The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1910-04-28
THE MESSAGE
CAME TOO LATE
BIDS REJECTED---BONDS APPROVED
Council Returns Bids for Municipal SyS-
tenn Just Before the Bond
Brokers Approve.

The fact that the telegram from
John Nuveen & Co., Chicago bankers,
stating that the municipal bond issue
for the construction Of the new city
water system had been approved by
their attorney, came to City Recorder
H. B. Langille few hours after the
time set for the opening of the bids on
the construction of the plant by the
city council will delay the letting of
the contract a few weeks, but will
probably result in the saving of several
thousand dollars to the city on the
building of the plant.
Advertising was commenced, asking
for bids, some time ago and it was then
expected that the eastern bankers, who
had contracted for the bonds, would
have closed up for them by the date set
| for opening the bids which was last
Monday. The Chicago men, however,
delayed sending a definite answer on
the result of their attorneys examina-
tion until Monday, and the telegram
was not delivered here until Tuesday
morning. Eleven bids were presented
to the city council Monday evening, but
as the city fathers were not absolutely
sure that the bonds would be accepted,
and that the funds would be forthcom-
ing in time to pay for the work, they
rejected all the bids. 1t will now be
necessary to readvertise for bids on
the work, but it is understood that the
second advertising will be over short
er period and as the various contracting
firms have already prepared their bids
| it is expected that little real delay will
be occasioned by this seeming setback.
To offset the disadvantage of the delay
the city will have the advantage of
having the money surely forthcoming
to finance the water system and the
bids will probably be considerably low
er as a result The contractors gen
orally allow in their bidding for the
probability Of the city being able to
pay for the work at the agreed time,
or whether their capital will be tied up
for an indefinite period because of
bonds because of bonds being slowly
sold.
There were about 18 representatives
of the various contractors, and pipe
companies present at the council meet
ing and number of them expressed
! themselves as in favor of having their
bids turned back rather than to land a
job and have no money in sight to pay
for it. The fact that the proceeds from
the bond sale will probably be in the
bank by the time the bids can be
brought in again will probably attract
additional bidders and cause them to
shave down their prices considerably
since there will be no allowance for
slow pay by the city for the work.
Contractor W. G. Aldred asked the
council for an extension of time for the
completion of the Twelfth street i'm
provement and he was granted 60
day extension provided that the portion
of the work south of May street be
completed within Is days.
City Recorder Langille was ordered
to advertise the notice of assessments
in Division 8. City Engineer P. M.
Morse was ordered to plat the end of
Railroad street with view to improv-
ing it. The council ordered Marshal
Lewis to take steps to force the Far
mer's Irrigation Co. to comply with
the recent resolution of the council to
run the formers. water in conduits
within the city.