The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-04-28
AsIATIc EMPLOYEES.

in another recent case in Honolulu the
Superintendent of Public Works conn
demned lumber used in a government
building contract because it was mill
ed by citizen employing Asiatics.
If the law concerning the employ
ment of citizen labor is to remain on
the statute books it should be en-
forced against all alike, as it is ex-
ceedingly unfair to require contractors
to base their bids on high-priced citi-
zen labor and then allow a favored
contractor to bid low and get the con-
tract, knowing that the citizen labor
law will not be enforced against him.
NEGLECT OF THE CONTRACTOR
AND NEGLIGENCE OF PUBLIC
WORKS OFFICIALS.
The specifications call for the con-
slant presence of the contractor or his
foreman, while the job is going on.
We find that the contractor was not
present on the job more than three or
four days, and then only when COM
plants were made that the specifica-
tions had been violated.
The contractor, l.. NJ. Whitehouse &
Co, sub-let the contract to j. G. Car
ter, and then appointed the sub-con-
tractor its foreman, paying no further
attention to the job.
1iis fact was well known to the
Public Works Department, but no OBJ
lection was made thereto. ht
We consider this to be rank viola
tion of the contract and evidence of
neglect of duty by the officials of the
Public Works Department.
VIOLATION OF SPECIFICATIONS.
We find that there are so many de.
partures from and violations of the
specifications that we are forced to
believe that they We're not only inten.
tional, but systematic, and must have
been calculated upon when the con
tract was estimated upon.
We are informed that as to the bulk
of the violations of the contract nc
attention was paid thereto by the Pub
| lie Works officials until outside parties
repeatedly called attention thereto.
There are so many of these depart
ures from the specifications that we
will only enumerate the principal ones
They are as follows:
/. Stills. The specifications called
|
The contractor has used stills 10x1s
inches in size, making saving of ma
terial of the value of about $50.
2. Posts, Orders, Stringers and Root
Trusses.
The specifications call for best quail
ity of material, and give dimensions
Some of the posts used are smaller
than called for by the specifications
and are of unsuitable and inferior ma
terial, resulting in further saving t.
the contractor and loss to the public
3. Purlins. The specifications call
ed for 3foot centers. The plans show
ed 5-foot centers.
The proper strength of the buildin,
requires the purlins to be 3-foot cen
ters, but the contractor ignored tn
specifications and placed them 5;foo
centers, and the Superintendent o
Public Works has permitted it.
BY not following the specification
the contractor saved about $50 on thi
item.
4. Splicing. BY ignoring the speci
fications about splicing the ccntracto
saved about $50.
8. Outside Trlmm hg. Ky not TO
lowing specifications the coutracto
} saved about $50 on this item.
6. Columns of Porch. The sptcif
cations called for ma1enp column
J l6xl6 inches.
The contractor substituted SxS inc
plain columns, entirely changing tn
appearance of the porch and savin
about $50.
4. Window Caps. The contracto
about SIS ON this item.
s. Corrugated Iron Roof The spec
} fications called for two laps at joint
The contractor only made l 1-2 lap
This change weakens the roof an
saved the contractor about SIS
weight of iron.
9. Iron Ridging. The specification
! call for extra wide ridging. The col
tractor used narrow ridging instea,
making an understandable job and sa'
I ing about $l4.
10. Finish Flooring. The specii
! cations call for vertical grain selecte
flooring.
The contractor has substituted q
} inferior grade of flooring, making
saving of approximately $64.
\ This change will not be compensate
, for by making reduction in the pric
D which is 81 per 1000 feet of lumbe
The inferior grade of lumber wi
Z never make as good a marching fot
Y as that specified.
. In this connection it is to be note
Z that while vertical grain lumber WI
y called for, for flooring for the interi
b of house to be used by men, inferi
4 material was allowed, while in the ca
Y of the Brewer Wharf, where vertic
B grain was called for to be used O.
: doors, chiefly by horses, the depaI