Omaha daily bee., 1908-06-20
CRAIG SAYS THERE IS No POOL
Denies Implication that Paving Con-
tractors Have UNDERSTANDING.
VAN COURT BEFORE THE BOARD
County Commissioner Will Hold
Consultation ON the Matter
of REJECTING Bids for
Roads Saturday.

II will rot c~riticise the Board OF County
Commissioners. the men composing that
hoard are without a doubt trying their
best 70 save the county money, but do
resent this Implication OF being a CRATER
and OF having formed q pool with other
contractors to force up the price Of con-
struction OF the county roads. says George
W. Gratis Of the Katz-Cralg Construction
company. in relation to THE refusal by the
board Thursday Of bids BY local con-
tractors and its decision to invite outside
competition.
Tho accusation Of a pool can best be
ref,ited By tho accusation itself. The
charge OF graft Is made on the ground
that ;ha bids this year are practically
what they were last year. This tact. IN
my mind. would disprove a pool II there
was a pool would the members OF that
nool b FOOLISH enough to put in the same
bid this year as last? No. the price would
on forced up.
The bids are practically the same be-
cause tive cost OF material and labor IS
the same. There has been no new crop
Of stone this year. therefore stone costs
the same. There has been no change In
freight rates. therefore the cost Of hauling
Is the same. UnsEiled labor may cost a
very little less. but what does the wages
Of a half dozen common lsborers amount
TOT
"Again. II there was a pool. would Van
Court and our firm be so foolish as to put
in identically the same bid on tarvia, the
top coating for the roads? By a mere CO.
Incidence our bids were the same, but It
was coincidence. and nothing else.
Board VIII Consult.
II understand that the board in com
mittee Of the whole has decided to hold a
consultation Saturday. Not that we need
the work-we can live without paving
Douglas county roads-but because / be-
lieve in patronizing home industry. Here
we go and spend $1,000 or $4,000 for a
train TO cover the western territory to
boost Omaha. and then when there is a
chance to pstroniGe home concerns outside
bidders are asked to compete"
Mr. Craig says that the work done last
year was on a low margin. less than a
reasonable profit" as he put II. Herman
Beal, the county's civil engineer, realized
that the bid was low and told the board
that the best supervisors to be had must
be hired TO oversee the work on account
OF the bid being so low.
The board seem3 TO think that because
we put in lower bids on grading that the
bids on material ought to be lower, but II
Is a different proposition altogether says
Van Court. used to do grading for a
profit at II and l2 cents. Railroad con-
struetion work forced the price UP 10 Is
and 20 cents. Now this has dropped back
to the original figure. But with material
It is different. Stone costs as much and
hauling costs as much, and cheaper bids
cannot possibly be submitted. Outside
firms cannot put in lower bids, as they
will have TO pay as much for material and
for labor as do we"
Charles E.. Tanning, Hugh Murphy and
John Grant. paving contractors, do not bid
on country road work. They confine them
selves TO work on the city streets and
know nothing OF the controversy with the
Board OF County Commissioner.