Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-18
CITY TO BUILD
OUTFALL Sc WEIR
CONTRACTORS MUST FORFEIT
100000 BOND
Board of Public Works Decides to
Take Action Leading to
Completion of Inn
proVement

THE board has received no notice
from the contractors that they intend
to abandon their contract, but we know
they have quit work on the outfaIl
sewer.
I'VE will be guided in our actions by
the advice of the city attorney. The
people may be assured that the sewer
will be built and we have in no way
altered our determination to cause it
to be completed on the original plans
as a gravity sewer and to hold the
contractors and their sureties to the
full mea sure of liability under their
contracts"
Late yesterday evening President An
derson of the board of public works,
on the advice of the city attorney, gave
out the above as a semi-offiCial state
ment of the position of the city on the
outfall sewer question. This was the
first statement having any official au-
thority given out during the day and
even this little was not allowed to drib-
BILE through the fingers of the board
until many consultations with the city
attorney and Mayor McAleer.
In this statement the board gives pos
tive assurance that the outfall sewer
will be constructed and that the half
million dollars Los Angeles property
owners have already sunk in the big
conduit will not be wasted. Just how
the work is to be finished has not been
stated, and d. X. Edwards, a member
of the board. yesterday acknowledged
that the board had not yet made up its
mind which of the two courses open to
it would be followed.
Bond Can Be Collected
The board now is chiefly engrossed
in the legal phases of the question,
Contractors Stansbury and Powell are
under bonds of 100000 to perform the
work according to contract, and if it
is proved that they have finally aban-
doned the contract of constructing the
sewer this 100000 will be collected.
Long litigation is expected before this
money can be turned into the city S
Golfers, but the city attorney has no
doubt that every cent of it can be
collected. In all about five-siXths of
the conduit has been completed and for
this Stansbury & Powell have received
S340, 900. The contract price for the
entire tunnel was $565 900. OF this
amount the city has held back 25 per
cent, or $4,000, under the terms of
the contract, to be paid when the en-
tire job was completed and accepted
In all the city holds 1925, 600 of the
contract price which has not been paid
the contractors and the 100000 bond
money. With $325,O0O the board has
more than half the entire contract
price of the sewer and with but one
half of the conduit to complete
The board, however. cannot under
stand why it has not been notified by
the contra tors that the contract has
been thrown up.
"Of course, we know to a mora,
certainty that such is the case" said
City Attorney Mathews yesterday, "al.
though we have so far had no ofTicia
notification. We are equally certain
that the sewer will be completed and
that the public has no cause for alarm
Asks the Reason Why
In order to learn officially that the
contract had been given up by STAINS.
bury & Powell, City Engineer Stafford
yesterday sent the following letter tC
the contractors:
In reference to the outfall sewer,
observe that since July 10 there has
been a total suspension of work on the
sewer and it is rumOred that you have
abandoned the same and do not pro
pose to carry out the contract between
the city and yourself for the construc
ton of said sewer.
since there does not appear to bt
any reason or cause for your aban
donment of the work, wish to inquire
whether you have, in fact abandoned
the same. and if So why you abandoned
1t. If, however, you propose to resum,
work and to complete the sewer | bel
to be Informed when work on the sam,
will begin"
The board of public works has TIVE
methods of completing this contract
1t can either let a contract for tn,
uncompleted portion of the work ant
charge the amount to the contractor
or do 1t by day labor and still charg,
the cost 10 the contractors.
one of these methods, il Is said. surel,
will be followed and the outfall sewe
will be built