Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-12-20
ACCUSATION Of FRAUD
NEW ASYLUM CONTRACT
AFFAIR COMPLICATED
CONTRACTORS CLAIM DIscRIMI.
NATION AGAINST THEM IN
FAVOR OF RIVAL
BIDDERS.

Interesting developments in the Asy.
/ lum contract matter TRANSFERRED yes
! terday when the representatives of the
| AmeriCanHawaiian Construction Co.
wrote to Governor Carter that they
would not submit to arbitration, as
! follows:
That no arbitration could he bind.
| ing upon the Government, and even
after it had been had there would fol.
| low no protection to the contracting
company from the proceeding Of any
! citizen who might he inclined to com.
mence injunction proceedings against
! them to stop their work. that there
was no person in the Territory SUN.
! CienJly Informed upon the matter at
issue who was sufficiently impartial 30
! give his decision weight; that the
| bond3men Of the company under the
contract objected to any arbitration
| without a determination Of. the qucg.
| ton of fraud In the specifications
In connection with this matter tho
| contractors claim that they have been
| yictimiaod by underhand proceedings.
I They claim that the specifications re.
! garding the tamping and pressing of
q certain concrete block to he used in
! the construction was a trap, which
neither Superintendent Holloway nor
the firms head, MIR. Amweg, noticed
before the contract was signed. The
| apccihcatiOn. the contractors claim,
are impossible ~ performance. II Is
said that l.. Il. Pinkham, now presi
dent of the Board Of Health, informed
Architect BoardslCe. who designed the
plans for the Asylum, that he had
made certain very fine grained con.
crete blocks with a hand machine.
Such blocks were shown TO Holloway
and Bcardslce and We're made the basis
for the Specifications. II Is further
charged that Pinkham entered into an
agreement with the Concrete COnstruC.
ton Co., the opposing bidder for the
Asylum contract, agreeing to make for
II a machine which would make blocks
rs specified, and to do this without
the American Hawaiian Co.'S knowl.
edge.
: II is further claimed that Bcardslea
pdmitted that he had drawn the plans
In accordance with the Concrete Con.
struCtiOn Co. = wishes, and that
Bcardslee offered them the machine in
question but they refused.
Furthermore the aggrievcd Contrac
tors claim that when they bid for the
work several bids formerly prepared
were withheld. Later on Amweg found
that there was evidence of crooked
work and at this Beardslee admitted
that the contract had been manipulat.
ed so as to give II to the Concrete Con.
struCtiOn Co. Beardslee Is reported to
have said that he had hard work to
overcome HOlloway's and Howlands
objections and that he had to run n
blum on them TO have specifications
made for concrete block instead of
j brick building, for which srecifila.
tiOns, however, were also made. The
contractors, finding it impossible to
get a machine which would lamp aud
press blocks at the same time rcmou.
strated to Holloway. lie gave them
handled such machines but none of the
machines were found 10 do so.
Holloway in conference with the
Governor stated that he did not I'M.
derstand that the specifications called
for a concrete block to be tamped and
pressed at once. The kind OF q block
which was wanted had been seen by
him and the contractors and It was up
20 them to build the building accord.
ing to the specifications which they
must have read. Holloway was wilt
ing to have the matter arbitrared.
Architect BCardslee denies the
charges which the contractors make
against him. He had offered them all
the Information he had regarding the
Plnkham block in order to place tnem
ON the same footing as the rival com
pany.
President Pinkham, when called ny
the Governor, stated that he had made
the blocks in question by hand and
had offered TO construct a machine
which would make them. Beardslee
had offered the contract to make these
blocks to the Hawaiian Co.
while he himself was on Maui. When
he was appointed president of the
Board of Health he dropped the mat.
ter.
Governor Carter states that he has
found no evidence Of fraud and does
not think II would be fair to the Other
bidders il he should cancel the con
tract. The only thing to do was for
Holloway to insist that the contract
he performed. In case Of refusal the
matter should be referred to the Attor.
ucy General for action for the com.
puuE'- si0,0uD bond put up for the per.
.yrnau.n Of the contract The Gov,
oruur uOiIrNua it best to have the case
I,lara'd out in the courts 10 that, II
any fraud has been done, the guilty
parties can be found.