Lowest Tenders.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, 18 April 1891, Page 2

Lowest Tenders.

Some public bodies are permitting some of their numbers to air a new poor man's cry, which is, to refuse to accept tenders that are under the Engineer's estimate. We may not be long before our extremely Liberal Government will rush in and pass an Act to this end, at the instigation of the eight hours a day labour men. ,We must not be surprised at anything that this " working-man's " government may propose. However to the real working-man such a proposition as to refuse tenders because they were less than the estimated .cost, would be most disadvantageous. The engineer is bound to calculate that men will charge the higest average rate of pay, and will work the minimum of time. The adoption of accepting tenders only at his estimate would mean that no man would dare to charge less or work longer than the ordinary standard, and "a very good thing too \ some one may say. If it is possible for every man to have plenty of work and at short hours, it proves a very different state to what is admitted ; it it is not possible, it appears to be unfair to all needing work, that none shall be obtained except at a rate at which all are willing to compete at. Every worker knows of cases where the possibility of obtaining a job near his dwelling enables him to offer to do the work at a lesser rate than the stawdar^ wages, as giving him less distance to travel to his labour, he could earn more on the work at home. If the lowest tender is to be refused this chance is cut away from him. Another instance might be cited in a carter, who had perhaps just completed a job, and would have another one in two or three months time, yet for the interval needed something to pay for the feed of his horses. He must not tender too low as he would be under the estimate, yet the job, at the price he would have tendered, would have paid him far better than to being obliged, from want of a job, to let his team get out of condition. There is another view to take of the matter, and that is, that engineers are at times very far from accurate, and if no tender, but at his estimate, was to be acoepted, our public works would probably cost a much larger sum than by the present system of tendering. If the public bodies objeot to the lowest tenders, why should they tender at all ? Why not do all their work by the day ? To our mind tendering is the very fairest way to ascertain the value of work to be done, and we hold it affords an opportunity to those, who are not desirous of bringing the current rate of wages down, to obtain some work at a time most needed by them, though it may not be so profitable as they would wish, if their circumstances would enable them to pick and choose. We feel pretty sure the general wish would be that the system now in force should be retained.