The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-01-30
FORMAL REPORT TOI
 DETE RHINE NEXT
 AUDITORIUM STEP.
Commission Expected to Aci Tuesday Morning. -Adver- Using of New Bids Re-
 garded as Possible

Report of E. B. Van Keuren, me- chanical engineer, on rechecking of auditorium bids, is expected to be made to the city commission early Tuesday morning and action will probably follow tathe regular meet ing of the board at 10 o'clock. Action will be either in the nature of awarding contract to Charles ". Hall and Virginia Bridge and Iron company of Atlanta Construction company, admitted lowest bidders, or reopening one phase of the whole situation by advertising for new con tractors bids.
 Majority of the commission is definitely committed to the idea of awarding contract to lowest of pres ent bidders, provided check of Mir. Van Keuren can establish that there is low bidder. It has been indi- cated all along, however, that the commission will be in favor of ad- vertislng for new bids if the en- gineer declares the figures are so indefinite he cannot determine sat isfactorily the low bidder.
 Developments during the past week apparently established that Charles W. Hall and the Virginia Bridge and Iron company were low est bidders. Rumors Monday, how ever, that found authentic credence, were that the bids were more com plicated than a desultory examina- tion would indicate, and that minute study might result in other disclos- ures.
 In an open letter to the commits sion, J. w. Leroux, president of the Atlanta Construction company, at tempted to prove that his bid was $309S lower than the Virginia Bridge and Iron company combina- tfon. Mr Leroux's figures were based on the Virginia Bridge and Iron company's furnishing 763 tons of steel, the amount originally esti- mated, at $110 a ton. These figures included, however, S6,220 for metal lumber" that were not included in figures previously submitted to de- termine that the Atlanta Construc- tion company's bid was lower than that of D. E. Manasco, who had for merly been awarded the contract, which was rescinded.
 Mr. Leroux had claimed in figures submitted then that his bid was s6,14O lower than that of Manasco. Tabulation of bids of Hall and the Virginia Bridge and Iron company at that time showed them to be $9,210 lower than Manasco, figured on basis of 763 tons of steel.
 Various Items in Conflict
 Claims of Mir. Leroux that his bid was the lower were counteracted by information that items not included in it and those said to be overesti- mated in his comparisons made the combined Hall-Virginia Bridge and Iron company bid lower by approxi- mately $2,500.
 Item of metal lumber" placed by Mir. Leroux in his comparison at S6,220 was said by disinterested au- thority to be properly valued at $4,200. Item of roof and cornice, shown by MT. Leroux at S16,790 was said to be contained in his own bid at $15,000. It was said that original specifications called for roof with copper guttering that would cost ap- proximately s16,79O, but that MT. Le- rouX's firm had proposed to substi- tute zinc in the guttering and reduce the cost considerably. Halls bid did not include roof and cornice. It was said that item of grading, estimated at s2,500, was not included in the excavation bid of the Atlanta Con struction company, but was in that of Hall.