The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-09

Evgey IOtE FAIRS WOVTHs 80
FJt VDtHDf FORN iLIftEA
Suen N fssrsse reHs WV me g'wmntna
Isn,fact n tteid tp-aystesn lgses
M OSua AMI tdda ~ tSFFHse Ne sats
aVvttte suits atWu NWfN f0f VtHfs,

M 0sua AMI tdfa ~ tSFfHse. We aats
aVuNne suits stp aWeH fSe Seafs'
The h1'dlrs ~ N me plumbing cou'fac,
IN sLs nsw public Httafy ~ Ftfth avsnis
seJ Fsftv tecdnd etteet ma fufiher delay
~ completion n the Imilflrg Tho Cor.
,~,,,,iop ronnaels onice hold The steclneaa
Ions IN frtr mohihs and nav they atc 10
s,ai M Tho cutntdfnlrf'a onice
Al ma presen, rata N progress am
,s,ble Ia NV when Inc NhtaSv h,tild'ns
iii l~ finished said John Caffere ~
c,,fSrs \ Hastings, Tho architects, yesa
t,ti,v. "itri " NOT hecn for eSaarefatiha
I.i,vs. dir Nv rrd tsre In civ departments,
II wotll have hcpn r%uinplclcd nav The
dol,y In tho plumbing specifications "
wayslr ~ rvanulc ~ the anhoyancc tho
s,cbleria have hren aihlected to.
.Vew Yrritrr- wotHttef chg %ftngteaa a
h.,n slow They cant understand, sup
nosa. why ihe building isn't ready for %.
~r,nancy. People simply don't understand
ths complexities n the system the arohi.
t0ctA have 10 meet
sof corrae, no building Al this sire and
character built by this city can advance
A. rapidly A. n built by private enterprise.
Tbare are numerous limitations Of q legal
character which have TO he endured. There
"a an unavoldable tanRle Of red tape which
mus, be unravelled. But In this particular
oaes therp have boon other causes.
in the first place. plans and specifications
which we prepare must meet with the APP
nroval Of the trustees Of tho New York
Public Library on the one hand and the
oi.v on the other. As to the trustees, there
has never been any difficulty in obtaining
Immediate decisions. As TO the city, this
will give an idea Of the obstructions which
retard progress.
.when the plans and specifications leave
cur hands they must go first to the Depart
ment Of Parks. After being approved by
The Park Commissi oner they are trans
mitted to the Corporation Counsel. Upon
'h.s approval they 60 back to the Depart
ment Of Parks, then to the printer. then again
10 the Department Of Parks, which transmits
them to the Corporation Counsel for proof
reading. The Corporation Counsel sends
them TO US for further p~roofreading. Once
more they must 60 to the Park Department,
again TO the printer, and after they are
printed they are returned once mora to the
Park Department, which finally submits
them to the Board Of Estimate and APpor-
eionment for final approval.
sThe Board OF Estimate submits them o
tho Comptroller for a report. The Comp
troler refers them to his engineering de-
partInent. From there h report is re-
turned to the Comptroller and submitted
by him to the Board Of Estimate, and not
until then Is an approval obtained and an
authorization secured under the law to
advertise for bids,
sThe bidding requires from three weeks
to two months, according to the Importance
Of the work involved. Upon the receipt Of
the bids by the Park Department they are
re- ferred to us for tabulation and report.
After consultation with the trustees we
report to the Department OF Parks, which
then reports to the Board of Estimate and
A~pportionment, and after all this the con-
tract Is awarded.
This process applies to all work, no mat
ter how small. The documents are obliged
to take their place In line. Even II every
BODY is interested in expediting matters
and no revisions are requested, 1t takes at
least four months from the time the speci-
f~ications leave our hands until the contract
is awarded. In some Of the most important
contracts the time which has elapsed has
been a year and a half.
THE main delays, outside OF the time
requisite for these different steps, naturally
occur in the Corporation Counsels office
and in the Department of Finance. As an
example bearing directly on these delays,
we have been e~ndeavoring since january l
to advertise for bids for the plumbing CON
tract. The specifications were in the Cor
poration Counsels Office a trifie over four
months.
- Einonpo and wa are Gnnfrnnta1 with
the extraordinary proposition that the
specifications, which have been prepared by
o leading expert in this city, to whom a large
commission is being paid for services and
which have been approved in detail by DR..
Billings, himself an expert in sanitation,
and BY this office, are now under the scru-
tiny OF an assistant engineer Of the Depart
ment Of Finance, who wishes us to modify
the specifications in fundamental details.
Il do not feel that any of these del nys
are due to political influence or to an
desire on the part Of any Of the officials
to interfere with the progress OF the work.
On the contrary, it is only fair to say they
have eXercI,ed care and conScientiousness.
But it goes without saying that this red
tape contributes nothing to the fnal result
except ddlay and added expenditure.
aAs to lhe financial aspect OF the matter
the delays represent ten times over in
interest charges any economy that may be
accomplished. have failed to find a single
instance in the case Of this library building
or any other public work that l have had
charge of where any economy at all was
occurred by such methods.
'In addition to the delays mentioned
there has hardly been a contract let on this
work that has not been enjoined and carried
70 the courts, resulting in delays Of months.
in the case of the main contract for the
building, which was awarded to Noroross
Bros, the delay was equivalent to q
year and q half. In the case Of the contract
Tor stacks, amounting to about 81 900 900,
the delay represented in time about a year,
but in actual obstruction fully a year and
o half. The suits have been brought in
each case by disappointed bidders and
invariably the suits nave been decided in
favor Of the city and Of the award, the only
result being a delay Of the work:
'We nave been reluctant during the prog
ress Of the work to make any statements
or to attempt an explanation Of the delays,
hoping each time that the next contract
would be let more expeditiously; but as
the public and ever the newspapers seem
10 misunderstood the situation we want tc
make the exact causes Of delay known apd
have people realize fully that it is the system
under which this library is being constructed
that is to blame"