The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-12-22
MORE LIGHT ON
MORAN BONUS
Former Clerk of Public Works
Board Explains That
SO, $50 Letter.
WRITTEN AT PATS REQUEST
NOT PROPER BASIS FOR GRANT
ING THE BONUS.

w. II. Wilkins former clerk of the
board of public works. who was removed
from that position for political purposes,
gave an explanation last night of the
causes that led to the writing of a let
ter to p j. Moran on Feb. 9. 1906, under
date of Dec o. 1905. in which Moran is
Instructed to discontinue work on the Big
Cottonwood conduit and upon which Mo
ran bases his claim for n bonus in the
sum of $3.50, claiming that the conduit
was completed sixty-One days ahead OF
contract time after the time during which
work was discontinued by order of the
board was deducted from the actual time
consumed in the work.
No Bonus Necessary.
1t is the opinion of Mr. Wilkins that it
was not necessary for the board of pub
lie works to offer Moran bonus even in
the event that penalty clause Is at
tached to the contract. 1T is his opinion
also that the bonus of $50 per day was
high.
Optional With Board.
THE contract does not specify that the
work shall be completed in certain num-
Der of days" he said, but that it should
be completed by specified date. July IL.
II is further specified in the contract that
if any delay is occasioped by any action
of the board of public works. as in this
case where I ordered the work stopped,
this circumstance may be taken into con-
sideration by the board. This clause does
not state that such circumstance must
be taken into consideration. but that it
may be considered leaving such consid-
Grafton optional with the board.
when / ordered the work stopped on
Dec q. and it was stopped. 1t was merely
in compliance with the terms of the con-
tract which provided that concrete should
not be laid when the temperature was be-
low Sc degrees.
THE office of the city engineer figures
that Moran is entitled to eighteen days
bonus because the work was stopped for
that period by cold wea Their. The weather
should have been taken into consideration
by the contractor when he made the con-
tract. and the bonus for that period was
subject to the consideration of the board
when the contract was completed.
''The board should have taken up and
considered the matter of the bonus when
the final estimate was presented to that
body by the office of the city engineer.
1t was their dirty to check each item. and
the attention of the board should have
been called particularly TO the bonus item
by the city engineer
THE item was caught, however, by the
auditor. who directed attention to il.
when the item should first have been set
tied by the board.
Exposes Queer Letter.
II have no interest in the matter OK
cept that I desire to explain my posi-
ton I ordered the work stopped on Dec.
~ and failed to send written confirms-
ton of the telephone order to Moran the
following day. The matter then passed
from my mind. On Feb. g. Mr.. Gowan.
who is Moran's agent, called at the office
of the board and asked ne for written
confirmation under date of Dec 81 of the
telephone order. | wrote the letter. under
that date, and copied it in the book with
the other office letters of Feb. .. I had
nothing to conceal in the matter. In my
opinion the letter is not a proper basis
for claiming the bonus"