Evening star., 1941-08-20
Rouds
Continued From First Paee.D

making the report in accordance
with the requirements of the Budget
and Accounting Act, and sent copies
to the Speaker of the House and
the Commissioners.
Whitehurst Issues Denial.
Capt. H. c. Wnitehurst. District
Highway Director, late today issued
a complete denial of complaints by
the General Accounting Office
against the District government sys-
tenn of awarding contracts.
While he did not learn of the
complaints presented to Congress
bv Controller General Warren un-
til midafternoon, when he got the
news from reporters, Capt. White
hurst declared.
so far as these complaints may
be directed against the District
government or its officials, they ere
completely unjustified as can be
seen from the record"
After reading newspaper copy
OF the Warren report, Capt. White
hurst explained that all paving con-
tracts in the District must, under
the law be awarded to the low bid
der, so long as constituted authori-
ties find the low bidder financially
responsible He said the District
government was using, and had for
many years used, the same forms
and the same specifications as the
United States Public Roads Admin
istration, and that. in fact. the
specifications, the bids and the sue
cessful bidders on District contracts
were approved by the Federal agen-
cy before contracts were awarded by
the Commissioners In the case of
Federal roadwork in the National
Capital.
Called Universal Practice.
The unit price system used for
years oy. the District is universal in
practice throughout the country, he
said. On big paving jobs, separate
contracts are awarded, but in the
case OF the long list of small or minor
projects the call is issued for bids for
a stated group OF projects. He msin-
tanned that this was good econom-
ical sense, since if individual bids
were for each small job the price
would be higher.
I'VE would be paying through the
nose if we did the small jobs that
way he said.
The Commissioners insert a provi-'
sion in such unit price contracts that
they may increase or decrease the
amount of work to be done as to
the major items. such as the street
base and street paving. by as much
as Is per cent. he said. In other
words, if miscellaneous contract
calls for 100000 cubic yards of paw
ing, the Commissioners have the
right to add other street projects
to the specified list, subject to the
25 per cent limit, and on this excess
work the contractor is paid the same
unit prices on which he had sub
mltted his bid Capt. Whitehurst
said the Commissioners can, and
sometimes do. reduce the amount of
work TO be done. On the last re-
pair contract, he reported, reduc-
ton Of % per cent was ordered.
Ordered by Commissioners.
He said it should be remembered
that the streets to be paved are
ordered by the Commissioners. and
that the Commissioners decide what
contracts are to be awarded. He
added that bids are solicited by
public advertisement and that any
contractor, local or otherwise. can
submit bids. that the bids are
opened by the chairman of the
Contract Board, the chief clerk of
the District Engineers Department
and are passed upon by the Contract
Board before they go to the Com
missioners.
In reply to the complaint that four
contractors in Washington got the
majority of the paving business.
Capt. Whitehurst said there are only
six contractors in the District who
have plant equipment for doing as
phalt paving work. He said that if
it we're true that Washington con-
tractors were getting excessively
high prices it should>be remembered
that commercial bids of contract
prices are printed and that this
would invite outside contractors to
bid if they thought they could sue
cessfully compete.
Kutz Promises Inquiry.
Brig. Gen. Charles w. Kutz, who
as Engineer Commissioner super
vises all paving and other engineer
ing operations. promised an imme-
diate investigation to determine
whether there was anything wrong
in the Districts system of estimat-
ing and awarding contracts for paw
ing.
Gen. Kutz said that during the
time he has served as Engineer
Commissioner he had received no
evidence of anything wrong and
added.
II do not intend to form any
opinion on the complaints mace Dy
the controller general until I have
heard both sides of the story"
He said he was not assuming that
any municipal official was guilty of
any misfeasance or malfeasance un-
til charges had been proved"
The Engineer Commissioner said
he would 90 over all pertinent mat
ters in connection with the estimat-
ing and awarding of contracts for
highway work of this year. He added
that if Controller Warren's charges
were sustained in any respect he
would then have a check made Of
all other contract paving work back
through 1887. He also said that
even though he found nothing
wrong in this wears paving con-