Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-11
Bidder,

The highway commission, In sub
mftting these bids to the board of su-
| pervisors, made the following recon-
mendations:
The lowest bid received was that
of the Barber Asphalt Paving COM
pany, aggregating approximately
S99,S15.63 for the entire work in
cluded in the two sections adver-
tised.
After due consideration we would
say we consider this to be a salts
factory bid for the said work and
therefore respectfully recommend
that contract be awarded accord
ingly.
And the contract was accordingly let
for the grading and paving and oiling
of the Whittier road, from Los Angeles
city limits to East Whittier, to the
Barber Asphalt Paving company about
the middle of April, 1910, at the contract
price of $99,S15.63.
THE length of this piece of road is
1884 miles.
THE bid for grading and culverts on
this particular piece of road is S26, ,3S9,31,
leaving the placing of macadam, oiling
and rolling at their contract price of
$1.63 ton at $73, 1922. This indicates
the contemplated use of 45,051 tons of
stone.
CONTRACT sUBLET
"The Barber Asphalt Paving com
pany first sub-let this contract to a
gentleman by the name of Mr. Rogers
at 81 a ton. This gentleman failed to
make good. They then let it to Mr..
Chas. A. Baldwin of Pasadena at 81
ton for stone placed rolled and oiled.
"This will leave net to the Barber
Asphalt Paving company on this con-
tract 63 cents a ton on 45,051 tons of
stone or the handsome sum of SOS, ,382.13
as clear profit, merely for the submit
ting of the bid.
"This company is personally doing
the grading and culverts and bridge
work, on which they no doubt have
another handsome profit, which if
known and added to the profit that is
already assured them would make
tremendous showing of profit on this
particular job.
"This piece of road will cost the
county more than $14,5O0 a mile, and
the average under the total bond issue
is less than $11,5OO.
1.-The Whittier road is one of the
cheapest roads in the county to build.
and the reason that Ii is costing $4,000
a mile more than the average to build
is, we think possibly explained in the
confession of Mr.. BiXby as to a COM
bination.
1--WE would call your attention, how
ever, that on this particular road there
is to be one inch more of macadam
than on most of the other roads. but
that could not increase the cost mile
more than $1,000, which leaves a dis
crepancy of $1400 a mile unaccounted
for.
"You will find upon investigation
that Charles w. Baldwin is one of the
most intelligent and capable con-
tractors in the state of California, and
Il n
building of oil macadam roads than
anyone that we know of at present.
HIS WORK CITED
"He has constructed at Pasadena
street after street that stand and
speak for themselves. He is known as
a safe, careful dealing business man,
and would not take contract without
a profit in it, and we are reliably in
formed that he is satisfied with his
contract price of 81 ton for laying,
rolling and oiling the macadam therein.
This committee is not on trial, and
we further state that we believe this
committee furnished the confidence
whereby the voters were induced to
mortgage their homes for the road
fund, and they promised the voters
that they would defend their rights
and secure an honest and economical
expenditure of every dollar of it, so
far as possible and as in the past, so
in the future this committee Will de-
mand a businesslike expenditure of this
fund, and so far as the naming of
new commission, the chamber of COM
merce of Los Angeles and its kindred
societies are, in our opinion, amply
qualified to act in the forming of a
new commission.
1--WE note that Mr.. BiXby states that
a. COPY of this report, defense and
'espousaI may be referred to the ad-
Visory committee on strict condition
that it be given no publicity outside
of that body.
1.-THE advisory committee understands
that you are a public body, appointed
by the board of supervisors, and that
your expenses are being paid by the
taxpayers, and that the result of your
deliberations will relate to public ser
wants. We therefore cannot under
stand why the public is not entitled
to know upon what evidence you will
base your conclusion, and we will
state for your information that the
advisory committee has nothing to con-
ceal from the public, and we believe
that the greatest publicity should be
given this report defense and
'espousal,' and that the highway COM
mission should so instruct you, and so
far as the advisory committee is con-
cerned, we advise that you give this