The San Francisco call., 1898-02-03

conversations between these gentle men, and MT. Clark was informed that while the call for bids was under stood to mean No. lumber, still No. of fair quality was generally delivered and accepted. Upon this basis MT Clark put in his bid for g 40 per 1000 feet. AS soon as the bids were opened Inglis saw that he had been thrown by his friend.
 MT. Clark. in speaking of the delay said he was sure that the Commits sioners had decided to give the con- tract to Slade, but he was determined to put in another bid, and to this end he wrote the following letter to the Commissioners:
 SAN FRANCISCO, March g, 1898
 To the Hon. State Board of Harbol Commissioners, San Francisco Cal Gentlemen: Our bid under date ot March ?, to furnish you with lumber, not having been accepted by you, we hereby withdraw the same. As new bids have been called for, we desire to make you 2 new offer, and hereby agree to furnish you with pine lumber such as you have been using for repairs on your wharves along the city front for s per 1000 feet board measurement delivered.
 Hoping to be favored with your busi- ness, we remain, dear sirs,
 Very truly yours, BYXBEE & CLARK
 This letter was in line of the propo- sition to work in No. lumber, for the writer stated that he would furnish such as you have been using for re- pairs on your wharves along the city front" Byxbee & Clark's last bid was an offer of SS, and the other bids ranged down to S7 40 per thousand, excepting Slade's, which was "at the market price" The latter was accept ed. Upon this MT. Clark said: Tt is we'll understood that while the con- tract calls for the best lumber, the quality known as No. is furnished So you see by taking second class lumber and paying more than first class prices there was a loss to the State of from S2 50 to S4 per thousand feet. Even first-class lumber at the prices showed by the Commissioners bills would make the amounts paid for lumber more than the market prices, as contracted for in Slade's bid. It was our first bid that set the price on lumber for the first four months, and then the Commissioners began to pay more and more for what they got.'
 It will be noted in the table of mar ket prices given that prices took jump between September and October. This was caused by the lumber combine agreeing on fixed prices on October 23, but at no time since the beginning of last year nave the market prices been more than SIP for No. 1 and s10 and S11 for No. 2. Still the State has been excessively paying several dollars per thousand for lumber that the dealers say is rated as No. 2.
 MT. Laidlaw of the Bibbs Lumber Company declares that the contract en- tered into with Slade Is no contract at all. He says that the law requires the price of the article offered to be given, or for stated time or for a fixed amount of material. He said: By this slipshod contract, If it can even be called such, the State has been filched out of thousands of dollars. There are plenty of dealers who would have fur nished the best of lumber at the ruling prices of the market and still the State would have been better off in a f1nan- cial way. It Is a belief that many thousands of feet of lumber have un- necessarily been purchased, for new lumber is called for every time lit tie patching is necessary. The ques- tion Is what becomes of the old lumber which comes from the sheds and fences that are being torn down all of the tineo"