The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-07
HELD Up BY NEARBY
EXPLANATIONS NEEDED BEFORE
HE WILL AUDIT COUPLE
OF BILLS
AFTER CONTRACTS EXPIRED

One Is the Estimate for the st Paul
Sidewalk Company and the Other
an Estimate of the st. Paul Cart
age CGmpany-Board of Public
Works Approved Both - What
President Copeland Says.
Comptroller McCardy yesterday re-
turned to the board of public works es
Inmates passed and approved by the
hoard in favor of the ST. Paul Carriage
company and the st. Paul Sidewalk
company, the firms having the con-
tracts for laying the wooden and ce-
ment sidewalks for last year. The es-
innate of the st. Paul Carriage COM
pany was for $4.227.65 for work done
up to Nov. 10, 1898, and on the bill was
the question, What provision has been
made for doing work under an expired
contract?"
Estimate No. of the st. Paul Side
walk company was for $1,06612 for
work done up to Nov. Is, 1898. On this
bill the comptroller writes: How can
work be done under an expired contract
and the contractor be held to the terms
OF his contract?"
The contention of the COMPTROLLER is
that the contract expired Nov. / last.
and under his view or construction of
the same the board of public works
could not legally approve bills for work
after that date
PRESIDENT Copeland and the board
held session after the estimates had
been returned and prepared reply to
the Inquiries of the comptroller Pres
ldent Copeland called the attention of
the comptroller to the section in the
charter which provides for the letting
OF the contracts for laying and repair
ing sidewalks, which reads as follows:
Section Il. 1t is hereby made the duty of
the board of public works OF the citv of st
Paul as soon after the passage of this act as
practicable and annually thereafter, to cause
proposals to be published in the official paper
VI said city Tor the construction, repair and
Ielaying of such sidewalks as may be or
oeIeo Dulit repaired or relaid by the common
council between the first day of April and
the first day of November in each year
Ihls section, President Copeland
stated, was embodied in the contract
poth Tor the wooden and cement
walks and in the opinion of the board
the comptroller had placed an entirely
different construction on the section
than the law intended.
The idea is. said Mr. Copeland,
that the council may order walks
laid between April 1 and Nov 1, but
not after that date. Neither the char
Ter nor the contracts say that the con-
tractors shall not do any work after
Nov 1, but that no more sidewalks
may be ordered by the council after
that date.
1t has always been the custom for
the contractors to continue the work
OF laying sidewalks after Nov 1, and
there has been no objection on the
part of the comptroller that 1 have
heard. Mr.. McCardy also raises the
point that there is nothing to hold
the contractors for in case the walks
are not properly laid OF should become
damaged by freezing weather, if the
estimates are allowed. In reply to this
L have called his attention to the
clause in the cement contract, which
provides for per cent of final settles
ment being retained in order to guard
against defects. and the retaining Of
$100 on the wooded sidewalk contract
for the same purpose.
The inspection of both the wooden
and cement sidewalks laid during 1898
has been of the most rigid character,
and there is not likely to be many. if
any. complaints as to defective walks
City Engineer Rundlett was of the
opinion that the contention of the
comptroller in the matter was, under
the charter and contracts, Illogical and
far-fetched.