The Daytona gazette=news. (Daytona, Fla.) 1901-1922, 1907-05-04
REASONS GIVEN
BY W. II. MCBRIDE
y . p


For the Action of the Commissioners
in Awarding the Hard Road
Contracts az. They Did.
There has been considerable dis
cussion throughout the county in ref
erence to the action Of the board of
county commissioners in awarding
the contract to Messrs. Cannon and
Long for building the hard-surface
road between Daytona and DeLand.
The commissioners claim that the
bids of Messrs. Cannon and Long,
although on their face not the low
est, would eventually save the tax
payers much money, as the two gen.
tlemen agreed in their respective
bids to carry the county warrants
without interest
The Gazette News publishes be-
low a number of reasons for the ac-
ton Of the board As set forth by
Commissioner Mcbride in last
week s lssne of the Del.and Record:
| kindly ask for 4 short space in
your paper to explain a few facts
to the tax payers in regard to
the letting of the contract for the
DeLand and Daytona road, on which
the DeLand News in last weeks is
sue, as usual 10 the Board of County
Commissioners, passed some severe
criticism and n direct charge of
graft
First wish to say the Board
advertised for bids ON the contract
and reserved the right to reject any
and all bids.
Second-When the bids were
opened We found them as follows:
D. NJ. Baker, of jacksonville, 81
$4,000 per mile; T. N. Page, ST.
$500, neither Of which stipulated
any agreement to carry county war
rants without interest to the county.
W. G. Cannon 8 bid was 50, 10000
per mile for hard surfacing and r.
T. Longs bid $4,000 for grading,
or total of $3O500O per mile.
They both stipulated in their bids
that they would carry all warrants,
after the hard surface fund had
been exhausted, for q term of twelve
months free Of interest to the county.
Figuring the interest on the cost
per mile as per Cannon and
Longs bid at the legal rate of s per
cent, they will get $2,SO6.OO net
per mile, Or $1,000 per mile less
than Mr.. Pages bid and 1920 less
than Mr.. Bakers.
Third-The Board realize the
utter impossibility of completing the
road by January lst, 1908, and if
such were possible we also realize
the funds were not available to pay
for same.
The law gives us no right to draw
warrants on anticipated funds until
after the levy has been made the
first Monday in July
By extending the time for COM
pletion to January, 1900, it gives
the contractors a reasonable time to
do first class Job, at the same time
gives the Commissioners the priv
lege Of drawing ON the third levy,
which we could not have done other
wise.
| think the majority of the board
will bear me out in saying that the
above are the true facts in this mat
ter, and the tax payers are at liberty
to Judge for themselves as to the
amount of graft attached to same.
| have realized long since the I'M
pOrtance and necessity Of this road.
and the responsibility Of the under
q taking had worried me more than
any proposition that has come before
the board in nv eight wear, service
in this capacity
| believe that the contract is in
the hands of experienced men. and
the same viii be rushed t. compile
ton as early as possible.
am in favor Of employing sup
erlntendent at a reasonable salary
to superintend the work and see
that the specifications are carried
out to the letter, and trust that when
the road is completed it will not
only be credit 10 the contractors,
but To Eolusia county.