The Savannah morning news., 1904-03-11
LEONARD FAILED
To PUT UP CASH
LOST CITY HALL CONTRACT.
NEW BIDS WILL PROBABLY BE
CALLED FOR AT ONCE,

Special Meeting of Council Called
for This Afternoon, when IL VIII
Doubtless BE Decided to Ask for
New Bids-OnIy short Time to BE
Given for Submitting Bids Now IL
is Thought. a. Everyone Under
stands SituatiOn-Leonard's $500
Now on Deposit May BE Forfeited.
Contractor S. s. Leonard. having
failed TO give a surety bond. and hav-
ing failed also TO put up a cash de-
post. viii not now be given an oppor-
tunity 10 build the new City Hall.
Having failed 10 comply with the re-
quiremenss after repeated concessions
were made him Council is prepared to
make a contract with some one else.
- special meeting Of City Council has
been called for this afternoon at
o'e3ooS and the chances are that new
BIDS wll - called FOR.
Whatever happens. however, in re-
Es-6 &c the new building, Contractor
Leonard Is cut OF the question. As
matters row stand the indications are
that Ihs General supply and Construc-
S5oa Company OF New York will get
the contract. The chances are, how
ever. thai new bids Will be called for
before the contract is. for a second
Eiue. awarded.
The new City Hall is now the all
absorbing topic. The entire matter
has taken such a peculiar turn that it
would take a Philadelphia lawyer to
determine Just what is what. The in
dications now are that the old slate
will be wiped clean, and the aldermen
will begin all over again.
No Bids Before Council.
In awarding the contract to Leon
ard, all other bids were rejected. There
are therefore no bids before Council.
1t is true. of course, that several of
the firms that had low bids submitted
would be glad to have their offer ac
cepted. AS the matter now stands,
however. the situation is peculiar.
At the start Leonard did not submit
a bid according to requirements. 1t
was specified in the advertisements
that all bids must be accompanied by
a $500 check. In all cases, except in
Ieonards, this was DONE His bid was
lower than all others. though, and the
aldermen gave him time to put up
the check. He did this, but afterwards
failed to put up the surety company
bond required. He made a proposition
that a cash deposit of $4,000 be ac-
cepted in place of the bond, but this
was rejected. Still another proposition
was made by Leonard, which was met
with a partial rejection, which put
him out of the field
May Keep LeOnard's Forfeit.
The $500 put up by Leonard may
and may not be kept by the city What
will probably be done. however, will
be contingent upon the offers under
the new request for bids. If the low
est bid submitted is not so low as the
bid of Leonard, his check will doubtless
be held to make good the deficiency
In other words the city is not to lose
by his failure to carry out his offer.
This is the view presented by the con-
sentative element of Council. The
check will, therefore, doubtless be held
until bids are again received, and ii
will be used to make good any differ
ence that may exist between Leon
ards bid and the next bid that is ac-
cepted.
The probabilities now are that Coun-
Gil will call for new bids on short no.
fice, not over two or three days. The
contract will then be let to the lowest
responsible party. In the last bids
opened the New York company was
the second lowest, with Grant wilkins
a close third. Grant Wilkins is now
in the city, and called at the City EX-
son, representing the General Supply
and Construction Company of New
York, is also here. Either of these gen.
tlemen, it is said, could give any bond
required on a very short notice.
If one of these two firms is selected,
as seems likely, the surety company
bond will be given without any delay,
it is said.
savannah Concern working.
The Savannah Contracting Company
yesterday filed a communication with
the clerk of Council to be read to the
aldermen, asking to be given a hearing
in the event Leonard failed to meet
the requirements. This company would
have no trouble making bond. There
are innumerable companies that are
anxious for the contract and are pre-
pared to give any reasonable bond.
In the bids submitted to the city,
the next lowest to Leonard's were as
follows, on Georgia marble, with brick
and terra Gotta:
Grant Wilkins .............. sos, 900 90
General Construction and
Supply Company of New
York INSTRUMENTATION. 213,bI1 90
On the proposition B, for Winnsboro
granite and limestone, the bids We're:
Grant Wilkins ............... $4,000 90
General Construction and
Supply Company of New
York NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 220,507 90
On specifications c, the two next low
est firms were:
Grant wilkins .............. .$2o9, 300 90
General Construction and
Supply Company of New
York ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. 215,497 90
These figures show that the bid of
Mr.. Wilkins is the lowest on all speci-
ications, except Winnsboro granite.
The probabilities, however, are that the
old bids will not be considered, and
that new bids will be called for.