The San Francisco call., 1898-08-17
HELP TO LOOT THE TREASURY
PAY FANCY PRICES TO FA-
 VORITE FIRMS.
Much Lower Bids Are Completely Ignored-Agents Given No Chance to Make Expla-
 nations.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

SAN JOSE, Aug. 16.-The City Board of Education took a hand in the loot of the city treasury last night by pur- chasing 300 school desks for the new High School at exorbitant figures. The favored bidders were the L. Lion S Sons Company and San Jose Furni- ture Company. From the former 1oo Beauty desks were bought at B 50 each. and the San Jose Furniture Com pany sold the city 150 Haney desks at 8 10 each.
 There was no money in the fund to make the purchase and they Will De paid for at the end of the year. Until paid for the Board of Education has agreed to pay $1 per year rent for each desk
 All the trusteees, with the exception of Wemple, voted for the proposition. It was the evident intention to give the job to Lion 6 Sons, but the mem bers were afraid to be so bold and di- vided the business with the San Jose Furniture Company.
 The Board of Education held three meetings yesterday, but it was not un- til last night that the deal was consum- mated-ruthlessly voting away the peo- ple's money. The rooms had the ap- pearance of 8 furniture factory. and were almost filled with chairs, teach CTS desks and school desks. The firms of George H. Fuller & Co., of San Francisco, L. Lion & Sons, M. M. Haas and the San Jose Furniture Company were the competitors. Agents were given no chance to explain then bids before the board which considered the bids in executive session,
 Last evening the matter was fixed up and Trustees Graham, Kenyon, Lang ford and O'Neii voted as stated above. y/,;, tier,1N 1f1rr ders. George H. Fuller & Go. offered desks superior to those chosen at $2 72 each, the Haas Company had bid in at 8 45 and Lion & Sons offered a cheaper desk at g 50. The Trustees picked out the most expensive desks, with utter disregard to the expenditure of city money. Lion & Sons bid was ir- regular and not according to printed notice, yet the board gave them the contract.
 City finances are low and there will be a deficiency of from s6000 to $10 900 in the School Department at the end of the fiscal year Tn taking Fuller & Co. s city about $175 on the deal Bids for teachers desks and chairs were thrown out These goods will be bought from Lion & Sons at private sale and the city will be the sufferer.
 The Santa Clara Trustees last night bought. nIIy haHcy SCAOOl ocSho AOi their High School for $2 85 each. This purchase is made to accommodate pu- pills from this city who are boycotting the local High School because of the dismissal of Professor l.. R. Smith. The Haney desk at $2 85 per desk is 25 cents less than San Jose agreed to pay for the same desk last night. Just why there should be 25 cents less per desk in favor of Santa Clara is hard to understand.
 The city Board of Education will probably be called upon to explain why in choosing the desks the lowest bidders were not considered. This Is not the first time San Jose has been robbed in buying school desks. Some 200 Beau ty'' school desks were bought from Lion & Sons last year at $3 75. Bids were called for to supply 100 desks at that time. but the old school board rejected all the bids and purchased the goods from the Lions. The bill amounted to i over $500, and In order to pay the bill without violating the charter, they sub divided 1t. The signing of these claims was about the first official act of Mayor Martin who Is an uncle of the Lions.