The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-08-14
SCHOOL BOARD
SOAP CONTRACT
CAUSES RUMPUS
Unsuccessful Bidders Claim be
fore Committee They We're
Used Unfairly
THEIR PRODUCT AS GOOD
AND CHEAPER, THEY SAY
inspectors Declare They Used
Their Best Judgment and De-
cline to Reopen Matter

Three successful bidders for the
contract to furnish liquid soap LOT use
in The schools OF Detroit for the com
ing year. made vigorous protest TO the
tanitors aud supplies committee OF the
school board. Tuesday afternoon, al
leging that they had been unfairly
treated. and inJimating that mere
was f'sometnng shady about the con
tract which was awarded TO the Az
pha Chemical Co. at 6s and IS cents
when their bids ranged from ~ 10 D.
cents per gallon.
The most violent attack upon the
action of the old janitors ana sup
plies committee, which awarded Inc
contract in June, was maue oy D. ..
langley. secretary and treasurer Oh
the American Sanitary Products CO.,
whose bid was ~ cents. he declared
that his company stood ready TO guar
antee as good a soap as that bought
at so cents less per gallon ana ue
manded dramatically why approx
mately s400 of the peoples money
should be needlessly wasted.
Nile was interrupted by Inspector
Albert G.. Kunz. chairman of the com
mittee, who asked; Have you sala'
Mr.. Langfey, that there was some
thing shady ABOUT this contract?
Hardly that, ~>Yas the answer.
What said was th9t some persons
who had investigated he matter nad
told me that there was.
Didn't you tell me in my>Qfice,
reioined MIR. Kunz, that 10 be rank
1t was your opinion that the anaH
was crooked? Isn't your opinion now
that it was not right
well, | don't think 1t is entirely
clear" replied Langley.
Ralph S. Hail. president 81 the Ma
tional Soap Co. which put in one bid
at As cents, and Erwin A. Root, repre-
senting Bocstanz Bros, who bid o2
cents, also registered vigorous kicks.
Il don't believe the committee knew
what it was buying" declared Mr..
Root.
.'Nell the whole thing was done in
good faith as far as the committee
was concerned" emphatically assert
ed J. Scott Hunter, VINO was chairman
o. the old committee. I'VE have had
experience in buying the cheapest
goods, which proved unsatisfactory.
and also in getting the highest priced,
only to find that we had paid too
much for them, so in this case We
took all the bids and picked out one
which was about half way between
end about five cents less per gallon
than we paid last year. That, we de-
cided. would be about the grade of
49,. we wanted. | at least did not
know who or what this company was.
the-what do you call it?"
THE Alpha Chemical CO. prompt
ed Secretary Gadd.
The other members of the commit
tee bore him out in the statement that
this was the way in which the con-
tract was let
But" said Mr.. Root, IF we can
give you product that is just as good
for 81 cents per gallon, it is not fair
to us TO be disregarded."
How are we to know il is just as
good?" asked Inspector Hunter
There ought to be both a factual
and a chemical test, for that Is about
the only way to tell the quality of
soap" answered Root Surely there
ought to be way to decide the ques-
ton on its merits rather than by
guess"
The inspectors averred, however,
that they did not have time to go
into the merits of every bid.
One of the objections of those who
protested was that the Alpha Chemi-
cal Co was neither a manufactures
or jobber in soap, and is only a one
man affair.
Il looked for 1t in Dun's and Brad
streets, but ii wasn't there said
Mr.. Hall It's name Is not even in
the new telephone book. | protest In
behalf of the manufacturers OF De-
troit against the policy of giving an
individual preference over jobbers
and manufacturer
Inspector Small, who was a mem
Der OF the committee at the time the
contract was let, also attended the
meeting but took no part in IT. Asked
after the meeting II any OF the com.
mittee members personally knew the
Mr. Mason who is the proprietor of
the Alpha Chemical Co., he said:
why, yes, | know him well. He
lives near my home but had nothing
to do with the contract II anything
called the attention of the commit.
tee to his bio In addition to the fact
that II was one OF those of medium
price, II was the fact that he has been
furnishing the board with disinfect
ants and deodorizers which have been
both cheaper and better than were
used formerly"
The committee after hearing the
protests, told the complainants that
the contract had been signed, and
could not be reopened.
Last year there were used In the
schools Of the city, about 23 half-bar
rels OF liquid soap. The price to be
paid the Alpha Chemical Co.. is 6s
cents in barrel lots, and 73, cents IL
Nhalfbarrel lots.