The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-04
CONTRACT PROBE
Freeholders Investigate the
Lack Of Supplies At
County Institutions.
STAR CHAMBER PROCEEDINGS
Leader Davis Denounces the
Situation Charles S.
Furst Talks.


Guilty met at the Office of the Board
Yesterday afternoon The meeting was
called to order at four o'clock by the
chairman, Freeholder Keating. An effort
was made to have the hearing in public,
but the majority of the committee de-
ciaed upon a secret session. Reporters
were excluded and the witnesses were
called before the committee one at
time Charles S. Furst, of the firm OF
Furst Bros, the dry goods contractors,
was in attendance, but had not brought
his samples with him. Several of the
other contractors were there waiting to
he called The meeting was held up
stairs in the committee room and the
witnesses remained down stairs until they
were called At the opening of the pro-
ceedings Freeholder Richardson said that
whatever was to be done should be done
quickly in order to remedy the existing
evil.
Storekeeper ONeill was the first wit
ness called He had brought with MN
from Snake Hill two satchels containing
shoes and a big bundle of dry goods The
shoes were the alleged samples on wh1cn
Samuel Smith had bid for the contract
and obtained 1t. It will be remembered
that Smith claims now that the samples
are of a superior quality to those on
which he bid and he refuses to fulfill the
contract. The bundle contained the
samples of dry goods on which the BIDS
were made After Storekeeper O'Neill had
been excused Ignatius Noonan appeared
before the committee with his counsel,
Joseph NJ. Noonan, and demanded to be
released from the contract for blue denims
and blankets. When he put in his bid
he expected that the award would be
made in the aggregate. Instead of that
he was awarded two items of the supplies
on which he was the lowest bidder and
he cannot furnish the goods except at a
great loss to himself.
Storekeeper O'Neill was called before
the committee again and stated that the
supplies furnished by Furst Bros. were
not according to the samples. He and
Assistant Storekeeper Judge had inspect
ed them in the presence of Rutin Trem-
Bile. Freeholders Clements, Murray, Sayre
and Higgins and Eugene Condon Two
OF the other contractors were also there.
He felt it his duty to return the goods.
Mr.. Furst was called next. He did not
have any samples with him, but he de-
clared that the goods the firm had sent
to Snake Hill and which were rejected
by the Storekeeper were strictly in ae-
cordance with the samples. His buyers,
he said had gone to four of the most
reputable dry goods houses in New York,
the H. B. Clafin Company; Sweet, Penn
broke & Co.; Teft, Weller & Co., and
Dunbar & Co., and purchased the goods
from the samples he had procured at the
office of the Board of Freeholders. At
the next meeting of the committee, on
Monday afternoon, Mr.. Ftlrst will have
representative from each of these houses
to testify that the goods and the SAM
pies are of precisely the same quality.
The committee adjourned until 8 P. M.
on Monday.
Storekeeper O'Neili said afterward that
all the contracts expired on November 80,
and after that until the new contracts
were made supplies were purchased on re-
auisition, Some of the alleged butter
sent up to the hill had ben pronounced
oieomargRrire by the agents Of the State
Dairy Commission and also by Professor
Krause the chemist He has also had
trouble over the tobacco contract. The
Climax brand worty fifty cents pound
had been ordered and the contractor had
furnished the Honest brand worth s5 cents
a pound.
Mr.. -Furst has the rejected goods set
aside in the store and will present his bill
for them an insist on payment.
Robert Davis is indignant at the Ncon=
dition of affairs at the County Almshouse.
''It is good thing to have this matter
investigated" he said, this morning, at
the City Hail. f'Fhe contractors are try
ing to get out of their contracts because
they are forced to supply what their con-
tracts call for. I suppose if they were
forced to supply the goods called for 1t
would be a saving to the county of be-
tween $50. 900 and 100000 a year. We pay
the best prices and get poor goods. But
there is no reason why they should want
for anything at the Allnshouse IT the
contractors do not come up to their con-
tracts, the committee has the right to go
out and buy what is needed. I hope the
Investigation will be vigorously pushed
and the blame placed where it belongs"
The contractors for furnishing drygoods
re- the county are Furst Bros, of this
city. In speaking of the matter this
morning, Mr.. Charles Furst, a member of
the firm said
1--WE did not bid for the county busi-
ness last year nor had any desire to
hid This wear and did not bid on the first /
the first bidding this year proved so ufl-
satisfactory, we were asked If we would
bid If the Freeholders readvertised. More
for the benefit OF the county than for
FIRST Bros we put in a bid on the re-
advertisement 1t was not balance eia,
hut on any item of which we are willing
TO take and fill We were awarded the
contract for a large number of items,
among which was unbleached mus
lin. ,rhe specifications called for lndlan
Head brand of muslin. which must be ike
sample Immediately upon seeing the
sample we saw that it was not the In
dian Head brand. Ignoring brand, but
adhering to the quality of the sample, we
bid and rendered goods precisely like
sample. which were rejected by the store
keeper Two years ago. when we last
bid. we recognized that while the speci-
ficatfon called for Indian Head muslin |
the sample was of another quality.
We called the Boards attention to the
fact that we Offered Indian Head for one |
price and goods like the sample for ans
other. but the Board took ne notice of It. |
our bid for Indian Head was ~ cents
To be entirely relieved Of the aches and |
pains Of rheumatism means great deal, and
Hoods SarsaDarilla does IL