Arizona republican., 1909-12-01
AT THE POINT
 0F BEGINNING Present Locality of Center Street Bridge .AlD BIDS THROWN OUT
Supervisors Failing to Come to Terms With Officers of Union Iron Works, Call Upon MT. Mayberry to Find 8 Contractor

Though nobody doubts that a Cen | ter street bridge will be built, the | prospects on the surface looked little ! less roseate last night than at any i time since the vote for tax levy for | its construction was announced last spring All the bids in response to the second advertisement were rejected at , the end of three hours tense session and formal demand Evas made, upon Mir. Mayberry of the firm of Mayberry X Parker, whose plans had been ac- cepted to sign contract for the con struction of the bridge. There was the alternative of the forfeiture of the
 firms bond for 5000. guaranteeing that it would either find a contractor
 to build the bridge within q cost of $l00.800 or build it itself.
 Mir. Mayberry declined to sign the contract at once. saving that he would consult his attorney. He was asked if he would acknowledge the presenta- ton of the contract for his signature and he replied that he would.
 Yesterday was the day on which the bond of the architects would expire. The night before MT. Mayberry receiv- ed telegram from President Little. of the Union Iron Works, saying that he would arrive in town yesterday. the urgency of the matter having been conveyed to him in telegram from Mir Mayberry President Little ar rived on the afternoon train from the south. accompanied by Secretary Mill Ter of the company.
 The gentlemen said that before ap- bearing before the board for final disposition of the matter regarding their own bid for the construction of the bridge. they would like to conduct an investigation. They were taken by Dwight B. Heard and other members of the bridge committee to the bridge site. which they inspected and found satisfactory, saving that the gravel to
 be used in the cement work was superb. They made some inquiries re- garding the status of the bonus and a little before o'clock. accompanied by Messrs Fowler and Heard they ap- peared before the board.
 Tn reply to statement of the sstua- tion by District Attorney Bullard. President Little said that the reason that the firm had not submitted bid on the first advertisement was that there seemed no provision for the col lection of the bonus The second ad- vertisement was q little more explicit on that point. but did not fully cover it. The county had really guaranteed nothing beyond the s50.000. which would be raised by taxation. While the bonus had been guaranteed by the Bartlett Land and Cattle company it was not guaranteed to the Union Iron Works nor>yet to tine county.
 It was suggested that the county could not under the law accept guar antees. but that the Bartlett Heard Land and Cattle company would un- doubtedly be willing to enter into a bond with the Union Iron Works for the payment of the bonus. Mir Heard assented to that suggestion.
 Mir. Little said that he had the full
 est faith in the ability of the com
 pany, but he said that in all his eX perience as contractor he had never before been confronted by so complex proposition.
 This feature of the matter was prac- tically passed over as thing agreed upon, and the talk turned upon the kind of a bond that the contractors would he required to give The matter
 would have probably been adjusted when MT. Little raised objection to the provision in the advertisement for the paying of the work. It was seen that here would be trouble. and fin the discussion that followed it was brought out that the Union Iron Works was not especially anxious to secure con tract
 MT Miller very frankly stated that he did not want if, and that his firm would not consider it but for it's sense of obligation to Mir Mayberry. He said that the firm had several bun dreds of thousands of dollars of con crete contracts waiting in southern California which would keep a full force working for the next eighteen months The Center street contract would be only source of annoyance and possible loss. Mir. Miller was will ing. however. to do what he could reasonably for the relief of Mir. May berry.
 A series of private conferences en- sued. At one time it was announced that the contract would be signed; that the only thing in dispute was the objection of the firms officers to the payment provision. They wanted that left open and subject to consideration