EDUCATION BOARD BUILDINGS'

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 240, 3 July 1908, Page 3

EDUCATION BOARD BUILDINGS'

DISPUTE AS TO CONDITIONS OF TENDER. (BY TELEGRAPH —I'RESS ASSOCIATION.) Wanganui, July 2. Among the contract conditions adopted by the architects and builders of! the Dominion is a clause providing: "If an employer does not accept a tender within thirty days, he will tho lowest tenderer a sum of onequarter per cent, oil his such amount not to be more than fifteen guineas, nor less than one guinea."- The Wanganui Education Board decided recently to strike this .clauseout of all building contracts in future, and last evening a deputation from the Wanganui Builders' Union waited on the Board and asked that tho clause be re-inserted.'_ It was .pointed out that niunibers of tho Union were 'now debarred from tendering for the..Board's work, being bound by agreement to tender only under tho accepted conditions, and they oontended that where "no tenders were accepted the compensation provided was, just and reasonable in view of the tinio and trouble spent in makinji up tenders. Tho chairman of the Board (Mr..F. Pirani), in the courso of. his reply, said.'tho 'Board liad often to wait six months befdro the Education Department gifve its consent to; a tender, and tho Board could not ask for that consent till tenders were, in. Ho also complained of tho largo discrepancies between tho anidunt" of• tenders and the architect's estimate. If tho Board-was to be mulcted in such a charge, it. was time it took steps to put up its own buildings. ■ The Board was in a totally different, position to other employers, and its contracts were bona fide. Ho concluded by saying: " We will'get a combino of education boards throughout tho. colony, and see if the builders are prepared to throw away £250,000 worth of work per year. If the builders aro going to dictato ito the peoplo'who employ them, it is time, .the Board thought 'of "dictating to tho builders." '

■ 'The Board resolved to pay the amounts in connection v.'iih past contracts. _ which contained the clause, and to write to tho Builders' Union explaining the position the Board takes up. regarding its building contracts. . - , .