Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-10-03
IVY HILL BIDS
. MERE 4GUESSES. :"
SAYS ]AMOUNEAl
Admits His Almshouse Furnish.
ings Estimate Did Not Cover
All Specifications.

Before Cora y. Williams. sitting q
q special master yesterday to tab.
testimony preparatory to argnfnen
on a rule to show cause why tn
award of the contract for the Ivy Hi
almshouse furnishings to NJ. J. 0sCon
nor Sons Company should not be r.
viewed, Leslie Jamouneau, seoretafs
of the William II. Jamouneau Com
pany, Inc, admitted on the stand tha
his FIRMS bid for the furnishings al,
not cover everything in the speech
cations and that many Of the figure
IN the bid We're guessworl1. Ja1l1Q
mean, who was an unsuccessful bid
der. also said that he knew his hi.
lacked several estimates when he s.4b
mitted ii to the poor and aims CON
mittee of the Common Council.
In the course of his testimony MI
Jamouneau stated that page iia,i
been torn out of the specifications il
saw Asked when he found this otii
ne said he knew it before he sent Il
the bid, but was willing to take III
chance. The page which was lef
out of the Jamouneau bid called 10
table crockery valued at befuae
$1,000 and $1,000. Mr.. Jainouneau ad
mltted he did not know whether til
erockery would cost 800 or $1,000. -
II you We're awarded the Sontrat
and found the crocleery would cos
YOU $1,000. would Won sue for tn
S2,OO0?' asked City Attorney Frank
bradner, who represented the eftv n
the matter Jerome T. ConR1etcn
Jamouneau's counsel and counsel ais
Tor Duncan Mckinnon, refused to IL
the witness answer. Mr.. McKfnnn,
IS supposed to be bringing the actio
Tor the review of the award of N
contract
Mr. Bradner questioned Ja1nounes
on the manner in which he arrived !.
the prices of certain fire escapes ape
IRE extinguishers required by TIL
specifications.
Il took the list prices from theil
catalogues" the witness said ,sanf
then guessed at what discount ".
would get. | could not get an esti
mate from them when / applied fol
it,, as they refused it to me. TbeS
told me they were going to bid on tn.
same contract and that I better keet
my hands off,
He was then questioned about sev.
eral other commodities and admitted
that he arrived at the figures givel
III his bid by guessing or by gettins
someone else to figure for him.
On his direct examination, led bN
Mr.. Congleton, the witness declartt
he found 1t difficult to prepare bid
for the Almshouse furnishings he
cause he could not get the names
the manufacturers or the part mum
Der OF the articles selected by tht
poors and aims committee. He dc.
clared he was forced to get HIS. in
| formation from q ''so-called" scrap
book, which was shown to him as
n a 70 .fu
companying specifications
Couldn't you get the information
you wanted from all these things
| asked Mr. Bradner.
! No, | could not" the witness Re
piled. Il wanted the manufacturer
names and the part numbers of TIL
articles. These were marked over il
| lead pencil or torn off entirely, wher
| looked at the 'scrapbooll, or catas
-logue, as they called it,
Emmanuel Sonnabend, an auction.
eer. of 20 South Orange avenue. wa
called as a witness by Mr.. Congleton
He declared he wanted to bid for the
| furnishings contract but was unable
to do so because he could not get the
required information. He said he
needed to have the part numbers and
manufacturers names In order t.
bid intelligently.
When Mr.. Bradner carried Soma
| bend through u eross-examinatio ton
the witness admitted he had been il
| the furniture business only two years
and had never before attempted r.
bid on public work. He further. ad;
mitted that he did not know mucf
about the business and had bro1gh'
furniture expert with him to- lock
at the sample at the almshouse.
| Mr.. Bradner asked him II he has
enough money to carry out the con
tract If 1t had been awarded to him
We'll. have the credit TO do II" H.
replied