The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-07
UNDER DARK CLOUD
COUNCIL BODIES TO INVESTIGATE
LAST ACTS OF BOARD OF
PUBLIC WORKS
IRREGULARITY Is SUSPECTED
Retiring Members Displayed I'm
seemIy Haste in Placing Con-
tracts for Immense Sums
General Indignation.

In its haste to place about $250000 in
the shape of fat brick and asphalt paving
contracts, the board of public works for
got all about the man who pays the bill.
Its members know better now, for during
the next two weeks the attention of the
two council bodies will be engaged in
finding out what they failed to 90, and
how they did it.
Last Tuesday evening lac board of al
dermen sent back three of the streets
for which contracts at fancy prices had
been placed by Messrs. Mabon and Ham
mer. Last night the assembly went deep
err and now all the streets, some twelve,
for which bids had been received by the
board of public works, rest with the two
committees on streets. Not a contract
was approved.
Its downright robbery, warmly re-
piled City Engineer Claussen, when ask
ed by a member what he thought of LIE
asphalt prices. cit is an increase of fully
80 cents a square yard over prices OBJ
tanned two months ago, and is entirely
without reason
How ABOUT the specifications asked
a memoer. Are they any more strin-
gent tnan the old ones?''
mot in the least was Mr.. Claussen's
reply. They fully protected the prop
erty owners when they left my hands,
but the board of public works has way
of changing them to suit it's own sweet
will"
Mr. CIaussen further informed the board
that he thought approval of the contracts
should be denied, as the majority of them
savOred Of robbery to an extent that the
placing of the assessment would be al
most actual confiscatiOn Of the property
involved.
Assembyman Haas also added his voice
to the general request that the contracts
be sent to the committee on streets, and
said it was strange the board of works
should be so desirous of paving nearly
every principal street in the city at once.
Lots Of the prOperrS owners" SAID Mr..
Haas, tell me that lney never were Civ
en- a hearing. l think they have a few
more rights than some of the combines
that the board of works seems to be ia
vOring.''
VIII Go to New Board.
The late action of the board of public
works in attempting to place $5OO,&0
worth of paving and other street con-
tracts all at once saYors so much of UNI
fairness and disregard of the rights of
the property owners that it is hardly
probable that the contracts now in the
hands of the two committees will ever
see the light of day. They will be killed
or sent back to the new board, which en-
tiers upon it's duties next week, to be re-
advertised.
In order to benefit both the brick and
asphalt combines which have been alone
in the bidding, it is claimed, and City
Engineer Claussen is authority for the
statement, that the specifications have
been changed to suit those who drew
down the prizes. In the case of brick,
the instances have been numerous, while
as to asphalt and lndemnifying features
of the specifications have undergone
change
Except in a few instances, Forrestal
and Fielding & Shepley have bid on brick
while the asphalt contracts have been
pulled down by the Barber people and the
Conway firm. Two years ago the latter
firms were fighting, now they, are work
ing togther and in consequence prices
have taken heavy jump.
Protesting property owners, who have
called at the office of the board Of public
works the past month, have been sent
away with the statement that the council
was the cause of it all and that they had
to obey In this way it attempted to
keep its skirts clean of any infringement
on the rights of the property owner.
While general Indignation brought
many protests from property owners to
the members Of the council, the action Of
the two bodies in refusing to concur in
the action of the board Of public works
was really caused by that body permit
ting James Forrestal to withdraw two
proposals in which he was the lowest bid
der. This saYOred so much of irregular
ity that the council was compelled to
act.
Forrestal. in the minds of the majority
of the council, is looked upon as
straw bidder, when brick and sand
stone paving is involed. He has been
credited with the statement that he did
not want any contract, but has never
given any satisfactory explanation as to
why he is always to be found in the
bidding and seldom draws a contract.
In nearly every instance the contracts
go to Fielding & Shepley, there being a
few dollars difference in the bids.