The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-19
THAT BUILDING INCOMPETENCE

With respect to the bids and contracts
on tho Newman school, The Tribune has
been shown certain affidavits which set
for these points:
Andrew Madseu. manager of the
| Great Western Mill s. Building com
pany, offered to build this struc-
ture for $32,144. But he failed to put
up a certified check for five per cent Of
the bid as the invitation TO bidders
required. week after. having heard
Gas Mr.. Madsen told Tribune reporter)
that his company was willing to put his
check, the president Of the board offer
ed him the contract, the ones to whom
to withdraw if tho Madsen concern
would take this job at the figure he bid.
But Madsen declined. He states that
he has no complaint against the board,
but was treated with the utmost fair
ness and impartiality. He says a mis-
take was made in his calculation, and
that the price bid by Asher, Noall &
Co. was as low as the work could be
done for; no one could have done it
cheaper.
Matthew Noall sets forth the bid of
his firm to do the work for SAL 200,
their offer to withdraw if the Great
Western Mill & Building company
would contract to do the work accord
ing TO it's bid. VIM. j. Tuddenham,
who had the contract under Asher,
G.. he
forth his offer TO cancel his contract if
the offer of his principals were accepted.
r. Kletting states that he was the
architect Of the building, that he cx-
amined the bids; that the Great West
ern Mill & Building company wrote sug-
costing readvertising, claiming this
would save the board several thousand
dollars. Mr.. Kletting says that the COM
pany's bid was evidently too low, as
compared with other bids and the cost
of similar school buildings, and also as
compared with bids on another propos-
ed building, on which the bid of the
Great Western Mill & Building com
pany was $4,000 above the lowest
bidder. Mr.. Kletting further states
that the building was constructed in full
compliance with the building ordinance,
and that the City Building Inspector
never ordered any change.
D. w, Gamble, city building inspector,
say the building was constructed in q
first class manner, there has been no
settling: it could not have been con-
structcd better, and S43, 900 for its CON
struction, without plumbing and heat
ing, was a very reasonable price. He
says nothing of the defective specifica-
tons which he corrected and ordered
changed as he affirmed once, and which
Mr.. Kletting now denies.
From all of which, in the face Of the
allidavits, 1T appears that the board, by
q sheer stroke of great luck, in spite of
bad management, has got school house
that is worth the money paid for it. This
is fortunate for the taxpayers, but. we
submit, is hardly a satisfactory basis
on which to carry on public business.
or TO expend public money The fact
is that the board seems TO have little
or no idea Of how to build. 1t ought
certainly to have readvertised. as the
Great Western Mill & Building company
according to Mr., Kletting,
1t Is pcrllous 10 make awards to the
next y, especially when that "ncxt''
IS nearly one-third higher; for su--os.
ing there TO be a series of "nexts'. all
straw bids, and then a genuine bid.
double the lowest, great wrong could
easily be done. The whole procedure
demonstrates fully the un6tness Of the
board to deal with this subject, and its
neglect to name a building commission
10 have charge of the bids and contracts
IS imperiling the chances Of success for
It's building bond proposition,