Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-11
CORNER IN OIL
CAUSES FURRY
PASADENA MAY READVERTlSE
FOR BIDS
ollns Of Streets Under Vrooman Act
Is Delayed by Unexpectedly
High Prices Named by
Bidders
Pasadena Agency,
1914 East Colorado Street.
Telephone Main 752.

PASADENA, Aug. 1O.-When the city
council reassembles Tuesday 1t will re-
ceive a recommendation from the com
mittee to which we're referred the bids
for the oiling of streets, asking that
every bid be rejected and that new bids
be advertised for. This Is practically
what the committee has agreed to do.
Investigation has convinced those in
trusted with the investigation that the
bids for this work are almost IL not
quite twice as high as they should be,
indicating the presence of a good sized
higger in the woodpie somewhere.
Since the bids were held up 1t is al
legged that several bidders have con-
fessed to q willingness to do the work
for less, especially If a different grade
OF oil is permitted by the specifications.
They allege that the firm of Blodget,
White e. Baldwin, which, with Andrew
Holloway, bid lowest for the work, holds
q virtual monopoly Of the sale of the
quality of crude oil named in the speci
fications and has placed the price of
that oil so high that the work cannot
be done cheaper than the figures given
in the recent bids.
The requirement in the specifications
is as follows: 1.-The oil herein provided
for shall be crude mineral oil of ten TO
eleven degrees Baume, and shall con-
tain not less than S5 per cent d grade
asphaltum at $50 degrees penetration
and shall not contain more than per
ment of water and sediment"
Monopoly, It Is Claimed
1t is this grade of oil which the city
demands for the work of Improvement
contemplated and of which the COM
pany named is said to have a monopoly,
enabling it to put the price high enough
to shut out all competition.
But the city authorities insist that If
1t is certain that this grade of heavy
oil cannot be secured at the prices be-
lieved to be reasonable another less de-
sirable oil will certainly be substituted,
as no attempt to hold up the city will
be countenanced.
City Attorney Wood says that the
prices named - tie bids are "out-
rageously high" and it is expected that
when the committee, consisting of City
Engineer Pearson, City Attorney Wood
and Street superintendent Boyer,
makes it's report the phraseology will
be sizzling hot with evident intent to
roast the gentlemen who are believed
to have attempted to taiie advantage of
the city in this matter.
The city is in great haste to get the
extensive street oiling work done and
does not fancy the delay occasioned by
the present dispute. Mayor Water
house, who is somewhere in the middle
west on business, is expected home on
Monday. and it is believed that he will
favor accepting the recommendation of
the committee as outlined above
Crown City Notes
Rev H. C. Shoemaker, pastor of the
Wrist Presbyterian church at Santa
Ana, will address the Y. M. C. A. Sun
day afternoon. His subject will be
Where is the Land of Nod ?"
Manager ]. S. Valley of the Cav
ston ostrich farm at South Pasadena
is mourning the loss of a handsome
diamond shirt stud which one of the
ostriches nipped and swallowed a day
or two ago.
Grant Orth has received the contract
for the wrecking of the brick buildings
still standing on the site of the proposed
chamber of commerce building on East
Colorado street. He will make use of
the brick in the erection of another
warehouse.
At the regular monthly meeting of
the Humane society today reports of
the work for July showed that seventy
two cases had been attended to by the
society in that time. OF these twenty
eight cases were dismissed; animals to
the number of twenty-four were de-
stroyed; three arrests were made and as
many warnings issued. The month has
been exceedingly busy.