The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-10-28
Intends to Complete Its Paw
ing Contracts Next Year.
Wants the Contracts Signed or
the Bonds Returned.
Says No Company Would Have
Done Work This Fall.
From Thursdays Daily.

President Porter yesterday dlleiHooi
received the following letter from the
Mccarthy Improvement company of
Davenport, Iowa, in answer to one sent
by him to the company at the request
of the council:
Davenport, Iowa, Oct. "a, 1904. E.
Porter, President of Board of Public
Works, Mankato, MINI. Dear Sir:
Your esteemed favor of Oct. I'D re-
ceived. We are also in receipt of the
Mankato Daily Free Press of Saturday,
Oct. 22d. in which the council proceed
ings, of the evening before, appeared.
We would Judge from the tone of voice
of some of the members of the city
council that our actions, since contracts
were awarded to us, have been unsatis-
factory, especially our delay in fur
nishing bonds and not progressing with
the work. We think we made sufficient
explanations for not starting work this
fall in previous letters, and if any MEM
Der of the city council of your city, or
any property holder thinks or feels that
if contracts were awarded to either one
of our competitors on these particular
contracts. that work would be completed
or even started this fall, they will
only need to write to the city engineer
or chairman of the paving committee of
the city of Ottumwa, Iowa, and learn
that a contract awarded one of our
competitors bidding at Mankato, a lit
tie over year ago, has just been
started the week before this, and then
only when city council advertised for
every means to make company come to
time The city of Moline, Illinois, also
awarded the contract one year ago to
the above company; they completed
part of it last season, the rest remains
uncompeted to this day, and the indi-
cations are will 90 over until next
spring. These are just few instances
in this vicinity, and because the city
council of Mankato started proceedings
a little late in the season to have their
paving all completed this fall and after
receiving bids rejected same and adver-
tised for new bids and then delayed
matters until the time arrived when it
was impossible to complete work, some
members would like to shift the respon-
sibilty on the contractors. After being
duly notified of contracts being award
ed us, we proceeded at once to secure
bonds and did secure bonds without the
least trouble and Alderman Kleinschmidt
knows Just as well as we do that safe
and conservative Surety company like
the Aetna will not issue ten years
maintenance bonds without taking ample
time to look up the company that has
made application for same, and we. will
say to him if it were not for the good
standing our company has, and their
reputation for doing business in bust
nesslike manner, that it would be i'm
possible for us to secure ten years
maintenance bonds in a severe climate
like Minnesota, and furthermore, it be-
ing practically our first experience in APP
plying for surety company main
tenance bonds on asphalt paving. Con-
struction bonds are easy to secure,
maintenance bonds are not. About
streets being torn up all summer, we re-
spectfully refer Mr.. Kleinschmidt to the
city engineer of the various cities where
we have done work, list of which we
will be very glad to furnish him, and
if they state we have not done our
work with greater rapidity and caused
less inconvenience to the public than
any other contractors, in our line of
business, they have come in contact
with, then we do not want the contracts.
We will also say that if the members
of the city council of the city of Man
kato feel that they have made mistake
in awarding us contracts, and that it is
not to the best interests of the prop.