Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-06-09
BARBER G[ISSIA|[,
NINTH md SIXTH
Asphalt Company's Bid of $1.97
Is Accepted by the City
Council
TILT OVER THE INTERuRRAN
Mr.. Greene's Resolution to Have Or
dinance Published at city's Expense
Carries Despite Protest-company
Calls Greone's RIuff-W. c. T. U.
Asks Drinking Fountain Be Restored.

Inc city council, at It's regular meet
ing for June. held Monday night, ac
| copied the bid Of the Barber Asphal
Sixth streets: participated in littl
discussion over the advisability o
publishing the interurban ordinance a
city's expense; rescinded the order @
publication of the notice advising thu
boiling of city water, and disposed o
the usual grist of routine business.
The chairs in the council chamber:
semi circle were all filled with the eX.
ception of one Mr.. Kreutzer, Of tn,
Fourth, being absent on account Of i'll.
ness. The opening of the bids on paw
ing came first, and the Barber com
pany's was found to be the only one
filed 1t presented exactly the same
offer as was accepted for Church stree,
and Fourth avenue, being $1.97 pei
square yard So cents per lineal foot
for combined curb and gutter; 80 cents
per cubic yard for extra grading and
fer extra hauling, over 1,400 feet, 1H
cents per cubic yard for each 200 feet
Mr.. Henry moved a recess, which was
taken, and upon reassembly Mr.. Abb
bolts motion to accept the bid was
carried unanimously.
This disposes of the paving on State
street between First and Sixth; South
Ninth between State and Boone, and
Sixth street between State and church.
The contract will be drawn up in the
usual manner and approved within a
few days.
Mr.. Good, OF the streets and alleys
committee, is in receipts of a letter from
Mr. j. H. killmar, of Des Moines, at
torney- intact of the Barber COM
pany, in which he sets forth facts con-
corning the letting of paving in other
cities in Iowa, where the Barber people
were the only bidders. The letter is
explanatory Of the situation that con-
fronted the council and led it to in
clude these streets in this years paw
ing ut the same prices heretofore ac-
cepted.
Mr.. d. S. Good, chairman paving
Dear Sir:
] When in your city on the 9Th inst,
filed my bid for letting on the Sth
inst, fully expecting that / would be
in Marshalllown on the Sth. This being
/ desire to say to the paw
ing committee, and the city council,
and to the people of Marshalltown in
innsmuch as the question of
only one or two bidders appearing at
your lettings, has been raised, that that
is the universal rule this year. Within
the past thirty days l have been the
only bidder at three lettings in Iowa,
outside of Marshalltown, at which was
the only bidder, and that in numerous
places outside of my territory, this
has been the case. AT st. Paul, st.
Louis, Chicago, Detroit and New York
City. and numerous other places in
volving the letting of the yardage of
over three million yards. there are only
one or twp instances where three bid
ders have appeared, In great many
cases only two bidders, and In the ma
jority of cases we were the only bid
der, no matter what the nature of the
Specifications are. In Iowa it has so
happened that in all cases except your
letting of May 18th specifications in
each case were open.
1t is seldom that there are three bid
ders at letting.
This can be accounted for: First, by
paving, contractors having a large
of work left over from last
year which is unfinished on account of
bad weather, and the outlook is no
better this year. The experience of
two years taken together, it no doubt
has discouraged contractors from TAX
ing on lot of work Second, in the
asphalt paving contracting line our
prediction of five years ago has come
true. That the new fellows bobbing
up with rev material have had sorry
experience with it, and that guarantees
are doing them up, and that their tinan-
cial condition is becoming such that
they can not compete for new work In
many cases their experience is not only
to themselves, but is result
ing very unsatisfactory to the cities in
which they have done work. 1 do not
care to advance our cause by the mis-
of others but believe it per-
tinent to cite here the case of Ottumwa,
Iowa, in our own state, which four
years ago let contract on land as
phalt at $1.55 per square yard, which
is a price / have had to hear of more
or less at every letting l have attend
cd since that time. Last week OF
tumwa was compelled to re-let this
work for a new surface at cost of
$40 per square yard, making the paw
ing cost, when new, S2.95 per square
yard before they drifted into the idea
of getting proper material and work
With our present methods
Of rapid transit and communication
city starting into the asphalt paving
business or any other business, ought
not be called upon to go thru expert
have been taxed with.
Work is going at an advance this
year everywhere. and should owing to
labor and material conditions, especial
~ this is true on the combined curb
and gutter work wherein we all know
the price of cement has advanced over
ast years price. and which should be
charged to an actual existing cement
trust. instead of an imaginary asphalt
trust. Taking into consideration the
amount of work that is coming up in
your city and the manner in which
It is coming up, enabling us to do all
work this year. as 1t seems to us, with
out the removal of plant and very little
of men, | have been able to in
luce the company to keep the prices
he same as last year. And while we
feel that we can not get the good will