New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-02
TrILD SCHOOL y YEAR.
DIN WORKS LIKE CHARM.
Dornclly Explains HIS Scheme
Manor Fauors HeaUy Penalty.

..-,ral B DoDucIy. who IS one OF the Invest
-,e-s NJ the committee on buildings Of the
- NJ Fducatior. and Is well known as the
- az the General Board Of Arbitration
:, .se ~ev-yo-k Building Trades Association.
.,-5sy described "a plan. Of which ne is the
.u,hor by which an ordiLary scnoolhouse has
- t,,ur in eight months. and by which a
,.--e building now under construction viii. ac-
.--sine 10 indication. he built within a year.
~. plan which he calls the alternate bid
--.ros+fon.r is a modiacatien OF two OF the
..,.f schemes which have been presented as
...tls solutions OF the proh,em Of rapid school
-,.-,iction-to give contractors premiums for
=, early completion of their contracts. and to
,s.ase the best rather than the lowest. bidders
-a.r letting TIE contracts. Mr.. Donnelly ex-
,lsins hls plan as follows;
-. only way 10 get contractors 20 build
.l.ols as rapidly rs possible is TO pay them
y sas+er. II is question Of dollars and cents
.-sb Them. They are IN the building business
:, ear a living. and the question of sentiment
sors not enter into their considerations ON
Serer.tar 13. 1902, the department Of buildings
- .ho Board ~ Education let the contract for
- twenty-cirht classroom annex. which is Ia
,sis case as large as an ordinary school build
ar 10 Public school No. 12i. Brooklyn In
.s,a~-ieiug this contract the department an
rounced that tt wished two figures one FOR I'M
ssbing the annex ly September L. ls1a ana one
- enishirE tho school by January ]. 1905. The
~ handed iu Tor completing the work In the
sS--iest time was St49Oo while the other was
Ns9575 This was according 10 my suggestion.
ne department. decided 10 take the larger bid
"a give the man S6425 10 complete the Job
-ri,hlr eight months. which was considered ao-
,ortev the shortest time 3n which such an
.-ss-+skf-r could be accomplished. Allowing
se- s-kes and delays. for which he could not
- he'd responsible. he built that addition
v-thr Elk days over the eight months. and. by
Trmy :. which was about the date Tor com
.s+rr the work ~ 81 smaller price. the school
va occupied by tho children.
TRIAL * A BROOKLYN SCHOOL
he denartmert never inquired whether or
.of n had the legal right 10 let contracts on
fbs rlar. However, seven days after the nid
RAJ Aee- let iu this way Il was approved by
.hs controller. on December %. 1902. we let
80 contract Tor the 4S-cla ss-oom building which
vin be Public School no. 145. l}rooklyn, on
sis same plan Contractor William z Nc
Carr rut i3 two figures which he accidentally
ro twisted but the general result is just the
sane He offered TO complete the work 10y
March I. 1904. at one sum, and Tor Sb,Uoo more
- finish The same work by November 1. 1903.
The department took the b'd for the shorter
time Barring delays that were caused by con
6i-ions that ne not responsible for, the lat
est reports of the buildings inspectors are that
he viii IN all probability finish the work within
one year.
erected ir lust as short a period any other
class Of buildings. II we can continue 20 Jet
contracts on this plan. we can put mp average
ones In e wear Public School no. 1A5 viii be
oompleted away ahead of the usual time for
euch a large building. although the contractor
Fof his figures twisted and was compelled 10
4lHae by chem By the rigid regulations by which
the Department of buildings is bound This
morning there were on the work the unusual
number of sixty-niue men. When the other
contractors were doing nothing during the eN-
Sarat0rs strike last summer, he obtained ponce
Hr1tecion and went aheGd with his work
Ihe reason that the contractors WI nuiFy
on this plan is because they think that X they
1un way over their time as usual the committee
why. here. YOU SAID thet you would do the
lars less than YOU now ask"
7 believe that this Is the solution 20 this
problem. 7 brought this up again the other
dav I'm the committee on buildings. and sew
eral more bids win soon be let on my plan. II
on ordinary schoolhouse has been completed
once under 81 within eight months. such a thing
can be done again
THE MAYORS SUGGESTION.
Relief from the dnatory contractor and dis
patch In the erection of school buildings in this
city are offered in an opinion given by Mayor
Mcclellan yesterday. In answer 10 inquiries
made hy a reporter for The Tribune, Colonel
Mcclellan declared that the Board OF Education
had right 10 insert a time limit clause in Its
contracts. with heavy penalty for default. and
also. DO necessary. could reject the lowest bid.
The Mayor believed that such a contract would
BE- binding.
Il am speaking ofhand." said Colonel Nc
Clellan, "but certainly can see no reason why
'he Board Of Education should not insert a time
limit clause in its contracts, with penalty at
tached. just as the United States does. for IN
stance, in awarding contracts for battieships."
According 20 the statement Of G. b. J. Snyder,
superintendent of school buildiIgs as each OF
nc awards lis now made absolutely 20 the low
est bidder" 81 is unreasonable 10 suppose that
contractors VIII figure for other than mill de-
hver7. otherwise a bidder would be unable TO
make The lowest tender
y is my impression. however" said Colonel
Mcclellan yesterday. that tho lowest bid can. n
heoessory be regretted"