The San Francisco call., 1899-06-04
OUTSIDERS HAVE NO CHANCE
E. K. WOOD LUMBER COMPANY
MAKES COMPLAINT.
1t Is Alleged That None but Those
on the Inside Have an Opportu-
nifty to Become Successful
Competitors.

A protest against the method of adver
( sing Tor bids for supplies for the Fir,
department. for the coming fiscal yeal
has called attention to a condition of af
fairs that may be made a subject for in
Nesugaion by the proper authorities L
Is inumated that the specifications upor
which intending bidders must base theu
estimates are so drawn that none bu
those intimately connected with the de
partment can bid inteligently on the re
quired contracts. The protest comes from
the e. x. Wood Lumber Company, anC
is as follows:
SAN FRANCISCO June l. 1899
To the Honorable Board of Supervisors
Gentlemen We very much desire to bid on
the lumber that you require for the Fire
Department II we could do so intellgently,
but the specifications are made out in
definitely that no one can bid on them in
tellgently and know what he has TO fur
nish. The first article calls for clear.
vertical grain One-inch thick. from two
inches wide TO twenty inches wide and from
twelve to forty feet long Now a one-inch
by three-inch twelve feet long would be
worth probably SIS per 1000 feet and
b. worth at least $35 per 1000 feet. In fact,
il would not be practicable to get 1t at all
ana the same thing would apply to other
Items IN the speclhcations. Il makes great
difference whether the lumber is narrow or
excessively wide or whether the lumber is
snort or very long. Then l see you call Tor
all clear. vertical grain lumber when you
use large part Of merchantable Merchant
able lumber Is worth from s. to SO per 100
feet less than clear, and you certainly would
not want 10 put clear and select stock into
ordinary work and pay from 81 to SO more
Der 1000 feet for il, Yet your specifications
demand il. Then in redwood the specihca-
tions call for T * @. from four feet 10
twenty feet long. Now some of the bidders
may know just what may be required. but
we cannot tell from the specifications
whether we Will have TO furnish lumber
that is worth Sl5 per 1000 whether
viii have to furnish lumber worth twice
that amount. Respectfully yours
z. K. WOOD LUMBER COMPANY.
That there is merit in the contention
above set forth is plain by a scrutiny Of
the bids for lumber made under the ex
istIng contract. These bids were mad,
upon specifications identical with thos,
now complained of. At the time the pres
ent contract was let there were but twC
bidders. the D. II. Bibb Lumber Company
and Swift & Co. The latter firm which
was the successful bidder has held many
city contracts, some OF which have beer
Of a nature to cause an investigation by
various Grand Juries
In the first item mentioned in the above
protest the bid OF the BIob Company was
So per thousand feet. The bid of Swift
Co. was Sl4 "a per thousand feet. The
same variation is observable in the other
items mentioned and in many others
From this ii would appear. as alleged
that the specifications are so drawn as
to make it impossible for any person not
familiar with the byways of city con
tracts 10 become a successful competitor
subject OF an investigation by the Fire
Department Committee OF the Board o
Supervisors before the pending contracts
are let.