Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-06-01
ROAD
MATERIAL WAR
Squabble Before Highway
Commission Between Rival
Bidders

TRENTON, June 1:-whether or
o the State Highway Commission
should award the contract for the
supplying of a road binder to Nor
ris Young, agent for the material
known as glutrin rather than to the
j. $. Robson. Inc. of this city.
which submitted an estimate on ma
ter.al called lignin binder was the
question debated before the board
here yesterday by Republican House
Leader Evans. of Passaic county,
and former Republican House Lead
er and now Mercer County Prosecu-
tor Oliphant. Evans appeared for
the Robson interests and Oliphant
for Young. The commission laid
the matter over for conference and
future decision.
The binder is a material laid on
roads to keep them in good shape
and is particularly applicable to the
maintenance of gravel roads. The
highway commission advertised in
its specifications for "Glutrin" and
Young presented and estimated of
1913 cents a gallon with a total bid
of s69,723.23 for the order. The
Robson concern bid 1915 a gallon
and presented a total estimate of
S67.5SS.57. The Robson company's
offer was to supply lignin binder.
The highway commission obtained
an opinion from the attorney gener-
al which apparently held that the
commission could award the con-
tract to Young because he guaran-
teed to supply "Glutrin,' which was
specified in the advertisements.
Mr.. Evans. as counsel for the
Robson concern. yesterday con-
tended before the highway board
that it should award the contract 10
his client inasmuch as it presented
the lowest bid. He ~contended that
there is no difference between glu-
trim and the lignin binder supplied
by his oncern and that numerous
chemical analyses of the two ma
terials have demonstrated this, in
Guiding one by the laboratory of the
State Highway Commission. He
pointed out that glutrin is simply a
trade name used. He claimed fur
Their that Young could not sell his
material at the price he quoted the
company and make a profit. Rather
he said the competing firm would
lose money and questioned whether
any material firm was in the bus.-
ness for philanthropic motives.
MIR. OHphant in replying for
Young charged that the Robson bid
had not been made in good faith.
THE attorney general held that
Young was the only bidder who had
complied with the specifications by
estimating on glutrin," he said. The
commission was also told that it
vas ridiculous to say that the Young
bid meant the loss of money to the
one presenting it. He denied the
charge of closed specification,
claiming that anybody could get
glutrin to supply and that the high
est courts in New Jersey have up
held the same kind of advertise
ments as the one of the highway
commission in this instance.
The highway commission knows
glutrin and what it will do" contin-
ued Mr.. Oliphant. THE board does
not know anything about the pro-
duct of the other competing con-
Germ"
Evans in a brief reply said that
the Young bid indicated he had the
inside price and that nobody else
could compete with him. He said
five companies have the lignin bind
er for sale and only one offers glu-
trim. Glutrin was used on the gravel
roads in South Jersey last winter
and held them together in very good
shape. according to the engineers OF
the road department.