Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-06-14

| allowed but no allowance Is made for
the same on gravel and raacadam inn
provements.
"The council is well aware of the
fact that the cost Of labor and teams
is 20 per cent more than It was last
year
1--WE wish to call your attention to
the proposed bitulithic Improvement
of Capitol street from Court street to
Madison avenue. The estimated cost
of this proposed improvement is $7O,-
S5S.63, which is several thousand dol
lars more than the estimated cost of
the North Salem sewer system; the
latter to be paid for by the property
owners of the entire sewer district,
including North Salem, Englewood
and part of East Salem, and the
former to be paid for by the owners
of the abutting property only.
For the estimated cost of the pro-
posed improvement on Capitol street
we will agree to construct a crushed
rock macadam street, "a inches deep,
thoroughly rolled and built through
out Ia a workmanlike manner, in
cluding curbs, drains, sewer pipes,
catch basins, inlets, ETC., as mentioned
in specifications for said improvement
"If this is considered too much
rock, we will agree to construct the
Capitol street improvement 8 inches
deep with crushed rock macadam,
and complete Highland avenue and
Fourth street according to the plans
and specifications now on file in the
city recorders oflce-all three OF
said improvements for the estimated
cost Of the proposed bitulithic i'm
provement on Capitol street."
Mayor Explains.
After Mr.. Minton had addressed
the council Mayor Rodgers moved
that the action of the council in
awarding the contract to the Salem
Construction Company be rescinded,
and then followed an exhaustive dis
cussion of the subject.
Councilman Lachmund took the
stand that the council had taken ac-
tion, and it was now up to the mayor
to use his veto power, and said he
would like to know what his action
was-would like to have him explain.
The remark nettled the mayor, and
he impolitely exclaimed, eff you will
sit down l will do So" and Council
man Lachmund sat down, and the
mayor proceeded to explain.
lie started off with the statement
that no contract had been awarded to
the company; that the council had
only accepted the bid, and that it had
authorized and not instructed him to
enter into the contract He contend
ed that the bid was considerably in
excess of the engineers estimate,
and stated that he had statement at
his Office from the company, wherein
it agreed to furnish the rock at SLAP
cubic yard for concrete purposes,
and that an additional 20 per cent
for compression would not bring 1t
up to the figures of the bid under
consideration. He charged the COM
panies with beingin collusion, and also
charged that there was monopoly in
the gravel situation, and appealed to
the council to sustain him in refus-
ing to sign the contract.
Councilman Stoltz stated that in
Portland a clause in the specifications
made the excavation material the
property of the contractors, and that
under this condition they could do
with it as they pleased. Under the
system in vogue here the material
belongs to the city, and must be
hauled away by the contractors, and
he submitted this made a difference
in the price of the bid, as the con-
tractor must figure on the price Of
work connected with 1t.
COngratuIates Mayor.
Councilman Lachmund briefly re-
viewed the proceedings with relation
to awarding of the contract, and
called the mayors attention to the
fact that when he moved for the re-
lection of the bid, the mayor favored
it being awarded, and that he was
now against 1t He pronounced 1t
one of the greatest fright about face
acts" he had ever witnessed, but /
want to congratulate him upon TAX
ing the stand" he concluded.
''Cut Out the BOY Play"
"I am of the opinion" said Coun-
Gilman Carson, that the time has
come for the council to cut out this
boy play Of awarding the contracts
on one night and resembling It on an
other The engineer admitted that
his estimate was 10 per oentftoo low,