The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-11-10

drawings covered no less than forty
three large sheets Of complicated
work, each sheet over ten square feet
In area.
NOT SUFFICIENTLY ADVERTISED.
Advertiseme for bids for the
construction Of the northeast bou'e
ward were published fourteen days
before the ordinance authorizing the
advertisements was approved and the
bids were opened three days before
the ordinance was approved.
"A car, full analysis Of all filtration
aovertisiDg,' the report continues,
Indicates that everything possible was
lone 70 avoid any real publicity with
ouO letting that fact appear too pro.
nlnently In the records. The bu.
reau's preliminary estimates, instead
of being freely furnished to bidders
we're vigorously guarded secrets so far
as the general bidder was concerned,
except that they were furnish, d In
the specifications for tilterng materi
ais, where they we're very little need.
ed. The specifioationS in many par.
t1culars were unfair to bidders, and
gave excessive and unnecessary power
TO the city officials. In short, the
Specifications were SO drawn that the
engineer In charge could harass an un.
welcome contractor to an almost un
limited extent without the contractor
being able to prevent it or secure
legal redress"
CONTRACTS FOR FAVORED BIDDERS
Tho report. which makes more than
twelve thousand words, goes into de
tails to show how contracts were let
to favored bidders, and how other
methods were used to help favored
contractors. A fr, quently used
method OF guiding contracts into the
desired hands. the report says, was to
readvertise them whenever others
we're the lowest bidders. In SON g
cases contracts were let to the firm
which promised to do the work in tho
shortest time and not to the lowest
bidder. The McNichol bids always
proposed strikiDgly short periods for
the completion Of contracts, and In
one case notice to begin work was
given to McNichol four months after
ne started the operation, so that the
lirm would have four moro months in
which to complete the contract. In
many instances, the proposed time
vas exceeded by from 10 to 200 per
cent. In the aggregate, the report
says, McNichol could have been as
Sessed for liquldated damages for over
tlme about 1892, 900. He was actu.
ally assessed 1926.
we have received testimony from
many contractors, the report says In
connection with favored contractors
that the conditions described kept
them from bidding. We have also
received statements that city Officials
directly disco uraged bidders from
ubnnitsing bids. Ehis field -has4not
yet been fully explored"
The report says the filtration sys
tenn ought to have been completed O,
January l, 1904; that siuce June
1904, when the West PHILADELPHIA
district began receiving filtered waite:
there have been only ten deaths from
typhoid fever out OF population OF
ror6y one thousand. At the same
proportional rate the deaths from
1ypnoid fever in the whole city sinct
January |, 1904, when the filtered
water system ought to have been com
pleted, should have been fifty seven
or less, whereas 257 have died from
the disease. Since January /, 1904,
the total number OF cases OF typhoid,
'Dcluding deaths, was III 97S. The
diii9fence between 81 and 257, the
report says, represents the loss OF life
due TO the methods that have been
employed in conducting the filtration
works.