The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-03-11
WANTS COMMITTEE
To GET ALL FACTS
CITY ENGINEER INSISTS THAT
NONDEKLEHR PROBERS GO
DEEP INTO OFFICE Az
FAIRS.

City Engineer Boiling, in q state
ment just given to the press saws he
wants the Eonderlehr subcommittee
TO insert its probe deeper into the
anairs OF his office In connection with
charges brought by Contractor G. q,
Burton as to irregularities relative to
award of city contracts, Mr.. Boiling
especially declares that his attitude in
the matter has been misconstrued. and
ho wants 1t understood that he is not
willing to shoulder all the responsi-
biiity, as reported.
When the Nonderlehr committee
meets again Monday night he wishes
1t 10 examine all witnesses in the
case and to leave no stone unturned
to get at the real facts.
Here Is what he says in part:
When the committee met for the
first time on Thursday / thought that
We could shorten matters by the ad-
mission on my part OF certain errors
in calculation having been made, not
by myself. but by those In my Of
flee. ] do not admit all OF Mr.. Bur
tons charges. In fact, / emphaticai-
/ ~ deny that there has been any In
Justice to any one, or any discrimina-
ton shown. The errors were discov.
cred in my office. called to my atten.
4 ton and corrected before MIR. Burton
or any one else had made any COM
paint. The contract, in fact, not only
did go to the lowest responsible bid
der, but | am prepared to show that
in execution of the work no stone
street basins were called for in the
plans, so that even had there been a
difference in the specifications as
charged, 1t would have made no diff
terence in this particular job.
There were errors made In the cal
cuiations on this job, as charged by
| Mr.. Burton. and as ] frankly stated
! to the committee, but these errors
were brought to my attention by my
assistants, and were corrected in the
office. and no contract was executed
until they had been corrected, so that
therefore no injury was done to any
one. the work being awarded to Mr..
Burton as tho lowest responsible bid
der. Mr.. Burton himself made no com
plain to me at any time. The error
Was first reported to me, not by a bid
der. but by an assistant, and had been
corrected before Mr.. Burton made his
complaint 10 the mayor.
p AS to the pen and ink interlinea
tons. the facts should be made clear.
We use In the office n printed form
OF specifications for sewers. and when
the committee on streets authorized
an alternate system Of bidding. all OF
the printed forms issued were ordered
by me to be changed by clerk in the
office, and the insertion was made so
that all parties would be placed on
the same footing in calculating the
total cost by either method OF bid.
ding
The facts surrounding the alleged
overpayment to l. J. Smith & Co. must
also be made matter of evidence and
record. and not be based on purely es
parte statements. without any OF the
surrounding facts, even though the
fact Of such an. >eEcrpa@nlefst in ons
instance be admitted. ! should like &c
see 1t brought out by an examination
OF the contractors as witnesses and an
examination of the records, whether
in fact any contractor bid on specifl-
cations without interlineations reouir.
inf stone after the date that was di.
rected by me to he inserted in ali
specifications