The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-16
Formal Statement Made in
Reply to Jere Gwin, I'm
til Recently County
Engineer
COPY OF AGREEMENT
WITH CONTRACTORS
is ALSO GIVEN OUT
Claim Job Was Under Direct Super
vision of Gwin, But Other Engi-
neers Will Be Sent to Check
Over the Work

Majority members of the county
board of revenue yesterday issued an
extended reply to the charges against
them contained fn the statement of for
mer County Engineer Jere Gwin In
Sundays Age-HeraId.
The statement IL signed by Hugh Nc
Geeyer. w. J. Cameron and l.. IL. PEN
nlngton.
The members of the board defend the
contract with Newell Brothers for work
on the new Columbiana road as being
even more favorable to the county than
past contracts. They claim the entire
matter of constructing the road was I'M
der the direct supervision of Mr.. Gwin,
and that if the county was being badly
treated the engineer should have re-
ported 1t long ago.
Was Recently Superseded
The statement says that Mr.. Gwin is
discharged county employe and that
his charges should also be considered
in the light of this fact.
1t is also pointed out that Newell
Brothers are still under $4,000 bond
for faithful performance of their con-
tract and there is a large amount yet
due them by the county on the work.
The board has employed special en-
gineers to go into the field and check
up the work of the contractors and
settlement will not be made until it is
declared satisfactory.
Boards Full Statement
The complete statement of the board.
wit Of thair ri
with Newell Brothers, is as follows:
MIR. Gwin charges us that we made
great error in making this contract with
Newell Bros, and that the contract was
not written on the regular form furnished
by the county engineer neither was he
consulted as to the contract.
The reason that the contract was not
written on the regular form of contracts
is that the Newell Bros contract embodied
and called for different kind of labor to
be performed by the contractor than was
used in the regular blank forms that the
engineer had been using, and from tle
fact that we wanted our attorney to see
that same was properly drafted.
Newell Bros. were to furnish the scar
ifier and roller, to do all the subgrade,
quarry all OF the ebert and deliver same
on the road at SO cents per cubic yard
per mile haul ssa
Consulted OWNS Assistant
with reference to Mr. Gwin not being
consulted on the Newell contract, we
would say that while the board was s.
cussing awarding this work by contract,
Mr. Pennington called Mr.. Gwin's office
and finding him out took up with Mr.
Harry Culverhouse, one of his assistants.
the price the engineering department hau
been using In arriving at the cost of hand
ling ebert when making up estimates of
cost on proposed work. Mr.. Culverho Sc
advised Mr.. Pennington that they used
a basis of 80 cents per mile for the first
mile haul and about 80 cents per mile haul
for each succeeding mile The CONVERSE
ton was held during the session OF the
board and the figures mentioned above
were reported by Mr.. Pennington to the
board when discussing the advisa ility Of
awarding this contract to Newell Bros
''Whep the present board of revenue
were elected, they were practically
pledged to work convicts on the road.
Just as soon as a sufficient working force
adhered to, and no new contracts were
awarded; the only exception to this, or
the only contract let by the present board
of revenue being the mile cherted on the
state-aid road known as the Stouts noun
tain road to Wallace Bros. & Young. This
work was let to them on competitive bids
on account of three miles of this road
having been graded and only two miles of
the same cherted. leaving one mile of new
subgrade unprotected, and below we are
going to use this contract as comparison