G&J business practices

[Chris Povey]

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Andrew Wilby wrote:-

Clearly there were very strong emotions about G&J at Whitechapel and not wi=
thout reason. Johnston's business practices were very dodgy to say the leas=
t. There are many sets of G&J handbell around acquired by Tower Captains w=
ho promoted the case for G&J to get the job to their Parishes even if their=
quote was worse than the competition. Yes we would now call it bribery and=
so it was then. There is evidence to suggest they he had local agents in m=
any areas including around Towcester in positions of authority who promoted=
his business without declaring an interest.

Say what you like about his products but as a business it stank and deserve=
d to go under. My Grandfather worked for him on the clock side at one time =
so I don't say that without some family inside knowledge!

Cyril Johnston was very keen to win the contract to rehang and recast Evesh=
am Bell Tower bells in 1951 from 10 into 12 and submitted the lowest tender=
to do this work. The competitors were Taylors and M&S. Taylors' price was =
second lowest. Unfortunately for Cyril Johnston, the local man, Geoffrey He=
mming (Gerald Hemming's father, wanted Taylors to do the work. There was a =
fairly high-brow Committee overseeing the Bell Tower restoration work at th=
at time and this included the rehanging and recasting of the bells. The Com=
mittee, of which Geoff was a member, were generally agreed on accepting G&J=
's price for the work, but Geoff argued strongly and in every way he knew a=
gainst signing with G&J. One of the reasons he used was that G&J offered a =
competitive price intially, but increased this during the work by the addit=
ion of 'extras', usually to the point that it nicely exceeded the competito=
rs' prices. Geoff had heard of places where this had happened elsewhere. He=
even wrote to Ron Dove, who had worked at G&J, to ask if he would confirm =
to the Committee that G&J operated such practices. Ron Dove confirmed to me=
in the late 1980's that such a request had been made of him by Geoff, alth=
ough Ron declined to do so. Eventually the Committee met to agree the accep=
tance of G&J's tender, Geoff's pleas, reasons and anything else being overl=
ooked by the majority in favour of the all-important lowest price.

So how did Evesham end up with a Taylor ring? Geoff had realised that the d=
ate of the Committee meeting was past the periods of validity of the tender=
s. He pointed this out and forced a motion to invite the tenderers (by this=
time just G&J and Taylors) to re-quote if they wished. This was agreed. Be=
tween this time and the original submission of the tenders, there had been =
an increase in bellmetal prices. Geoff reckoned that G&J would take the cha=
nce to increase their price. He advised (or more likely told) Paul Taylor t=
o hold his price steady. The re-quoted tenders came in with G&J's price inc=
reased, as expected, and with Taylors now the lowest price. The rest is his=
tory, as they say. Cyril Johnston was spared the cost of a set of handbells=
in this case (Geoff already had a set anyway) - and probably the tea - but=
I guess he was very unhappy to be beaten by the local man.

Chris Povey
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