The San Francisco call., 1898-02-06
New Charter Club Pre- vents a Treasury
 Raid.
Stops the Purchase of an Ex- pensive Fire Alarm
 System.
Questionable Deal Made by City Officials Will Be Aired in
 Court
Special Dispatch to The Call.

SAN JOSE, Feb 5.---President San- ford E. Smith of the New Charter Club to-day obtained an order from Judge Kittridge temporarily restrain ing Mayor Koch and Councilmen Will liam T. Noting, J. P. Fay, George B. Dittus and Julius Kreig, on the part of the city, and A. J. Coffee for the United States Fire and Police Telegraph Com- pany, from entering into a contract for the purchase of a fire alarm system.
 February IA, at ? p. m., was set as the time for the defendants to appear and show cause why the order should not be made permanent The order is similar to the one obtained on Thurs day to balk the awarding of a street sweeping contract that would have mulcted the city of $12,000 in three years.
 The petition filed by President Smith recites that on January 26 the Mayor and Common Council passed a resolu- tion awarding a contract to A. J. Coffee for fire alarm system at a monthly rental of $65. the city to have the right to purchase the system at any time within five years for $3900, less the amount of rental paid. The Gamewell Fire Alarm Company put in a bid for a similar system, its terms being rental of $55 month, the purchase price to be $500 if paid within five years, and the rentals to be credited. The petition declares that the bid of said A. J. Coffee is not the lowest and best bid filed with the Mayor and Common Council, and that if the con tract with A. J. Coffee is carried out the system will cost the city large sum for both rental and purchase price in excess of the amount asked by the Gamewell Fire Alarm Company to a great loss to the taxpayers of the city. It is set forth that the defendants threaten, unless restrained by order of the court, to award and enter into the contract with A. J. Coffee, to the detri- ment of the city and taxpayers.
 The awarding of the contract by the City Council to A. J. Coffee was brazen piece of work. Instead of giv- ing the contract to the lowest bidder the Council unanimously awarded it to Coffee at $500 higher than the Game well bid. A couple of months ago the Council attempted to give Coffee the contract for new fire alarm system for s24O0 without calling for bids. It found it could not do this, and so called for bids. Then it turned around and gave the contract to the highest bid der. After submitting a price of $2400 to the city for similar system before bids were asked Coffee raised his price to $3900. The system that it was pro- posed to furnish for $2400, with $200 worth of extras, was as good as the one 1t proposes to sell the city for $3900. Thus the Council deliberately voted away about $500 of the peoples money. Rumors on the street have it that 5000 of this money was to be dis pensed where it would do some good" The contract is now in the Mayors hands and will undoubtedly be vetoed.
 Now that the New Charter Club has taken a hand in strengthening out af- fairs it is thought the members of the Council will lose some of their boldness and not so freely vote away the peo- ple's money. There seems to be an un- derstanding among them to~spend as much money as possible during the next two months they will be in office. If the restraining order obtained to- day does not check them in their ex- travagance it is asserted the New Charter Club will lose no time in talk ing steps to impeach them.