BOROUGH COUNCIL CONTRACTS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1640, 6 November 1873, Page 2

BOROUGH COUNCIL CONTRACTS.

[to the editor.]

Sir— l observe in your issue of ' yester-. day an advertisement again calling tenderb' for street improvements^ this being the third time the same j works have been advertised. The reason for the Council j continually ..and. ( .persistently - refusings, tenders ' sent them to 1 db' these iforksis' best known to" themselves, but I^cpisider it' rhb's't unfair to keep men who haye>con T r tracted waiting;we'et afteri;week, |and" at the-sairie titrie retaining /thla' required -de-" posit. Jt is, a great^n jury; to- them in loss of tiriie ; ;alpne,, T and: (there need not-haye been : these.,.disgrac l e£ul r delays had ''the', , whole jQuestionr 'been properly discussed and settled asitouiwhafcr.was to bb ;i dqne, before advertising at all.; . The wrble.and. sole cause *of this coritiriued non-accept-ance ;of tenders ■■ appears^ to hinge ; on the .fa'ct'of Council's'acceptance of the su?-,. yeyor's estimate' being ;cbrrect,aridi there- ■ f ore ; refusing; any tender 1 unless^t is something.nearlthe price fix^dJßyhJm ? ' certainly, j on this- last opcasionf of caliing'fofltenders they offer soriie rofateriaf iiithe I ' shape of trara ; ,, trucks/- st'eam^engine, ! &c, I which will allow cpntractbrs to make some trifling' deduction ■' in' thp ,cost;;{>f/tlie wdrt^But 1 .not much, as 1 a tram of slighter diriiensidns'wbqild; have !: all'ythe ,,pu r . poses requiredj and the actual cost of ,'the ; material for that, will be theisum saved. '

But.jwhy be',, so .closely.' guided by the surveyor's, estimate ?,;:Are: surveyors as ; a: rule infallible, and; -is .'.tour own | local:, specimen of the genus supremely so ? "T" am;afraid not!;; if theiis^then the prices to do this work, previously sent ; inj wpuld., have left the contractor^ a hariqlsorae" margin of profit} 1 But I and others jknow who have been used tp carry out wpyks 1 of this description, that they Wulilihave .barely paid- themselves >wages, and! that the works as ,-they>:stand cannot . possibly, be done at the price thesurveyor estimates! More than that, it is generally believed that the -actual amount of work to ,be ; done is considerably more; than jwhat' is shoWn on the plans aiid specifications, or if r ,not .why make a clause in the conditions .of contract j that contractors, are'hot to be satisfied with the ; surveypr'Sr measurements, but are to see« ifprthemsejves. : W^hatis, the Town jSur-l veybr for if hot. to correctly measure] and' fairly estimate all local works required. - This much.may be. said, about- the matter, 'that If contractors are to be Continually humbugged by these repeated refusals -of their tenders, very few will care to tender at all, and the • public may expectj the ; same .farce repeated: on : every occasion .of lettingiany ofrthe' proposed town iriiprove- :,'■': ;l!r.:--:.<i j '(By.; the way," what is the steam engine for, and whyas.that mentioned amongst thepther articles lent?' -■.:;■? | f lam, &c; "■' * j vi ; • - " :? T 'Contractor. I, .Greymouai,-»Npy.s, 1873.- p :• L