Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-23
Municipal Affairs
GAMEWELL COMPANY
TO FIGHT DECISION
NEW INVESTIGATION WILL BE
DEMANDED
Counsel for Manufacturers of Fire
Alarm Boxes Says Fair Deal
Was Denied by the
Committee

The Gamewell Fire Alarm company
does not intend to rest content with
the decision of the city council made
Tuesday to refuse payment of the de-
mands for more than $4,000. but will
take the matter before the next coun-
Gil. After considering the matter for
nearly two years a committee of the
council! composed of Wallace, Wren
and Dromgold reported to the council
Tuesday that the demands of the
Gamewell company were illegal and
excessive and recommended they be
not paid. The council sustained the
committee. These demands were for
fire alarm boxes and apparatus pur-
chased by the city from the GameWell
company.
In discussing the matter yesterday
H. j. Goudge, attorney for the Game
well company, said:
THE Gamewell committee in its re-
port to the council yesterday states
that it has met as an investigating
body and has examined large num-
Der of witnesses under oath and has
heard testimony offered. But the COM
mittee does not disclose the fact that
all of the witnesses heard and exam
ined were called by the city auditor
to support his contentious; that they
were heard in secret; that none of
their statements have been made pub
lie or even disclosed to the city coun-
cil that so far as possible the names
of these witnesses have been concealed,
and that no one has been permitted to
cross examine these witnesses or to
offer any evidence that would contra
dict or explain their statements. The
fact is that they have denied any op-
portunity to the Gamewell company to
refute secret charges that may have
been made against it, or to prove its
side of the case.
Months ago, as attorney for the
Gamewel company, l asked an op-
portunity to submit to the committee
proofs that the price charged by the
Gamewell company for it's boxes was
and is the market and reasonable value
Of that article; that many other cities
in the United States have purchased
the same box at the same price or at
a slightly higher price, and that at no
time since these boxes were delivered
have boxes of the same type been pur-
chased anywhere for less price than
the city paid.
II also asked an opportunity to pre-
sent proofs to the committee that the
prices charged by the Gamewell COM
pany for goods covered by the rejected
demands are the prices prevailing all
over the country and that the supply
committee of the council has actually
purchased, while these demands were
held up, similar goods of other firms at
higher prices than the Gamewell com
pany charged, and that in some cases
the city has purchased articles actual
ly manufactured by the Gamewell COM
pany from local dealers and paid a
higher price for them than they could
have been obtained for if bought direct
from the Gamewell company. and this
during the time that payment of the
Gamewell demands has been refused
on the ground that the prices were
eXorbitant.
My offer Of evidence on these points
was in writing and specific. All of
these offers were ignored. The oppor-
tunity of presenting the evidence was
denied. 1t is my hope that the new
council, being necessarily free from
any bias or prejudice in this matter,
will make for itself a fair, full and
public investigation into the facts con-
cerning the rejection of these claims"