The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-09-28


ton of the owners of granite quarries
iaround Richmond to squeeze out In
dependent bidders on city contracts.
and TO increase the price on all paving
and street improvem -nts. was brought
before a subcommittee Of the Council
ICommittee on Streets yesterday aft;r-
noon. The committee appointed to
Investigate delay in execution OF city
contracts found that the Quarries had
fatty refused to furnish stone at any
price to certain contractors. and that
the price now being paid for street
paving Is nearly double what II was
few years ago for the same kind OF
work.
Other Causes Of Delay.
| Other causes for d.iay in the com.
plction Of important work brought be-
fore the committee were the fact that
the resent city .ctncations Tor
paving do not require the city con-
| tractor TO pave between the street
car tracks-the part paid for by tn,
street car company-at the same price
as charged against the city. fact
which IL was shown has led TO months
of negotiation and correspondence
while str Gets were blocked and the
work stood idle; and that at present
each contractor not only bids at his
4
| limit in making his bid. AS ii has
been the almost invariable custom Of
the Committee on Streets to award all
contracts to the lowest bidder. re-
gardless of whether ne Is equipped
1 to do the work. and without inquiry
| as to the time limit m ntioneo. IL
came as something OF a shock to mem
bers Of the committee to find that Con-
tractor J. c. Cheatwood. who mas the
paving Of the two blocks on Main
Street from Fifth to SEVENTH. mad SIX
months from June 10 to do that WORK.
| and may yet Geep that Important
thoroughfare blocked to tramc untit
December without any violation OF
contract.
Although tie street car company mas
finished its work on these two BLOCKS
no part OF the citys paving mas oeen
laid and Mr.. Cheatwood stated frankly
,hat every quarry around Richmoho
saye ono had refused to quite MIN
! nrice or sell him granite blocks *
any price.
Would Have One Contreet.
General Attorney A. B. Guigon. OF inc
y,,1inia Railway and Power Company
| .neakinr especially OF delays in COM
ni.,,on OF work on Pine Street. calico
attention to the lack OF genera GU
tract The city calls for bios on 't'
| part OF the street paving. ana TIE con-
pany. under its franchise must paw
when the city paves between its e'@
49, for two feet on ether side. To
| prevent obvious patchwork. II 10 de-
.ir,bIe that one contractor do the
| whole work, but the company cannot
ne required to give the work TO inc
ci.y's contractor unless he Will take II
a, the price charged the city. Contfac-
| tors have in many instances refose"
! TO give the guarantees to the car eoHi-
| pany that they give to the city trust
ing more TO the city's lax Inspection
than to the vigilance IT the railway
company in keeping the work IN oroeI.
why not have the city contract Tor
the entire job. have 1t done unoef Us
own supervisor, and send the Dill 10
the company for its proportion OF the
| COST" asked Mayor Ainslie. VINO wae
an interested spectator during the
hearing.
I'VE would be delighted" answered
Capta;n Guizon 1T would be the sim
| p,est way ard would save months OF
delay"
In HanAs Of ContraetoFs.
In answer City Engineer BoIltne
! showed through statements Of Contrac-
tor weinbrunn ard others present that
paving between the railway trackf
costs m gre per square yard. due to
| having to cut blocks to meet the space
| and to the constant interruption OF
passing cars Mr.. weinbrunn said he
was accustomed to charge about 10
cents a yard more on street car streets
than on other thoroughfares. and Mr..
Boiling thought II unjust T. the city
for IL to bear the excess cost caused
%
GuiSon was certain that under the
franchise his company could not be
compelled to pay more than the city
was paying for the work alongside.
Mr.. Boiling said the present method OF
| asking bids only on the city's portion
was under advice from the City Atsor-
! ney. leaving the car company to make
its own contract and pay for its work
separateIy. To have two contractors
having in the same street could only
mean faulty joints. he said. Captain
Gui9on said this put the company abso-
| Iu,ely IN the power u the citS's con-
tractors to charge what they pleased
and he respectfully declined to be
| held up.
FSvr Nnes ~ view Tpsek.
r. Norman Jones. chief engineer of
the virginia Railway and Power Com
pany. in explaining why no work hso
been done on Robinson street. where
tn. city ordered track reconstruct IN
and awarded a paving contract last
April. said that the city had this year
ordered the reconstruction OF 1850 Feet
| of single track. or four and forty-six-
one hundredths miles. more than three
miles Of which required new rails. II
was Impossible for his company to
eject an orsA nizasi IN. secure tire mate
rial and 10 this work in the limited
time. He explained the prcercss 81 the
various jobs now open ana samssfed
that IL would be . practical fmposA-
hsl,ev TO touch the Robinson street
job this year.
J. c. Cheatwood. who has the en-
sr.r, for paving Main street from
r.fsh 20 Seventh. who vas svthor'sed
20 star, work on Juae 10 aad who has
h.d IN. ,wc blocks open all GUNNER.
win no part of che city's pavine. yet
la.o. showed that under hts Contract