The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-09-09
SHONTS ASSAD -
BY CONTRACTORS
Unsuccessful Bidders Appeal to
the President
COLLISION IS CHARGED
Trouble Arises Over Contract for Feed
ing and Hou-Ing Greater Part of
the Panama Canal
Employees.

New York September S.-Charges or col
lusion, precipitancy and predisposition
in favor of the successful bidder, were
made today when Chairman shonts of the
Panama canal commission announced that
he had awarded concessions for feeding
and housing the greater part OF the
canal employees to ]. B. Market of Omaha,
H. Balfe & Co. and Hudgins & Dumas,
both firms of this city, who were the only
other bidders for the Panama conces-
sion, today sent kilograms and letters to
President Roosevelt at oyster Bay pro-
testing against the award of the contract
to j. b. Market At the same time the
two firms addressed letters to Chair
man shonts Withdrawing their bids in the
belief that this action might inyalidate
an award to Mr. Market by leaving only
one bidder in the field.
In a statement given out today the
protesting firms declare the Panama con-
tract involves no less than s5O,O0o,0oo.
Called for Some Changes.
Hudgins and Dumas asserted that after
presenting their bids, they received a
letter from Mr.. Shonts in which he inti-
mated that their ngures were too low,
and set forth number of conditions
which were not mentioned in the draft
of the proposed contract on which the
bids were based. Hudgins and Dumas
declare that they received this informa-
ton about $3.50 o'clock on Wednesday
afternoon, and We're told by Mr.. Shonts'
secretary that his principal required an
I,xy A ~ 10
, consumed in typewriting, they assert they
had only ten minutes to revise their bid.
In their telegram to President Roosevelt,
Hudgins and Dumas say:
Telegram Sent to President.
circumstances connected with the
awarding of this privilege seem to indi-
cate collusion, one entire section of our
bid having, as we discovered by examina-
ton yesterday, been credited to Mr.. Mar
ket as the original production while the
precipitancy by which bids were called
without public advertisement. and with
no regular time set for receiving and
opening said bids in the presence of bid
ders warrant us | nthe assumption that
a predisposition to award the contract to
Mr.. Market existed and that other con-
siderations were sacrificed to this end
Works Out Comprehensive Scheme.
Following a months visit to Panama,
Mr.. Market has worked out comprehen-
sive scheme which 1t is stated includes
the early establishment of ten hotels
along the canal and railroad each of them
to accommodate from $50 to $50 dodgers,
and twice as many diners. These hotels
1t is declared will compare favorably with
the better class of commercial hotels in
this country, and will be used chiefly
by the higher salaried employees. The
average rate for board and lodging will
be about $36 per month. For the laborers
| employed on the canal, or In any way
| identified with that project, the con-
| cessionaire will at first establish twenty
| commissary camps and later one hundred
| additional ones. Laborers will have the
| privilege of buying their food cooked or
| uncooked at these camps and will be
| furnished with the necessary table ap-
| pointments. The average rate to laborers
| for cooked food will be about s14 a
month.
/ Part of the contract provides for trans
| portation at cost for all food supplies
| and materials used by the concessionaire
and also for his employees.