The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-02-01
PUMPING PLANT n
BIDS REJECTED
Council COMMITTEE Decides Prices
Are Too High and Will Recon-
mend Readvertising

After a hard night in which the rep
resentatives OF fival bidders toasted
one another with bitter remarks, the
council committee on sewers decided
Monday noon to readyertise for pas
tor the pumping machinery for the ne"
Fairview sewage pumping station. To
be located near Wafer Works park
All the members of the committee
agreed TO the report except Aid. snap
land. who voted for the acceptance ~
the lowest bid and declared tnaI he
would PUT In a minority report uhi5sa
the committee gets some satisfactory
guarantee that lower prices VIII resa"
from readvertising.
The battle over this contract mas
been a spirited one. the represeh-
tatives Of the Ajis-Chalmers Co,
which bid $11S,oO0 for the work, and
OF r. ID. Wood & Co. which bid $lI-'-
BOO, being about the city hail con-
stantly for weeks. A junket Was
planned, and the report is that the al
dermen were TO have been royoll
treated. The contest Is not over yes.
1--WE will bring the fight up In the
council" declared Henry Crother' rep
resenting the Wood concern, OF cam
den. ~ J. IF there is a readveruslns,
we shall not compete again. Nhat -
the use? IL we were low again we
would not get the contract. II seems
There were originally three bidders,
but the third one has dropped out 81
sight. leaving the battle TO the ANS
Chalmers Co, of Milwaukee, and tue
New Jersey concern. Three OF the
committee members Aid. korte,
Walsh and Shapland, went TO TOLEDO
10 look over a Wood plant. and re-
turned with the impression that the
price asked here is high.
A martial promise of a lower bid was
made by he Allis-Chalmers Co. in me
talks 10 the committee. {. Odeha' JFr
fold the committee that the company
had reduced its prices on engines ~
ner cent since this bid was submitted
The main argument OF. the company.
however was that it would have many
portions II the work done by Detroit
concerns. Aid, Walsh had a partial
list of the firms to which these sub
contracts would be given.
The argument of Detroit labor being
employed had a great bearing WIFE
the committee Aid Koenig even car
rled this idea so Jar as to wish 70
specify what make Of boiler should be
used. but was overruled by the remain
Ger of the committee. crother, for tho
Wood company, offered 10 do as well
for local labor but bis offer came 100
late
When the committee met Aid. Tossy,
a non-member. first maze a talk In
favor of having union labor given con
sideration. He knew the Allis-Chai-
mers Co. was on the fair list. but dad
rot know about The other Aid. Rein
hardt and Walsh insisted that the bids
were too nigh, and Aid. Rutter moved
that the bids be rejected and new ones
asked
Crothers opposed this vigorously.
In reply 70 the statement Of aldermen
that a Toledo plant, which cost only
$4,000, was much cheaper in compari-
son than the larger Detroit plant
would be, he said that prices had risen
since the plant was built in Toledo.
f. c. Sornberger. q former naval Of
ncer, spoke for the Allis-Chaimers Co,
contending that that firm had built
more sewage pumping plants than its
rival, ami limiting that bids would be
lowered on second advertising.
Aid. Korte declared it to be p0or
policy for the city 10 get the name OF
frequently rejecting first bids. but re-
marked that he considered these bids
too high. He took a fling at City En-
gineer Mccormick, saying that the lat
ter had gone on a junket by himself
10 inspect pumping giants and that the
plans would hare been different had
the aldermen taken junket in tae
first place Aid Rutter wanted To
send a committee OF engineers on
junket at this time but Korte over
ruled his suggestion.
On the final vote. only Aid. Shap-
land opposed readvertising II was
decided TO have the boiler inspector
80 over the specifications before fur
Their bids are asked.
Aid. Korte stated that readvertising
would not affect food conditions in
Fairview, inasmuch as contracts for
the building could not be let until the
full appropriation foe the same is avail
able July 1.