The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1908-07-25
Let Many County Contracts
Without the Bids Required
BY State Law.

Ihefe Ia state law providing
that on all bridge work TIRE county
commissioners shall call for com.
petitlve bids where the expenditure
exceeds 1900
The present county commission
era, Ike their predecessors. appsr-
emily pay absolutely no attention
70 this law They seem 70 be d
law unto themselves. and the rec
ords Of the office viii afford dts
tnct shock 10 the citizen who
would like 20 believe that their
chosen servants az least pay some
attention 10 the statutes which
govern the operation OF the i'm.
pOrtant office they hold
From January 3. 1907. 10 May
10. 1903. the county commissioners
awarded contracts for repairs aud
construction work on is different
bridge Jobs Ia this county. none
q which were awarded. az the law
alstlncily stipulates, on the basis
81 competitive bids
These Jobs cost the county any.
where from several hundred dol.
lars to as many thousands. In
practically every case the commits
sioners simply declared an emer.
Rency and awarded the contract 20
some favored firm.
Gets Many Contracts.
Out Of this total number Of fat
Jobs which the commissioners ped
died out eight vent 10 the Inter.
national Contract company. These
eight Jobs represented the cream
Of the bridge work IN the period
named. One was for the renewal
Of the South Park drawbridge.
which, as can be readily imagined.
ran into biz money.
On May "a. 1907, the commle-
fiOners declared an emergency on
the opening and repairing Of the
snoQualmie Pass road from Mouse
Ridge 20 Rocky Ford, a distance OF
IL miles, including the reconstruc-
ton OF a bridge across Kimball
creek, west Of the town at sno-
qualmie falls.
On March /. 1907. an emergency
vas declared for repairs on the
Novelty bridge The lob was hand.
ed over 10 the International Con.
tract company al actual cost plus
IS per cent
Price 10 Unrestricted.
On March ~. 1907. another em.r.
Eency was declared for repairing
the West Seattle trertle. This cor.
tract went 70 Cole 4 Esty. No
restrictions appear as TO the
amount OF money 10 be spent.
June IL. 1907, the International
Contract company received another
plum. the repair Of the Quall-Adams
bridge. actual cost plus Is per cent.
On April 3. 1907. the Sherman
creek bridge. in road district No.
II. Nashon island. was repaired by
virtue of an emergency declared by
The commissioner.
On The same date l.. n. GoeriR
was given the Job of fixing up the
pIiing on the o. c. Nelson road.
Another emergency.
On June s. 1907. John Ronnes
was ordered TO reconstruct two
bridges ON the Cherry Valley road.
Emergency again.
Emergencies Are Frequent.
Thus the record continues
throughoat the year Emergency
after emergency was declared. Con-
tract after contract was handed
out. and thousands OF dollars spent
on work which was given out
without calling for bids.
The fact that the International
Contract company received the big
Jobs with striking regularity was
called to the attention OF the com
missioners.
"Oh, they always do the work
cheaper than the others" came the
explanation.
Several entries we're found in
the commissioners records where
this company had entered bids
against other contractors. With
one single exception their bid had
been higher than the others. The
commissioners explanation and
the commissioners record failed to
correspond.
have run on. like Time, forever.
The commissioners called attention
TO the big freshets In the winter
as an excuse for emergencies.
Emergencies All Year Round.
No one has ever suspected the
rivers OF such dangerous practices
as overflows during the month OF
August. however. and the fact that
In August OF last year five emer-
gency jobs for bridge and river
bank repairs we're doled out with
out bids may be attributed 20 an
error on the part Of the rivers
II the commissioners wish their
statement 70 be taken seriously.
II Is somewhat OF a shock, I'm
view Of the ready alacrity of the
commissioners to spend thousands
OF dollars on emergency repairs
for roads and bridges. to remember
that they allowed one dock at
Stones Landing TO rot away until
II collapsed last spring with sew
eral hundred people, resulting in
damage suits aggregating 100000
being filed against the county.
OF course Il was not such big
job as the South Park drawbridge,
or some of the other costly repairs
which were undertaken, but IN
view OF the subsequent damage
suits the average business man
would have considered Il wise
precaution 90 have invested the few
hundred dollars necessary 10 have
put Il In safe condition.