The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-09
ONE BIDDER COMPLAINED
Report of Inspector HillhouSe
 Influenced Contracts.
Offer of Spencer Bros. for State Con victs Was Higher, But Mines Were Not Acceptable
 to Officials.

President J. NJ. Carmichael of the State Board of Convict Inspectors yesterday made public all bids submitted 10 the Board for the working of the convicts in the mines under the new conditons.
 The statement of the bids received was made public, because of the complaint made by one of the bidders that his bio had been higher than those accepted oy the Board.
 Two bids, 1t will be recalled, were ac- cepted by the Board. A majority or the convicts of theState fit for the mines were let to the Tennessee Coal and Iron Com pany, the company agreeing to pay 'o cents a ton for every ton of coal mined by the State convicts. The contract made with the Tennessee company provides Tor the delivery of the coal over the upple and the convicts are to be worked at Slope No. 10 Pratt Mines
 In it's contract with the State the Sloss- Sheffield Company, which receiveo the remainder of the convicts, agreed 10 pay 43 cents a ton for the delivery or the coal at the mouth of the room. The Sloss company wlli work its convicts at Eiat Top
 In his statement yesterday Judge Car mirchael gives to the public the terms of all bids received and the Board reasons for awarding the contracts
 The Spencers bid 55 cents for merchan- table coal such as we can sell, our traoe will accept and demands" at the mouth of the room. They also put in Did or s1 per ton for such coal as above des- cribed over the tipple, the State to fur nish everything like hospitals, stockade and outside help, to put up the nachinery and keep 1t in repair. Another bid onered 93 cents for coal over the tipple, under the terms of the printed proposals.
 The Tutwiler Coal, Coke and Iron Com pany offered 50 1-2 cents for coal at the mouth of the room and 70 cents for coal over the tipple.
 The Little Cahaba Company bid 32 1-2 cents at the mouth of the room and 6z l-z over the tippie. Also s20 for first-class men and $15 for second class if the State preferred to hire them that way
 The Bessemer company offered 90 cents on the cars over the tippie and AZ cents at the mouth of the room. Also' S3o per month for first class men. $25 for second class men and SIS for third class men.
 The Hillman bid for Pratt Coal Com many was 35 cents at the face of the room. 36 1-2 cents at the mouth ana Do cents over the tipple.
 A. J, Reilly for unknown parties or fered B 1-2 cents at the mouth of the room and 45 IA cents over the upple'
 If will thus be seen from the bare statement of the prices that the only other bids besides those of the Tennessee Com pany and the Sloss Company, which were 1n for consideration, were those Of the Spencer and the Tutwiler Company
 Before the contracts were awarded, State Mine Inspector James Hiilhouse, in- spected the mines of all bidders ana re- ported to the Board. Of the Echols mines operated by the Spencer's who were one of the high bidders Inspector f1lil- house reported as follows:
 "I will preface my remarks by saying that l do not think it desirable to work convicts in thin coal under four feet thick or in steep. pitching seams This would eliminate the Echols mine.
 On this report of the Inspector the Board of Inspectors eliminated the Echols mine from further consideration. The stinuIations as to the quality Of coal to De gotten from. the Spencer Bros own mine was looked upon by the Board as further obstacle to the awarding or contract to that firm of bidders.
 The coal seam in the Tutwiler mine' the report of the Inspector showed, was only four feet and two inches deep Tn coal while the Sloss seam is seven reet deep This difference and the exceptional advantages offered the convicts at the sloss Company's mine at Flot Top were more than sufficient to overcome the greater bid of the Tutwiler Company, bid which was only 1-2 cents per ton higher. If the convicts had been put to work in the Tutwil mines the task would nave heen four tons a day for first class men whiIe at the Sloss mines 1t is to be five tons q day.
 The State will therefore receive more for the convicts working in the Sloss mines than it would if they had been leased to the Tutwiler Company.