Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-04-04
UNDER UNUSUAL METHOD OF
DISBURSING FUNDS CONTRACTORS
BECOMES PREFERRED CREDITORS

An episode OF the sewer contract
that seems 70 have ESCAPED puhlic
attention was the action of the city
council al one OF lls meetings bust
Julv. when It authorized the mayor
and the city clork to entor into a
contract for construction of the sNs-
tenn With Glnss x Fischer IN ac-
cordance with the plans and speeitiVN-
tions.
II has since bcen disclosed chat the
contract was not made IN accordance
with the plans ANA specifications That
certain deductions and eliminutions
were made for which Glnss y Fischer
allowed the city considerably moro
than S6.0O0.
There Is nothing IN the records ot
tha council to show whether these Il
ductuns and eliminatiOns were made
WITH the authority of the council
nor docs the record show villa, they
were
Tho list of deductions for which
Glass a Fischer allowed the city more
than $4,000 should be- made public at
once SO that the taXpayvrs, who are
settling for tire sewer. may determines
what Kind of bargain The city,
illNQNh Nti' may bl Nlfl Nl'lht lltR'
with the contractors.
That kind at a transaction belongs
to- the class known as extras. ac-
cording TO the parlance of contractors.
\ contractor has no competition IN
/ determining what price he shall
chnfgo for an 'eNiru the only
check upon his natural dtslre to get
an he can ~ tho public Officers with
whom hc 10 dealing. and u naturally
follows tha his success on failure W
get more than he Is entitled 10. de-
pcnds upon the attitude ~ the public
officers
II has boon shown that the sewer
contract was Hhep to Glass y Fischer
after the council had allowed two
tower bids one SGl000 lower amt
the other SiO.100 lower Ito De with
drawn and bad also, With unparol-
lclcd generosity. allowed the contract
ing firm 90 take down their forfeit
checks
We have heen informed that these
forfeit checks were for $4,000 each
instead Of $500 cach~it hoinR shown
that the latter figure vas an error in
the record
It makes tho generosity 90 The
council Just that much more eNtraor-
binary Instead at allowing $500,
q
to depart n peace. they just aa
chcorlullS gnNe up $4,000,
In view of this Unprecedented lib-
eralitN. is IT not reasonable Go use
sume that ali subsequent dealings
with Glass q Fischer We're conducted
on the same scale of cNtraNaeani gen
orositN2
Nothing has been advanced to SHOW
that the contracting iirms who Wcfr
allowed to withdraw thcir bids were
not prepared to do the work and
competent 10 do IT, 'rhcy were mere
Is allowed to Withdraw their bids,
While the contract went Ia dluss a
Fischer at "a figure SGlO0O higher
thnn the lowest bid through the
bcnoyoloncc of the city administra-
tion II WAS costly bit of bcnevol-
cnce for the taxpayers OF AlbnQuer-
que
l'ndcr tine conditions rccited all
thht * shown about the mattcr by tho
cit, records it looks. us IL Glass a
Fischer got all they were entitled 20 IN
the lcttins of the contract
How much more did thcy got iu
connection with the deductions ana
elimmntions that were made from the
original plans aud specifications
The S6IOUu difference between thr
lowest bid and the figure at which
the contract WAS lct rs equal to 2n
per cent of tine total amount available
for construction oi the sewer.
How win the deductions aud clim-
natiuns for which allowance 0f more
than Sc.O0o Nts made. affect tlis
vrrA generous percentage
The people of Albuquerque huto
ever been Slow to question the acts
or their cit, officials heretofore tirt
affairs OF thc citN particularly i's cN-
p,nditurss. have bccu conducted with
the utmost care ana with entire "peh-
ness
The ro ..ie have ID risht to know all
about The mysterious phases oi this
sewer contract. which oa the litr el
the record. aud iu the iieht nf the bids
withdrn0el. seem a. hufc h5oh q
nearly one Dhird of thc entire sum ~
iaoney vh.th thr people voted for
construction oft thc sewer
Whatever the motives maN hitn
been which prompted OBJ" adminisifa-
tinn 60 ii- cNtraordiuArN generosity iu
connection with tHs withdrawal oi
a., two lowest bids. whatever tht
facts mut ho regarding tine drdut
iion- and ,llmluatluns later allowed
h, Glass "a Fischer to thc citf u
signing BE- contract. it is cleNf tht
Guse a. Fischer enjoy relations WItH
tho demo, Ratio administration shat Hr,
entirely without precedent boo thr his.
tpry nf public contracting.
on Sruttmher 20 Hst the council
adopted q motion instrucunE the cii>
,l.rk 90 fay Hll bins oi the contract
ors nhiDh might become duo hetWee q
mettinss of the cuuuDii Thus Glass
* Fischer wer. made preferred cred
itura of tho council thelr nlll- not