figures for sewer reconstruction
arc:-
1885, totals. about 1920 feet Of seaser,
1881, totals, about 2s2 feet of sewer. cost
$3.50
of sewer; cost, $36,10l.
way) about 1,400 feet of 60-inch; ], ,z00 fe>>ss
of 54-inch; 1850 feet of S6-inch, and sv5
feet of 42-inch brick oval sewer (4,s5o
iee1' RE REiCAPTTuLATION
Belgian pavement, about $50 feet t2,563
square yards); cost, 1880
Macadam pavement, about ,2oV ieel
(2,976 square yards); cost, Sl,3l9.
Asphalt pavement, about S,13o feet CT ,l30
square yards), $l3,536.
Totals about $50 feet t32,66S square
feet); cost, $6Sl5.
Belgian pavement. about 5,75o feet Q7.-
571.5 square yardsl; cost, S5i,U ,UzS-
Asphalt pavement Cottage street, now
under way, practically completely, about
$50 feet q, 73S square yards); estimated
Totals about $40 feet f2os,o45 square
yards); cost, S41 ,656.
PERCENTAGE BIDDING.
We have been troubled greatly in the
past by the persistence of contractors IN
submitting unbalanced bids. our rules
prohibited this class of bidding, but the
line was hard to draw. and contractors
were both argumentativee and resistant.
We have finally hit upon plan which
was evolved by the Clerk of this Board,
and which, we think, hits the nail square
" on the head. 1t has been successfully
tried in our city during the year last
past and not a complaint has been thus
far heard.
The general custom heretofore has been
for the Engineer to prepare an estimate
of the quantities, which were advertised
and on the basis of which bids were SUB
nitted by contractors, for instance
About 100 cubic yards of earth exea-
walton. per cubic yard ............. -
About Is cubic yards of rock excava-
ton, per cubic yard. -....-..... 49,.
About lis cubic yards of earth fill
ing, per cubic yard. d..........s....-.. -.
And so on ad libitum. The contractor
would put a price against each item,
such price representing what he expected
to be paid per yard for each yard found
in the process of doing the work. He
oftentimes made it a gamble, and where
a low estimate had been made by the
Engineer the contractor would put
lowed by price ridiculously low on
some other items, so that the average of
bid was maintained. While this resulted
many times in the contractor getting his
fingers burned, there were more than
few cases in which the Engineers eSti-
mate was largely exceeded and immense
profits made. When the contractor got
the worst of it he generally endeavored
to excite the sympathies of the exec
utive Officers and secure an allowance
for extra work of some kind.
When the city got the worst OF it the
contractor could laugh in his sleeve, bat
the people along the line of the improve
ment and against whom an assessment
was levied would be up in arms. It w;s
a most unsatisfactory arrangement all
around and cure seemed almost impOs-
sible Of accomplishment, but we have
seems to be a specific.
Our present plan requires that the en-
gineer shall submit with his estimate of
quantities a price for each item based on
current rates and existing conditions.
These prices We designate the hundred per
cent. standard, and they are advertised
with the estimate. The contractor IS re-
quired to state at what percentage of the
hundred per cent. standard he will do the
work. He may want more than the one
hundred per cent. estimated by the engl-
neer, he may be willing to do the work
for less, but what per cent: he quotes ap-
plies to every item named in the eS INA e
and it matters not to the city whether in
the actual doing of the work the esfi-
mate overruns or underruns, no more
than fair price can be paid
CONTRACTORS BONDS.
In lieu Of Freeholder security contrac-
tors are now required to furnish the bond
Of some surety company authorized to d do
consider this safer and better plan for
the city in that there is no question as 10
the soundness of the bond. It is now
practically impossible for bidder TO re-
fuse to sign a contract which has been
awarded him unless he is prepared TO
meet the financial penalty attendant
thereon.
HIGHER GRADE OF WORK.
1t had many times in the past become
apparent to the various chairmen OF our
Street and Sewer Committees than an APP
preciably higher character Of work
should be called for in our sneciticdt tions
But for various reasons no positive action
WAS ever taken to bring about this heea-
ed change.
Our proximity to New York City often
times causes odious comparisons TO pe
made between work done in that city and
only to the work itself while the prices
paid by each city were either never con-
basis our average returns for money "a
pended was quite as good as that re-
ceived by our sister city We got ali tnat
we paid for and i is fair 20 prss;sal1,e 81 ,lt
better Therefore. the only real differ
ence that existed was that our, friends