Waterbury Democrat., 1901-03-21
AWARDING CITY CONTRACTS.
Animated Discussion at Board
 Meeting Last Night.

The Question of Ventilation, Heating
 and Lowest Bidders Brought Out
 Heated Arguments Board Gen
 erally Leaned to the Local Contract
 ors-Are of the Opinion That Com
 mon Sense Should Be Used, Even
 When Bids Have Been Asked.
 The special meeting of the board oI education. held last evening. was hattie royal. It was the most sensa- tional meeting held by that body III many years From the outset to al- most the close, the meeting was one long wrangle. Insinus On was so rampant that each ms3 Ger spoke as though he had enough to do to look out for himself All the members were present and Mayor Kildun of eu the chair. The row started over the minutes of the last meeting. at winch the heating and ventilating contracts for the two proposed schools were awarded to NJ. J. Daly and the Bar low Bros company. respectively
 The mayor opened the ball, so to speak. by remarking that he could not bring himself to sign any such con tract binding the city on such votes as awarded the contracts in question. He held that the amounts of the con tracts should be mentioned in the votes. Alr Barlow said he would do one of the schools for q certain amount yet he had a letter before the board saying that were he awarded the con | {Ip mi If the cost of heat regulators. Commits sioner Hayes said that as chairman of the meeting at which the contracts were awarded. he knew what he was doing: the contracts were awarded after the bids were all read. so that everyone knew what the figures were Commissioner Mcdonald remarked that all the members knew what they were doing when they voted on the bids "If the contracts were awarded to other contractors" he remarked, significantly, nothing would have been said about it." Commissioner Kilmartin said it was he who brought up the matter. The figures were not specified in the votes. Of course, the members understood what the figures were. but that was not the thing. Fur thermore. he said. it made not the slightest particle of difference to him who got the contracts.
 The mayor said it was evident the omission of the contract figures. was not a clerical error, to which Commls- sioner Hayes said: II am surprised that the mayor should say such a thing
 The mayor: "Commissioner Hayes, do you mean to say that you specified the figures in the motionT'
 Commissioner Hayes, with warmth: 'Nfost certainly
 Commissioner Goodenough: "Most certainly figures were not mentioned in the vote. The omission is not a cleri- cal error Mir Barlow's bid was S2.G75 fer the Russell school. yet in letter he says he will do the work for q less amount
 Commissioner Mcdonald then moved that the minutes be corrected so as to include the figures of the contracts. MT Barlow's letter was then read.
 The mayor: II will sign no con- tracts for heating or ventilating the Russell school or the Walsh school. As for the Russell school, I cannot sign until all the bids are received. We don't know if We will get the cost of that school. S20.0GO. We haven't got it vet If MT Barlow is not the lowest bidder 1 will not sign his con- tract. The same remarks l will make in reference to the Walsh school. This, eentlemen. is all according to the city charter. It is net q matter of discre- ton with us; there is no deviation from the charter.'
 Commissioner McDonald: "How can you decide until you let the heat ing contracts? Some systems demand more brick work than others.' The mayor answered that the aggregate cost will be about S2O.0OO.
 Commissioner Hayes: eve are not asking you to do anything to com promise you. MT Mayor. We all un- derstand this.' Commissioner Me Donald followed with the remark ''Who are the judges of the lowest re sponsible bidders anyway, the public or who?''
 Commissioner Hayes then arose and remarked that he would like to cal the mayors attention to section ot the charter.
 The mayor: "If man can give z bond as to his responsibility he mus be given the contract. providing, ol course. that he is the lowest bidder It is our duty to give it to him. Thi: Is not case. of sympathy. It make. no difference if there is only S33 be tween bids, the lowest bid must ge the contract. That is what the char ter says and We can't get back of that We all would like to give the work tt local men, but we can't do it if the! are not the lowest bidders. We hay, advertised to the world for bids an( We must award the contracts to tn, lowest men,
 Commissioner Hayes: "We are tn, judges as to who are the responsibl, contractors"
 Commissioner McDonald 'T wisI to say to the mayor that he uses strange word, sympathy. There is nt sympathy in this matter so far as an concerned. We have trouble with tn, heating apparatuses in most of th' schools where the work was done by outside men. We've had too much O 1t. The contract for heating tn, nriggs school was awarded to the low est bidder and now what is the result There is not half heat enough. Th' fault Is the engineers: Why, I don" know. Mir Daly's work in the Wash ington school Is all right; 1t speaks fo Itself I don't say the ventilation 1,