The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-09-15
THE REPORT
 FROM SHONTS : estigatiOn Into Alleged . Irregularities. $50, ,Ooc, ,000 CONCESSION Discusses Panama Commits
 sary Matter. President Roosevelt Decides to Let Bis Contract Go to Mir. Markei,
 as at First
 Placed.

New York. Sept. 14.--The President yesterday received from Theo F. Shonts, Chairman of the Panama Canai Commission, a special report of an in- vcstigation into charges of irregulari- ties In the granting of the $6e,Ooo,ooO commissary concession made by huo- gins & Dumas of New York. according 10 a dispatch from Oyster Bay.
 The report, which was ordered by the President last week. came to Saga more Hill by a special messenger from Mir Shontss home in Connecticut The messenger remained in Oyster Bay un- til a reply was received from the Pres ident.
 It is understood that Chairman shonts's report on the granting of the concession was satisfactory and that the President will take no further ac- ton on the Hudgins and Dumas charges.
 In his letter to the President Mir. shonts says that on his arrival at the isthmus on July 2s he found most pressing necessity for immediate arr arrangements for feeding the employees and that it was determined by Govern or Magoon, Mir. Stevens and himself that this matter should be handled by the Panama Railroad and not by the Isthmian Canal Commission, as the commissary department was already in charge of the railroad company and that company was alredy operating one hotel at Colon. Continuing, he says:
 "I found Jacob E. Market on the isthmus, he having gone down at the instance of Mir. Wallace to study the situation. It was decided while on the isthmus that the railroad company should furnish ,he plant. including the buildings and equipment; that it should maintain the buildings and the contractor maintain the equipment, so that In the event Of it's becoming nec- essary for the railroad to cancel the contract we could control the entire plant When our general purchasing officer, MT. Ross, and I returned to the States we imediately began the prep avation of such specifications as we thought necessary to enable us prop+ erly 10 receive proposls for the feed ing privilege. ( we had told him we expected to take this step on our return and would like to have him make a proposal when we got ready to submit specifications.
 Hurried by Stevens.
 we later received communications from Messrs. Hudgins and Dumas and MT. Baalfe asking for opportunity to make proposals. As soon as the speci- tications were made we mailed them to MT, MaTkoi ana tt1uuBlHS G DuuidS anu to Mir. Balfe each a copy in tho same form and invited proposals. We did not advertise because 1t was a rail- road matter and because of the urgency of the case have had several cable- grams from MT. Stevens since my re- turn asking me to expedite the ar- rangement. as existing conditions were very bad"
 Mir. Shonts said that at the sugges- 1R EnAHinQ 2 Dnn1aa the general menu which had been arranged was replaced by a weekly menu and that all bidders were governed thereby. The first proposals of Hudgins x Du- mas were in many particulars so much under those of the other bidders that he wrote them, giving additional in- | formation and permitting them to amend their bids, which they did As amended their proposals were consid- ] erably above those of Mir. Markell Continuing, Mir. Shonts said: In | making the award I took into consid- | eration not only the prices, but the ex- | perience of the bidders and the or ganizations for the business that they now have. I found that Messrs Hud- gins & Dumas had had no experience in this bushes except three years com tract on Ellis Island, a purely local 1 propoaition: that MT. Market has had thirty years experience in this special field of operating railroad hotels and constructing camps on the Union Pa cific. Illinois Central. Chicago. Burling- ton and Quincy, Kansas City Southern and other railroads; that he has now large camps on two or three of these roads; that he has such a large force that he can withdraw from 1t sufficient help to equip promptly the hotels that we have constructed and will also be in a position, if the climate affects his stan, to keep supplying new men from his force in the United States as exi- gency demands and letting those on | the isthmus return here to recuperate, thus having a constant chain of fresh employees going to tho tsthmus."