The Hawaiian gazette., 1912-05-21

hlNty mihulss tanifrd To- eompieis
reversal ~ opinion with Two membsis
81 the oahu Loan Commission yesief
day ihe result ~ That ehnnre ~ MIND
being ihe awarding 81 contract 10
Y build the iyenile stretch ~ road near
| neein, koolau. Tor tf0.ops. 10 John n
WILSON, ne against the $4,000 bd OF
/ The Lord Young Construction Company.
When the bids were opened nj noon
/ Yesterday IN the board Of supervisors
/ room aud Wilson = bid was found TO be
/ the lowest. n battle of wits was preeipi.
| taied for Chairman Adams and Secre.
/ tary Potrie were unqnnlifedly opposed
I 10 awarding the contract 20 Mr.. Wilson,
I both stating that they had not changed
their original judgment that Mr.. Wilson
was an irresponsible bidder. this de.
/ spite the criticism directed against
them by the various courts through
which the first contract went.
Champions Wilson.
Mayor Fern was the champion Of Mr..
Wilson. He asked the commission to be
fair and square in its dealings. The
commission had also opened bids for
the construction of the ten-mile strip
of road on the road to Leilebua the
Lord Young Construction Company be-
ing lowest bidder with $4,000. as
against Wilson s bid of $l0S,Ss0. The
mayor, as member of the commission
asked that the awards be made to the
lowest bidder in each case, but his ap.
peal fell upon deaf ears. The reason
for this sudden deafeness came out
later when Mr.. Petrie announced that
he believed Wilson was irresponsible,
in which view Mr.. Adams conceded.
AS no one would second the mayors
notions the commission finally took an
hour IS recess, during which time
Messrs. Adams and Petrie had a COM
plete change of heart, having received
an opinion from Attorney General
Lindsay which showed them that the
course they were pursuing would once
more land the entire commission and
the bids in the courts.
Bids Are Opened
When the commission was called to
order at half-past twelve clock, An
drew Adams was in the chair with men,
bers Petrie, Fern and Dwight present,
Marston Campbell coming in later.
The bids for Section l, which was con-
tested in the courts were first opened,
and then those of Section opened, as
follows:
Section No. ii. H. Wilson, SIG, 99s,
complete by July 81 1913; Lord Young
Engineering Co., $4,000, complete by
Septemher &c, 1913.
Section No. 2-Lord Young Engineer
ing CO., $99,500 complete by July Is,
1913; J. II. Wilson, $10S,Ss0, complete
by August Is, 1913.
Chairman Adams said that many ex-
penses had been incurred in connection
with the arranging for bids on these
two contracts and that these deducted
from the original amount available for
the belt road work on this island left
balance of $1S2,000. Deducting the
total of the two lowest bids left trife
over $4,000. He asked Engineer John
son whether this amount would see the
engineer 8 office through for the year
and half during which the contracts
were being worked out. Mr.. johnson
replied it would not.
Fern Protests.
Mr.. Adams then announced that the
bids on section 9 would be considered.
Mr.. Petrie offered motion that the
Lord Young bid be accepted. This
brought Mayor Fern to his feet with a
protest Why should the second be
considered in advance of the first9 The
bids had been opened in proper order.
Why should that order now be changed9
On Section /, the lowest bidder was
Wilson.
81 don t understand why the COM
mission should consider these bids in
this order" remarked the mayor. He
moved that the first section bids be
taken up. .Marsten Campbell seconded
Mr.. Petrie' IS motion which again
brought Fern to his feet with more OBJ
jections.
Mr.. Adams attempted to show that
by taking up Section 2 first, the COM
mission was doing the right thing, as
the former bid on this section was
thrown out on a mere technicality of
wording, and was not in the same
category as the bids for the first sec
ton.
Fern said that the proposed action of
the commission would tend to make
null and void the bid of Mr.. Wilson on
the ground that after tho Leilehua con-
tract was awarded and engineers ex-
penses added, the Wilson bid for Heeia
would not fit in.
Campbell at this time withdrew his
second to the Petrie motion, and Fern
moved that both lowest bids be accept
ed and contracts awarded. No one see
: onded the motion and Fern asked the
, chairman for permission to second his
own motion. Fern said this was the
way the commission had "dilly-dal-
liedp ever since it was organized,
t which brought protest from the chair
. man to the word dilly-dally."
: sepulchral silence.
t For five minutes the commission
Q maintained silence. Campbell wore his