The Washington herald., 1906-11-24
INDUSTRIES SCARED
Business Men ASsail Methods
of District Officials.
MANUFACTURERS COMPLAIN
Suy Outside Bidders for Local Sup
plies Get BETTER Chance Than Local
and shippers May Confer with the
District Commissioners shortly.

The meeting Of the directors of the job
hers and Shippers Association last night
resolved Itself into, a general discussion
upon the attitude OF the municipal govern
ment toward manufacture. which was
mildly condemned. This matter was
brought TO the attention Of the board
through a letter written by the Thomas
Somerville Company to E. p May. chair
man of the committee or manufactures.
In this letter Mr.. Somerville called at
tention 10 the recent award OF a contract
to furnish plumbing fixtures to the Muel-
Ter Manufacturing Company, OF Decatur.
Ill II appears from the letter that the
bid OF the Illinois firm was 81 less than the
local firm. and was assumedly awarded on
the ground Of price. After stating the
facts relative 20 the contract, Mr.. Somer-
willie says.
1t seems 20 us that it is useless for you
or your committee to try to induce man.
ufacturers or jobbers 70 locate in WASH
ington aader existing conditions. We
think, in Justice to the taxpayers Of the
District, We should have been given the
preference"
Matter Freely Discussed.
The facts brought out in the letter were
quite freely discussed by the members
Of the board. Mr. May spoke Of his ex-
perience as a bidder for District sun
plies. lie gave an instance when his firm
furnished picks 20 the District He said
that one day the street gang ran out OF
picks and messenger came hurriedly TO
u-ff O..
They were delivered NJ the point where
the men We're working as quickly as one
or the FIRMS wagons could get them
there That year there had been a separ-
alton in the bids for supplies. and Il
happened that the picks were furnished
by one house and the handles by an
other.
The same messenger from the street
boss came rushing back to the store with
tie complaint that Air MAY had not sent
any handles, ana the picks could not be
used. de explained to the messenger
that no handles could be furnished under
his contract. Mr.. May said the rnessen-
ger had 60 go back and the boss was
obliged to get out a special requisition
for the handlcS-and get il through the
routine Of the District Building before
they could be supplied. It took about
three hours, and the street gang was
practically idle all that time Mr. MAY
expressed the opinion that il would cost
the District many times the 81 in loss Of
time and I'm the necessity Of returning
goods not up 20 the standard IN dealing
with the outside firm.
Send Ont Copies of smoke Law.
Attention was called TO the practice OF
the authorities at the District Building I'm
sending out % mquiring manufacturers
copies Of the smoke law" and other reg
ulati0ns which practically serve asanotice
% persons seeking TO establish factories
that they are not wanted at the capital
OF the nation. Il was suggested that the
Commissioners or their subordinates ought
20 be impelled by better public spirit
The discussion was very frank. but en-
tirely free from ca9ti0us criticism The
members Of the board regretted that such
conditions exist, and the sense Of the
meeting was that the SomerviTe letter
should be referred TO the Commissioners.
and that they be visited by q committee
Of the board. It was thought that "a more
ccuciliat0ry attitude By the municipal
authorities IN this matter. as well as IN
the award of contracts 90 worthy local
firms. might have q good effect
Two Industries Secured.
Secretary Monroe Luchs reported the
actual establishment Of two small fac
tories as the result of the Greater Wash
iugton movement one OF these is the
Price box factory, on Hanover street, In
Southwest Washington, and the other is
a shop for the manufacture of mems
trousers.
G. @. CoruweU & Son and William
Enabe & Co. were elected members of the
association.
After the business meeting, the board
went into executive session 10 discuss pri-
vately some Of the routine matters Of
the association.