The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-09-12
OUTSIDE FIRM
THE LOW BIDDER
Breakwater Bids Furnish a Big
Surprlse-Philadelphia
Company Is Il.
tFrom salarday's AdverlIsetl

(From Saturdays Advurtisor)
Just a trine Of two ccnts a ton may
cause the loss Of half.million.dollar
contract to Lord.Young Construction
Company, ore Of the best known .con.
tracing concerns in the Territory, but
the company. may be recommended as
the one to get the contract because the
lowest bidder failed to carry out the.
full terms Of the specifications and did.
not file specimen Of the rock material
proposed to be used.
When Major wooten, corps of ongi-
neers, U.S.A., in charge Of all federal
dredging and breakwater work in the
Hawaiian Islands; opened four bids for
the construction of the superstructure
of the Hilo breakwater yesterday morn
ing, the bids were as folows
The Breakwater Company of Phila.
delphia, $2.l7 per ton for rock; Lord
Standard American Dredging Company,
$2.63; Hoogs & Belser, $2.74.
i The Breakwater Company of Phila-
delphia, represented here by Charles F.
Wood, the vice president. was the low
est bidder. undertaking the local
company, which is now at work en- the
substructure, by just two cents on a
| ton, representing perhaps about $4,000
on a job involving half-million dol
1 lars.
The Philadelphia concern did not ac-
company it's bid by specimen of the
rock it proposes to use in the break
water and this is a serious oversight
according to the other contractors
The matter is now up to Major Woot'
en- for recommendation. 1t is in his
province to recommend any of the bids
he sees fit, providing he feels that the
contractor can carry out the work. A
conference will be held with the bidder
to see whether he is able to carry out
his contract The recommendation goes
from here to Washington to be confirm
ed by the war department.
Surprise to Everyone.
The fact that complete uutsidei
had been able to cut under local work
ers was something of surprise Tht
Philadelphia firm is represented by Mr.
Wood, who is a guest at the Moana
and who Just recently returned from
/ IIilo where he went over the PROPOSE
Z ton. The American Surety Company
of New York is on the bond of the con
! tractor The Breakwater Compan,
which has offices at 1929 Arcade Build
ing, Philadelphia, has the following of
fcers: Frank A. Rarnaby, president
I Charles f. Wood, vice president, an,
John R. Geary, secretary and treasurer
n Local Firm in Deep.
d Local contractors naturally regrette
that Lord Young company did not be
II come the lowest bidder. Mr.. Youn
IS states that the bid was placed as lol
= as they could possibly make it, 1t
f felt that the government should tax
r one very important factor into consider
alton and that is that when the Lore
= Young company started in ON thei
t, 100000 substructure job, they opene
It up quarry which was to some exten
> recommended by former engineer o.
e fees of the government but against til
IS advice of local contractors. one q
whom had built a portion of the raj
road through the country proposed
!, be utilized as quarry. The contra
:, tors finally took the suggestion of I'll
u engineers and sank 100000 in plaC
where the rock proved not to be up
u standard. They are now occupying I'll
u best quarry in that section, known {
u the Kapoho quarry, and they will haN
this to the completion of their presel
contract, which is about twenty-five
r. per cent completed.
q That was an expensive experiment
. : uuarry.seelSng, and to this must
g. added the $4,000 or 100000 the co
NJ of their plant. so that there is lit
q. or no margin left in the contract. F
n. this renson local contractors belle
that the engineer should take this in
es consideration when lis reeommendati'
n. is forwarded.
ID The Lord Young company expect
be m finish the present work in about 70
90 months after which their plant wou
lie idle.