Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-12-03
WIDELY COMMENDED
Expressions Of the Daily Pres:
Anent Bridge Contracts.
QUEsTI N OF LEGALITY

'sr E"rd 81 Charter. Requirements IN
Letting Contracts. Would l. xIu.livi.
dual Ne mbers or CT v Cuu,c,1l;..
be ina Suit for D.,,,pp@s
The article published in the Daily
ifcss several days ago relative to th;.
.,!etnods adopted by tn: city council in
tne letting of the contracts Tor tha pro
posed bridges across the C,h,.s,n.,,a =
ONO railway at Twenty -iifih and TAR
.S-iourth streets. and for the erection If
Il new city Jail. has awakened wide
spread interest and aroused much COM
ll'%ht' comment which is almost univer-
sally favorable 49,
rs the matter stands now. the con
tracts have been let and il is hardly
probable that anything will be lone
s.touSh. We're il desii.ab BILE. an apple; tiar
'of an inJunction might be made for TIA
purpose Of RESTRAINING" the treasurer,
from paying out any money on mo
work and of restraining the city cam
en- from taking any further steps in tha
matter. in this event the contractors;
would unuuesti"rably have cause. to ..
aSsrieved and might ask the court to
luri'sh them with financial salyc for
their wounded feelings
Then would arise th.. question Of Inv.
as to the leg;,lit. Of The council's &c
ll"n. If the council in letting the cor
tracts. conformed to the 'reul,iraren.s
or me cltS's charter, the city would be
liable, If amy one. for damages If. or,
the other hand the council did not con-
lprh, 10 inc requirements of the charter
Tile Individual members of the council,
Would be the proper parties for the cor
tractors tn look to for recn,nperse.
l ne genera! opinion is that the mat
yer has now gone too far for action OF
TINS KIND. because il would hardly b
lar u the contractors. and there is no
opposition To cmbarrass the insiiyi,lua;
members of the council in the way SIG
sested. Besides. there is no reason RI
pelieHe tina: the contractors will no;
give the city good work
The thing that can ROW be done is
TINS; II can be seen to that there is
nothing more of the sort II can he seer
to. that if the contracts were not prop-
erlE let IN the PAST. they shall be in the
future. 1t is largely with this end in
view that the Business Mems Assncia-
ilon is now inSestisa ing the Lifting Of
the Jail contract. II, is the intention o:
ne association to probe this matter 70
and t" find out whether the contract
was properly or improperlr If pr0o.
erlS, t =. = shall .}e:,T,, h, -,
Gil: if improperly We shall censurs ina;
nndy- OF course. we have no power in
me matter. except, as representative
cltizcns. we may express our arrroy.l
or dlSarrroval ana serve warning tha.
as cltiZens. We propose to see the city-s
interests properly looked afte:. b.- ~.
| men We have elected fnr th,. n,,rInSe
at tn" next meeting OF The ass,ciatinc
he special committee composed &.
Messrs. George L. Via. NJ. !. moore ant,
a -: Coleman. appointed II .x:tn,in
thc plans submitted fer the jai. b.. m.
smith company and by the Van D,;.>
company, The two bidders on thu work
VIII make their report ThesA gentle.
men We're selected under the ..Snntior
adopted when the first committees r:as
olS charged calling for the ;,r;.ai.,tmen,
ni three expert contractors IN rNanin,
tie plans and make a report This cor.
tnltt"c was 10 have reported at The .,s;
meeting. but was un:,:,;. Ia az, 90 an,
Was continued until tll,, mex, meeting
IN: people are awaiting The report or
these gen .lclIcn ana the action III ~.
assoeiation With Il Erca: deal of interest
ara the hope is generally expressed tina:
neHnste results may accrue: that the
association will take some final action
disposins of the matter one WAY .r ;ha
other, and declare its conclusions fer
the benefit Of all concerned.
y member Of the legal p;...fessaion Ia.
expressed himself thus. speaking ,f The
contracts:
1T is my opinion that the contracts
were Illegally let. and that his v.rc
not properly ADVERTISED: snr. The coua
81 should have first seemed plans
These need not have been advertised
FOR. They could have been prepared by
some competent architect. under the
supervision of Il representative or com
mttee of the council emhndyin. the
councils ideas and wishes Th"s- plans
having been secured. the bids ceu'd
have been advertised FOR the bidders
all having the same set of plans i, 60
by They could have bid with .nl-lii-
gence then. AS it was they could n"t
and Their" was no fairness. Justice or L.
Gality about it,
ANY builder will tell You that Il con
tractor proposing to do certain Job
for $l5,O0O can. by following his own
plans. do il $500 cheaper for himself
than he could If he followed some one
else's plans, doing the work under the
supervision of the man who drew them
The adoption of the plans in this cas-,
meant the letting of the contract to tn
man or men who drew the plans The
plans of one man might have been best.
yet another man. bidding on those
plans. might have done the work Tor
less money. Do you see the point? AS
an evidence of this. l have only to tell
you that one bidder offered to erect a
jail on the Van Dorm plans for $500 less
than the Van Dorm people themselves
and. by the way. expert opinion has
pronounced tie Van Dorm plans as
worth at least $500 more to the city
when put into Jail than those of the
present contractor. There is Il little
matter OF a $1,000 thrown away because
plans We're not first secured as the char
ter undoubtedly intended they should
have been. and as the simplest common
sense uninfiuenced by Interior reasons.
would have directed"
ON TIFF, BARGAIN COUNTER
Beautiful home, just completed on
Twcnty-scventh street near Madison
avenue. Price less than 81 500 if you call
early. Terms easy. Three beautiful
Washington avenue business sites.
each a corner and ad jOining lot, ST.