The San Francisco call., 1898-08-06
COSTLY FIRE ALARM SYSTEM
Ex-MAYoR KOCH IS GETTING A
 ROASTING"
By His Careless signingof Contract the City May Suffer Loss of Several Thousand
 Dollars.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

| SAN JOSE, Aug. 5.-The city or san | Jose has a gold brick on US hahos III | the shape of a new fre-alarm systelh' | This purchase was made through tue instrumentality of the old CouLcll, put the responsibility of the deal mas oeeh
 shifted to ex-Mayor kochs shoui-
 ders. And here it undoubtedly Oe- longs. The credit of the discovery or
 the brick is due to Mayor Martln' anu just now he Is busily enga"eo III tie endeavor to balk this attempt to pullho the municipality.
 The history of the purchase of nre-
 alarm system is a long one mere
 were more or less hints of poodle pe- i ing used to influence the Councl4IueA
 when the matter was first broacheo'
 and now these rumors of poodle are again current on the streets. The puy- | ing of the system by the old Council l caused much discussion and the maj | ter was taken into the courts py D. h- i Smith. a prominent member or the New Charter Club. At that tune i hocn, | then Mayor, condemned the CouncIt l for wanting to make the purchase, put l the loophole contract that ne signed | for the purchase of the apparatus hdS i turned the tide of condemnation. anu | ne IS now TeCelNIHS llLS SAA@AAN 1 roasting"
 On January 25, 1898, A. J. Coffee. re- | presenting the United States Fire ana | Police Telegraph Company, ana R, A. Rose, agent of the Gamewen t1re Alarm Company, submitted bids 10 the 1 city for fire alarm system. The plu oi A J. Coffee was accepted. He proposed to Dl1t in an up-to-date system. the city to pay a rental of $65 per month Tor five years. If within that time the city wished to purchase the ap-
 paratus they could do so for S3s00' the rental money to apply on the pur- chase price. The GameWelI Company bid was for $33O0. or $55 per month, the same conditions to apply ln the puf- chase of the system.
 The Superior Court denied an in- junction to prohibit the Council from entering into a contract with Coffee. and Koch vetoed the resolution mak- ing the purchase.
 The old CounciI-composed of Fay, Nolting. Krieg and Dittus-still insisted on buying a fire alarm system. Bids were again called for for a complete storage battery system of 275 cells, fire alarm switchboard, with necessary implements for manipulation of ten circuits and other apparatus. The buy ing was to be on the lease proposition, giving the city the option to purchase at any time in five years.
 Coffee and Rose responded with bids, Coffee being again the highest. His bid was S4400.
 The Gamewel Company offered to put in a system for $3950, the city to pay 8 rental of S720 per year, or S60 per month, for five years. The Council thought that the conditions of puchase were the same as in the previous bid, and that whenever the city wished to purchase the system the rentals would apply on that sum. But Rose and Coffee placed a joker in their bids, and the discovery was made a few days ago that the city will probably be mulcted of several thousand dollars. The con- tract, as signed by ex-Mayor Koch, makes it necessary for the city to pur- chase the plant inside of a year in order to have the rentals apply on the price. Owing to the low condition of the city's finances it will be impossible to do so. In order to purchase it after the first year it would cost the city s6830 as it would be necessary to pay the four years rental of S2880 and then the original price of s3950.
 The material for the system is now at the broad-ga depot, but unless the contract is reformed the apparatus will stay there for some time. The Po- lice and Fire Commission have cited Rose to appear and explain how 1t was the contract was changed so that the rentals should not apply on the pur- chase price.
 Mayor Koch says he was of opinion when he signed the contract that the conditions of rentals applying on pur- chase price were the same as In the first bid In that case the system could be bought at any time. and the rentals paid applied on the price. Just how he could be so careless as to overlook this material point in the agreement he has failed to explain.
 The former Councilmen all claim they understood the matter the same as did Mayor Koch, and for this reason voted for the Gamewell system.