Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-07
Whether Local Labor Should
Have Preference Is Ques-
ton at Stake.
LAW REQUIRES CONTRACT
BE GIVEN TO LOW OFFER
Eliot School Project Creates Fight
as Builders Protest Tentative
Grant to Outside Firm.

Whether to give preference to local
labor in public works in the District
or to accept the low bids, regardless Of
whence the bidder comes. will be dis
cussed at public hearing before the
District Commissioners in the board
room of the District Building at 1915
m Friday.
The question arose over the tentative
decision Of Engineer Commissioner Will
liam B. Ladue to accept the low bid of
the w. P. Rose Co. of Goldsboro, N. c.,
for the construction of the Charles
William Eliot School. Numerous pro-
tests reached CAL Ladue against grant,
ing this contract to an out-of-town
firm, and he recommended to his fell
low Commissioners at the board meet
ing yesterday that the matter be trash
ed out in public hearing before the
board took action on awarding the con-
tract. The Rose bid was $24, 500 lower
than the lowest figure submitted 10
cally.
Protests Are Cited.
"A number of protests against award
in this case to the low bidder have
been received" Col. Ladue wrote In
memorandum for the board. from To-
cal building trades, the Washington
chamber Of Commerce, members of the
Senate and House of Representative
and others. The general basis of the
objections is that the Rose company
Will bring to the job labor from the
South, thus preventing employment of
local labor, which now is suffering from
the unemployment situation. It is in
tlmated in some of these protests that
Mr.. Rose may propose to pay less than
the current rates in Washington, and
GnaG inferior work is likely to be done.
Inc w. p. Rose Co. is a new bidder
on work for the District of Columbia.
He has, however, done work for the
veterans Bureau and for the Con-
structing Quartermaster, U. S. A., and
is now carrying on a S750,000 con-
tract at st. E!i2abeth's Hospital under
the direction of the Veterans Bureau.
On account of the protests, unusually
careful inquiry has been made as to
the c-mpany'S financial condition, BUSH
ness and technical organization and
character of work done. Mai. Tripp,
IN charge of the construction division
OIL the veterans Bureau, and Mai. Kill
patrick, in charge of the construction
DIVISION of the quartermaster generals
ONCE, for VIII m the w. p. Rose Co.
outside OF Washington, both speak in
nigh terms of the company as a thor
oughly satisfactory contractor. He liz
a satisfactory man to deal with, his
work is excellent. and his contracts
are finished practically on time. The
municipal architect, the assistant mu-
nicipal architect and the Engineer Com
missioner have personally inspected the
Joo now under way at st. Elizabeth's
Hospital and are entirely satisfied with
the character of the work there.
Policy Is Held Argument.
"The real argument here is the cues
ton OF policy. This. however. is a
question with which the executive Of
ncerS have nothing to do. The law re-
quires that the awards be made to the
lowest responsible bidder who can give
adequate security and show that he
has the business organization and ex-
perlence necessary to qualify him to
handle the job. The standard Gov
eminent form Of contract provides that
no labor or mechanics on the work
snail work more than eight hours in
any one day, that persons undergoing
sentence at hard labor shall not be
employed and that the contracting Of
fcer may require the contractor to dis
miss any employe whom the contracting
officer deems incompetent, careless or
otherwise Objectionable These pro-
visions represent the extent to which
executive officers can go in controlling
the labor employed by a contractor.
Should Congress desire to establish q
more restricted policy, that must be
done by legislation. There are certain
bills now pending in Congress which
have this purpose in view, but unless
and until such bills have passed, execu-
tive officers cannot be guided by the
policies expressed in them.
"I therefore concur in the recon-
mendation of the municipal architect
that award in this case be made to
the w. P. Rose Co, and move that
the order proposed be issued.
Attention is invited to the fact that
several Of these protestants request that
a hearing be given them before final
action is taken. If it is desired to
comply with these requests, recon-
mend that a date in the very near
future be set for such a hearing, and
that action on my foregoing motion
be suspended until such hearing is
had"
The school to be built under the con-
tract in question is to be located on
the north side of B street between
Seventeenth place and Nineteenth
street northeast. The bid submitted by
the Rose company was $452,500. The
cost estimated before the contract was
advertised by the District was $4S5, 900.
There were eight local bidders, whose
figures ranged from a minimum of
$477,0 to $4,000.
ann NsN aR~~ Aaus~~