The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-05-21

| am looking at the records o. last
year. During the months 81 JUS.
I August and September tile a|~erac~
cost, per cubic yard. Of work there
was a little over SEES. IN September
il was about SIS. IN August almost s.
and in july only 4 little over s..
This VAS made up Of Items uE. thc
following: COST Of drillnS. 81 cents
blasting 3 cents loading ~ power,
5 cents. hy hand, II cents. .-lsk
TRANSPORTATION. IS cents. tracks. onn
cent: division expense, l2 cents ana
50 on. making up the total that l
have given. | would say. however.
that / have ouls quoted the ound
numbers, and that each 81 these cali
culations Is carried out u the hum
Where sixteen Cent Goes.
When YOU divide 4 cent into q h4u-
dred parts and make Your c.t!eniA-
tons On ! job OF four hunlre milton
dollars You are getting things down -
= pretty fine point. But this ~ done
as TO everything. In each cubic yard
on the Atlantic, where the dredging
costs IL cents. they know II this frl,-
ton of a cent just what In" cost II
the use OF the pipe lines Is. Thy
know the repairs Of the dredSes. the
cost of operation Of the dreases tho
cost Of the tugs, the cost If the
barges. the rock breakers. Of the Dl%
OOdIS ana the illlt BOATS. ANA aI
everything that can possibly enter into
that work.
ON that division there are fourteen
different items which form i part Of
the unit cost Of getting one cubic
!, yard Of earth out OF the sea and land
!, ing it and the total cost IS only a lit
! tie over Is cents. In addition to tins
? is the administration and general tN-
: pense account. which is 4 little more
: than a cent and which must be added.
In getting out stone from the quar-
rieS, the ripping drilling. blasting.
n loading. transportation. tracks. power
I and maintenance of equipment are
r taken into account. and in the con-
\ crete comes the sand stone. cement.
the mixing and other things. Similar
i work is going on in different places
Is all over the Canal Zone. and if ono
part Of the work goes nue. ahead or
behind the others in cost that part IS
a investigated and the reason is known.
a How Uncle Sam Buys.
4 A great many have wondered that
# there has not been some scandal con
"a nected with the canal purchases.
J. They cannot see how s400. 600. 900 can
"a pass through the itching palms of
a thousands of weak, aVarlclOuS human
beings without a large percentage
. sticking thereto. Indeed, It would be
&c risky were it not for the safeguards
at L11C1t d ID Ills ~
"a watched. and there is an army Of de
al t~ectiveS always on the outlook FOL
~ frauds. One great protection is the
ne method by which purchases are made
h. This provides that every contract fol
I'd work or materials to the amount o.
no $1,000 or over can be awarded only
after bids for the same have been ad
vertised for and then only to the low.
est bidder. The bids are made upor
plans and specifications and upoT
ry accurate descriptions as TO the ma
lg chinery and material of which the
c. goods are composed. Every bidder
Id has to SEND in a bond with his bid oil
es a certified check of not less than i
10 per cent Of it's amount. for his faith
"a full carrying out Of the same if il
On should be accepted, and if he back,
a out he loses this money, and if hs
cd starts and fails to complete the work
ne he is liable for damages.
"a Bidding Of this kind is lone IS t
10 small contracts as well IS to larg
eS ones. [ nave before me the circular
OK which gives the proposals for tn
re great lock gates which it Will be Re
TX membered were awarded 10 IittSbur,
re parties at a cost Of over five miitio'
az dollars. 1t fills many pages and il j
a accompanied by designs which SHOW
K lust what the Tcks- must be. Tn
re provisions state how the steel must b.
"a made. how tested, what the constitu
m. en- elements of each part must b'
e and also such an infinite number .
details and provisions that a full plg,
N, of this newspaper would not CoutAll
y them all.
IS After such contracts are made tn
government sends its scientists an.
ne engineers to the various shops 4
watch the construction and to see th1
We all the details Of the contract are car
O. ried out. These men make Ch"nnlCd
and other tests from time 10 time
They assay the metals which go int
KS the various parts and measure to tn
Nh housandth Of an inch every piece q
IS the machinery The least yariatio
lSt NAV DESTROY a contract and the rest
ne is hat Uncle Sam usually gets VIII
he orders. although the contracto
)lc may go bankrupt in furnishing III