The Limerick Harbour Commissioners held their fortnightly meeting on Monday, with the Mayor presiding. Various members were present, including Messrs. William Holliday, John F. Power, James H. Roche, Alderman O’Brien, James E. Goodbody, Sir Thomas Cleeve, John Hayes, John Russell, K.J. Long, William L. Stokes, Thomas Donnellan and F.C. Cleeve. The meeting began with the reading of the minutes by Mr Boyd, the secretary.
A report was presented regarding the tenders received for laying paving sets at the docks. Two tenders were submitted: one from John Fitzgibbon for £1,670, or £6 per superficial yard, and another from Patrick Dillon for £1,460, or 6s 11d per superficial yard. The committee members initially proposed accepting the lowest tender, as put forth by Mr James H. Roche and seconded by Mr K.J. Long. However, some members of the committee protested against this decision, leading to a discussion.
Mr Holliday explained that certain committee members objected to accepting the lowest tender due to the circumstances of the case. Mr Moroney, the harbour engineer, confirmed that the contract could be obtained at a lower price during the summer. Mr Roche suggested that the work should commence in March when there would be longer days and better weather conditions.
Mr Stokes proposed that the acceptance of tenders be postponed until the beginning of the new year, allowing time to gather information on prices paid for similar work in other towns. Alderman O’Brien expressed concern about the tenders being open, while Mr Goodbody agreed with the proposal to postpone the decision, giving the opportunity for Mr Dillon to amend his tender if he believed it was too high. Mr Power disagreed, stating that the opening of tenders already exposed the price and provided an advantage to competitors.
The Chairman emphasized the advantage of starting the work immediately to provide employment during the winter. Mr Hayes commented that labour costs would only be a small fraction of the total expenditure since most of the funds would be allocated to materials. Mr Holliday suggested employing more scavengers to clean the streets as a way of providing additional labour.
A discussion ensued, with Mr Roche highlighting the board’s deviation from the committee’s findings. After some conversation, it was unanimously agreed to postpone the consideration of tenders until March 1st of the following year. Mr Boyd informed the board about the election results, with the representatives of importers, exporters, and other stakeholders being re-elected.
The board also decided to initiate legal proceedings to recover the expenses incurred in removing the wreck from the Abbey River. The meeting was adjourned.
Limerick Echo – Tuesday 15 November 1904
