The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-07
Paving Men Accuse Each Other
of Being a Trust.
Denials and determinations Are
Very Abundant Today.
is SUSPICIOUS
Says Last Nights Bidding
Looked Like Combine.
Streets and Walk Committee
viii Consider Bids Friday.

one of the city officials claims that he
a telegram yesterday from q
reliable source stating that the Cleve-
land Trinidad Paving company. which
submitted bids to the council on KAN
sas avenue work, is in some sore OF al
lance with the Barber asphalt con-
Germ.
Ostensibly the. Cleveland Trinidad
Paving company was fighting the Bar
ber Asphalt company to a finish. Each
entered separate bids through their
representatives, and ran each other
down to the city officials and the coun-
cilmen. They told In glowing language
the wickedness of the other. But it is
claimed that this is trick which is
played by the Barber company wher-
ever it enters into a field to bid, that
of having a blind company to come in
and bid against it with the view Of in
timidating other bidders.
The Trinidad Paving company from
Cleveland handed in bids which were
higher in every instance than those Of
the Barber company and then Withdrew
them after the bids were opened on the
plea that they had discovered that they
were higher than anyone else.
'They certainly fight each other as il
they all belonged to the Barber COM
pany," was the way City Engineer Nc
Cabe gut it.
It is intimated by one of the con-
tractors that the whole list of the as
phalt contractors had an understand
ing with the Barber people in preparing
their bids.
The low bid of Bfadley's which was
invalidated by failure to give a certi-
fed check is characterized as -four
/ flushing by one of the city officials.
Bradley simply attempted little four
flushing He left off that check 50
| that the council could not take him up
on a bid and entered the bids simply
to work little bluff to see how things
would drift out" said the official.
tOf course didn't put up a check
at this time" said Mr.. Bradley this
morning Il don't want to do any-
thing unless 7 see that the council is
actually going to accomplish some
thing. If / sget that contract my certi-
ned check viii be put up quick enough
! didn't want to come in with a check
at this time for I knew that it would
! bring down a fight right away. I sim
/ ply wanted to let the council know
where I stood as regards the prices.
/ All of those fellows who came in there
and bid were Barber people. I was
/ the only independent bidder in the
bunch. Didn't I say so? I know that
crowd and know the way they do
I things. have been up against the
Barber company great many times.
RMS conway company from Chicago
which wants to put in California as
/ phalt is in with the BARRIERS.
THE council itself does not know
what it wants and after they have gone
all over this matter and readvertfsed
for bids, for this will have to be read
/ vertised I viii put IN my bid with q
/ certified check. The way those bids
were put in and with specifications
which call for repairs, the Barber. COM
pany has the whole thing. Their con-
I tract for repairs still has two years
/ to run and they viii jump in and en-
/ join the instant any contract is let
! to anyone else. I didn't want to get
mixed up in any fight like that now. If
+ the bids are readvertised for on a ba-
sis of repaving, I will put up a certi-
! fed check"
George W. -Lamson, who has a sales
1 agency Tor the California product,
claims that Bradley is not in earnest.
4 lie does not think that he has the
/ backing to put through a contract Il
was with Bradley for several DAYS
and when tried to pin him down to
anything as to what he expected to do
ne wouldn't say anything. He had a
great deal to say but nothing to show
for it. 1 didn't think that he meant
business SO went over to this Conway
company who are up in the business %
7 think the cheapest bid. 80 said
Mayor Davis. t'is the brick for s129 q
yard. It win outlast anything else
That Conway bid doesn't look bad
1 10 me- said City Engineer McCabe.
AT $1-03 a square yard that would
mean SiOl per lot 1t would cost
about Sl5.15 for the first yeag
and each year it would get less. This
! means about $1-25 a lot a month or
about what they pay out for street
sprlnkling purposes. This Conway
company has very reputable stand
ing and the California asphalt IS all
right believe If I was a tenent and
paying high rent on Kansas avenue I
would insist on the repaving of the
street at this price"
The streets and walks committee Of
the council will meet Friday evening
to consider the paving bids which
were submitted to the council Monday
evening.