The San Francisco call., 1899-06-20
Scorching Report to
Supervisors.
THOSE BIDS FOR SUPPLIES
FIRE DEPARTMENT COMMITTEE
SCENTS A RANK JOB.
The Matter Goes Over for Week in
Order to Give the Accused Firms
a Chance to Explain
Themselves.


the request of Supervisor Perrault in or
der that two firms that received an un-
merciful lashing by the Fire Department
Committee may have a chance to appear
and defend themselves If they care to do
So The matter first came up in yester-
days meeting. when Clerk Russell read
the committees report of its meeting last
Saturday, in which it was stated among
other things that the schedule embraced
74S items and continued in part:
1T appeared that J. +. Wulzen bid upon
465 articles and James A. Shook & Co.
upon 492 articles In many of the articles
bid upon by these respective bidders J.
+ Wulzen ana Shook x Co, as shown by
the Chief Engineer, the prices were from
% to 100 per cent over the market price,
and as they appeared 10 be rival competi-
tors the prices bid showed that either
one or the other was the lowest bidder,
notwithstanding the fact that the prices
were so largely in excess of the market
price as to induce your committee to ques-
ton the procedure by which this result
was obtained. The information obtained
by your committee from the Chief Engi-
neer of the Fire Department disclosed the
fact without any controversy that some
mistake or worse, that some combination
existed by which it was proposed under
the guise of competitive bidding to make
the city pay for the supplies required
from 40 to 100 per cent in excess of the
market price. AS an Illustration of this
peculiar bidding, J. +. Wulzen was the
lowest bidder on A different articles and
he received eleven awards, while
James A Shook * Co. were the lowest
bidders on 81 different articles and they
received but five awards. All bids on the
other articles, where it was apparent that
advantage was taken in the manner re-
ported, We're rejected on tie ground that
the prices We're too high and in excess Of
The market rates
Continuing the report states that Dun
ham, Cdrrigan * Hayden We're allowed to
insert the words per dozen in cOnnec-
ton with the price specified for certain
articles the clerical omission being OBJ
Vious. and a number of awards were made
10 that firm. The report then continues:
In the matter Of the bid Of j. a. Shook
x Co, We give some examples of their
bidding: Coal oil feeder cans cone gallon),
the price bid is 81 - a dozen, the market
price being reported at 81 IL, soda cans,
two pound, round, the price bid is IS 81 d
gross in lieu of 81 30. the market price;
nanges, one-half TO three inches the price
bid IS 30 cents each, while the market
price is cents; tar paper per roll, $2, as
against the market price OF 81, ana so on
IL the different bids OF ). +. Wulzen and
i. \. Shook * Co, this increase Is per-
ceptible in more or less uegree over and
above The market price.
Your committee mas determined vari-
GUS minor questions III making up the
awards, and believes that its recommend
alton should he carried out ana awards
made as recommended to the lowest bid
ders, where the competition was bona
nde. AS to those supplies where 1t was
undoubtedly the object by some precon-
Certed action To make the city pay eX
tortiOnate prices, your committee recon-
mendS for the present, II required, these
supplies be purchased from wholesale
houses until such time as your committee
can be assured that honest competitive
bids can be received.
Your committee cannot close this re-
port without expressing some surprise
that the wholesale houses which deal in
these supplies have failed good citi-
Zens, either on purpose or through mat
tention, TO give the city by bidding there
for the advantage Of receiving these sup
plies at reasonable market rates
Perrault moved to strike out all refer
ence TO Wulzen, Shook q Co: and Dun
ham, Carrigan q Hayden. He thought
The charge against the first two firms was
Stogethcr too severe to appear on the
records.
Byngton opposed the motion. He said
that II II We're shown that those two
firms had entered INTO combine to loot
the munlcIpaI treasury, the fact should
remain on record. Perrault'S motion fin
ally prevailed, however. and that portion
OF the report quoted above was stricken
out Later IN the session the matter came
up again, and Perrault and Byington had
an animated discussion over it. rhe first
OF the successful bids was taken up for
ratification, but Perrault moved that all
bids for furnishing supplies to the Fire
Department be laid over for one week in
or0er that Wulzen and Shook might have
an opportunity to explain why they had
doubled up on The market price OF Ger
tain articles in their bids The doctor
admitted that Shook was d friend of his
and that II the charges made against
Shook were repeated in that gentleman :
presence the meeting of the board would
be transformed into an imitation of a
boxing tournament of the National Club
The Mayor tIted to gloss over the af-
fair by calling Perrault's attention to the
- la N qyll4 bsad
already been stricken out of the commit
tees report. but the doctor called atten-
tion 10 Byingtons statement in opposi-
tiOn to the hrst motion.
Il merely said that ii those two firms
had combined 70 loot the treasury the
fact should remain of record explained
NO, you didn't; you said they had
combined TO loot the treasury" insisted
Very well. then. If I made such a
statement ] will stay with it," coohy re-
After some further discussion. Per
rault's motion prevailed, the members
thereby passing II up to Mr.. Shook to
make good DR.. Perrault's assertion that
he would afford some amusement to the
board if given an opportunity
The scheme to pay something over
$25 900 for abstracts of titles to the prop
erty in the park panhandle extension be
fore the people had even voted TO issue
bonds for the purchase of the property
was not called up at all. In fact, not one
OF the JuQlCldIY HdQ signed
the recommendation awarding the con-
tract, so ii was turned over TO the CITY
and County Attorney, with some other
matters pertaining to the extension and
will probably not be heard of again
Twenty bills, aggregating $153 IT'S 49, un-
der the new rate for lighting streets and
public buildings, for December January
February and March, were ordered paid
Permission was granted the Market
street Railway Company to erect a sta
ton at the corner of Sixteenth and Brv-
sengers transferring at that point
The Fire Commissioners were author
ized to purchase two fire engines at a
cost of $4640 each, from money contrib
uted for the purpose by the various insur-
ance companies.
Permission was granted the National
Athletic Club to hold boxing contest be-
tween July l and 10
The Superintendent of Streets was in
structed by resolution to repair that por-
ton of Bush street from which the tracks
of the Sutter-street Railway Company
have been removed; to keep accurate ac-
count of the cost of such repairs and ma
terials used, and on the completion of
the work he is to present a bill to the
company. If payment is refused the City
and County Attorney is directed to begin
suit to recover the amount and for exem-
plary damages.
The Market-street Company was or
dered to reconstruct the curbs and side
on pOsw0rth m pUidap