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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 22, 1920)
4 THE MORNING OKEGONIAN, WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 1020 0. . O "rr PEOPLE ARE MISLED A! Isolation Hospital "Saving" Claimed to Be Loss. 0 PUBLIC WORKS PLAN HIT o1 City Construction Shown. In Report to Be More Costly Than Jobs Let Oat Under Bids. Jim, CONTRACTORS - UN"Y"E,E ' ' Ill ' BUY HER A r-y ' ;i ". LAUN-DRY-vETTE ' Bl j FOR HER CHRISTMAS , feP' IJ 3Qp Beautiful Hands Always tSi'f . Tj Even After Washday. ,., fil "IsH ir ' A growing number of up-to- ;. Ill 1 date women maintain the at- I JL II vl If 11 -'.I 4 1 PORTLAND. Dec 20. CTo the Edi tor.) Except where a real emergency precludes taking the time required by law for advertising for bids on public construction (if a real emerg ency ever does), the usual custom Is to justify such a course by a state ment through the press as to the great saving made for the taxpayers. And, as there are no data at hand to check such statements, the intended Impression - is created In the public mind that the public official with out equipment, without organization. without, often, practical knowledge as a builder can and does erect public buildings cheaper than the man whose sole business it Is to as semble materials and erect them Into place In the least possible time and for the least possible money. Just to show how "far from the actual facts such statements may be, the case of the Isolation hospital at Kelly Butte is cited. It was erected by the public works department of the city on force account. In The Oregonia-n October 23 ap peared the following-: "Another recent , accomplishment of the department of public works Is the construction of the new municipal isolation hospital at Kelly Butte, at a saving which Commissioner Barbur places at J20.- 600 under private contracting costs. Committee Start Inquiry. Of course it will be understood that this statement, appearing as it did just a few days before election, is entitled to some considerable dis count, but the amount "saved' was so large as to excite suspicion as to its accuracy in the minds of the Gen eral Building Contractors' associa tion and a committee of three care ful, conservative and reliable men was appointed to go into the matter and make a report. The committee received the above clipping with a letter of instruction, which stated, among other things, "If this is true the association will want to know it If It is not true the public will want to know It This report is now in our hands and available to any who are in terested and care to examine the same. It appears from this report that there were no bids taken at the out set. nor at any time, hence no con tractors' estimates for comparison were available October 23 nor at any time; consequently no way of ar riving at the amount of $20,000, or any other amount, as a "saving.l' If 120,000 was 'saved' it had to be saved from something or it was not saved. Just to say that If contractors had done the job it would have cost is n i i A wringerless washing ma- ;., I ffpMnl I chine that makes possible a, IJL WmSLi j' whole washing without putting ' UMMmBHU a hand in the water. .. , . . Li"- Demonstrations at the ' ; ELECTRIC MAID SHOP 133 Tenth St. Broadway 4024. ... ' ,. "Let the Electric Maid Do Your Work." 1 . -' - . . v " 'J 5 IN AUTO MISS DEATH CAR PIXXGES 4 0 FEET, ROLLS; INJURIES ARE SLIGHT. Mill Workers Coming to City for Winter; Driver Loses Control' on Sown Grade. A tangled heap of wreckage worth les9 even as Junk, except for th lighting system, Is all that remains of the large tourins car, which plunged over the embankment at the foot o Hamilton avenue, at 1 A. il. yester day, when the driver lost control on a steep grade: No serious injuries re suited to the five occupants and only one remained In the hospital. The car, according to the occupants, was inbound from Tillamook, ue sides R. A. Anderson, the driver and owner, William Wise. J. Carter, S. B McGillicuddy and J. Skie were in the car. All haoj been engaged in mill work near Bay City and were coming In for the winter. A red lantern warning that Ter- willlger boulevard was closed caused claL) The Baldwin & Swope Con struction company announces comple tion of a new two-story high school at Madras, Or. The building covers 126x100 feet and includes eigJit lec ture rooms, gymnasium, auditorium and manual training hall. It is said to be one of the finest schools of cen tral Oregon. The building was erect ed in nine weeks, which is declared a record. ... 0l0..mt:e-ill?n..lt.d,id"ft e C"y'' road. Apparently the car got the and thus show a "saving," Is about In line with the way this kind of stuff is handled, for when this statement appeared the city Itself did not know what the actual cost had heen. for the committee was unable to get this data until November 15, or later, from the records at the city hail. Building Data Compared The committee proceeded on the as sumption that they had been asked by the city In good faith to bid on the Job In competition with other con tractors, and that inevent they were awarded the work they would be ob liged to erect it for the amount of their bid. The itemized bid submitted with their report is therefore com plete as to items, on the supposition that they might be awarded the con tract, in which event they would be able to turn, the building over to the city complete as it now stands, with all bills paid and with the usual profit on work 01 tnis class. The report shows the total bid to be J4T.744 'The records at the city hall show that there has been charged against the isolation hospital construction ac count the total sum of 152,500 to 'date. There Is, therefore, a difference of $4.26 In favor of the contractors on this showing, instead of 20,000 in favor of the city. The' committee can see no reason for increasing its esti mate of 47,774 and concludes that every dollar the city paid above this sum was needlessly spent and,-there fore. Instead of the transaction show ing, as handled, a "saving" it carries an actual loss of not less than 14726. Summary of Report. It appears from this report: First At the time the statement was made, October 23, there were no bids or other data available from which to make any comparison to arrive at the $20,000. . Second The books at the City hall were not In shape October 23, nor for a considerable time thereafter, so tbat anyone qould tell what the actual cost 01 tne building was. Third The complete showing from tne records, wnen they were closed, in comparison with an absolutely de pendable estimateT does, not give a "saving" of J20,000,'or any other sum, but that there was an appreciable loss in the sum of J4726. The committee ftidicated that they were willing to go over each item in their "bid" with anyone interested. As the items of building of road way, erection of telephone poles, and water storage tank are not matters pertaining to the actual building it self, they were omitted from . both sets of figures in this report. In e later statement in the press ft appears that "Portland's new con tagion hospital has been completed at a total cost of $57,636." Quite prob ably If the excepted Items had been included in both totals in the report the relative difference would be still more in favor of doing public con struction work by contract if the ob ject in view Is to really save the tax payers money. While this is perhaps an exagger a ted case, yet in every instance that has come to our notice the impression is left in the minds of the readers that the contracting system costs the taxpayers a nice little margin that the public officers could save by do ing the work themselves. We repeat therefore what we have said before, that it is manifestly un fair to the builders of any city for its public officials to make or permit to be made in the press any statements ' of this kind unless they are prepared to back them, up, and do back them up with the actual verified facts. GENERAL. BUILD1X6 CONTRAC . TORS' ASSOCIATION. . O. G. HUGBfSON, Secretary. start of Anderson on the steeg. grade and before the other occupants were aware of the danger the heavy ma chine was racing down grada. at An ever Increasing speed. s . Despite the warning of his com banlons,. Carter, in the front seat leaped as soon as he learned the car was beyond control. He received only minor injuries and bruises. As the car reached Kelley street, less than half a street width from its final plunge, Wise leaped from the back seat. His clothing was literally torn from his body as be rolled over and over in the street, but he received only body bruises. Anderson, McGillicuddy and Skie kept- their seats. The car plunged 40 feet over the embankment before it struck and then rolled over and over. McGillicuddy and Skie in the back seat were thrown through the top. Andrson likewise fell free of the wreckage. Skie alone was injured beyond- minor bruises and the shock of the fall. Stitches had to be taken in his scalp and in a. gash in one knee. He was taken to St. Vincent's hospital, but his condition is not serious. ' Madras Has Xew School. HOOD RIVER, Or., Dec 21. (Spe- WATER 0R POWER ASKED California Firm , Seeks to Obtain Appropriation From Klamath. SALEM, Or., Dec. 21. (Special). An application for permission- to ap propriate , 160,000 acre feet of water from the Klamath river to be stored In the lower Klamath lake, has been filed in the office of Percy A. Cupper, state engineer, by Roy E. Swigert, trustee or the Klamath-Shasta Valley project or Montague, Cal. . ? The proposed irrigation project con templates the storage of : water in lower Klamath lake to be" returned through the Klamath strait to the Klamath river for power development in uaiKornia. " . BUSINESS MEN TO 'AID Fund of $2500 to Be Raised for Coast Artillery Company. ABERDEEX, Wash.. Dec. 21. fSne- cial. ) iso action toward recruiting memoersnip tor a coast artillery com pany will te taken by those interest ed in the company until business men have made an effort to raise a com pany fund of $2500. . i Captain George Acret commis sioned 10 recruit me company, ao- pearea Deiore the chamber of com merce at a meeting of the executive committee and solicited the aid of the chamber. A vote of approval was given the proposal to raise the fund, j SMOKER BURNS CLOTHES Gasoline Soaked Trousers Burn : Loss Several Hundred Dollars. ABERDEEN. Wash.. Dec. 21. (Sbe- clal.) .While cleaning a suit of clothes Sunday, afternoon with gaso line Harry Allis started to relight his pipe. The gasoline-soaked trousers caught fire and were burned, together with zu in one of the pockets. Several hundred dollars damage was done to the room, which is lo- cated over the Barlkey clothing store. Oddfellows Hold Services. SEASIDE, Or," Dec. 2l7 (Special.) Memorial services were held at the Methodist Episcopal church Sunday night by the local lodges of Oddfel lows and Rebekaaa. .Lifetime will turn Christmas Cheer into Kitchen Cheer "LIFETIME WARE". effers so years of guaranteed trvicr with extreme beauty, con ' venieoce and dcanlmcs. It the Kitcbea Utemtt de Luxe THE ALUMINUM PRODUCTS COMPANY As a Christmas ih . All : 3 (1 y .0 O never 5 m 'Popular Sweet Varieties Renown, De Luxe, TuU and Fruits Crew, ; - Super-Milk, Blac and ' Lady Claire; ' AR'Cheunng, Fads and Fande. ' -and otherv ite. Sweets for Christmas Is there a name not yet checked off your Christmas gift list-a friend you have neglected to remember? . Well, there's still time to send a box of Sweet's Chocolates -and a more acceptable gift you could never secure, no matter how much time you gave to its purchase. : ' . - For Sweet's are super'chocolates-r-delicatelyfla' vored, pure cream centers smooth, tempting caramels extra-heavy coatings of mellow chocolate, light and dark. ' ?': ' . ' ... , cv-. Here's a real suggestion: While you are buying that gift box, "mak& it two." Make your, own Christmas "sweeter" by taking the second box home. . ' - a4t better dealers here sold from Alaska to Australia, ' . The Nev Filled, Candy in the.":.', Handy Tin ; And here'i 1 new Swsrr specialty you will urely want to Cry: Lut ciout cream-filled, crisp- . coated f lots candie,kept freih in individual air tiiht tin adozen dainty flaron ideal for table, ' home, motoring or any other uie. Alk your Dealer. SALT LAKE ALT LWI BriHlajitCloi Filled Candies W Achoice oPbaHmdaf- folk) W. C. Allen Candy Company 125 Twelfth St, Portland, pregon We are extending cordial invitation to the People of Portland to visit Our fac : ;V tory and inspect our 111 I . . Overstuff ed Davenports Upholstered in Neutral Colored Figured Denims Ranging from $85.00 Up Overstuffed Easy Chairs Ranging from $35.00 Up ' . Making excellent Xmas Gifts at Wholesale Prices We Manufacture Any Design Desired Box Springs and Hair Mat--, tresses Made to Order ':, SO 1 . ill 1 P We have on display a large variety of Denims, Tapestries, Mohairs arid Velours ! from which you may select materials for our Upholstering to Order. ; rhone ' Broadway , . 4042 JOHN OLSON mBtnix IpistFritig (Bit. : u -" r 353-357 North Fourteenth Street ) -, . ' ' 16th St, or N. and S. Portland Car to Sarier St, Then Two Blocks East. . Phone : . Broadway 4042 1 ' J. F. JORDAN Homeless arid Hungry! There are 3,500,000 like him starving to' death in war scourged Europe TEN AMERICAN DOLLARS yvill feed one of these little war waifs through the winter and save him from death by starva tion. How Will Many Lives You Save? EUROPEAN RELIEF COUNCIL HERBERT HOOVER Chairman 522 Selling Bldg. ' t Thig space donated by Lumbermen- Trust Co. J 1 v If .