New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-09-22

prccise records of the art embraced IN the con-
kei and to remove all ground Of controversy be-
ten the contractor and the Auditor the circular
ests hat the requisitcn be made in the exact words
Fthe item in the printed list Printed forms Of
l,iitions were also furnished TO each Department
Iae Bureau.
Thus equipped, the several departments. bureaus,
LIKE Of courts, SC. &C., commenced the work
n draving warrants the Treasury, through the
eioDery contract which by the tests before stated
Icordug TO its terms, 10 require only s2l Sc
Lad according to- the highest bid was 10 have cost not
iseeedlng els 1873 -.
IN will be seen by reference to document No. o. that
sum audited and paid forsationery for six months
Els54 is az, 52e 81 add at the same rate for the
HAer half wear and instead of a. 81 Sc we have
IA expenditure for stationery in year under the
ssnr,ci of s27 O56 7e. This il only So 900 les than
Ia expenditure in 1859. and Is about So 600 more iban
II e, ,. nditure for the calendar year of 1888.
I these who are called 70 pay this large will
1 x.uray ask, by what process 50 large an eXpendi-
II m has been made, under contract apparently 30
1 k,orshle7 This reasonable question from those
sho have right TO ask it, should be fairly answered.
I.rrt mount of labor t0 - This whole matter be-
Sos be Common Council, the departments and the
ssrsas Of New York, a. fully as il can be done from
Ne facts which it possesses.
| Stismept No. 80 shows the sums expended for
sshopery in each department for twelve months pre-
| ,dpg July ], 1854. The total sum is $27, $50 a..
| Statements from No. 10 10 81 show the stationery
| REQUIRED by the different departments, bureaus aud
i Qurs wnCn was NOT embraced III The contract, AMI
yhich is charged al higher rates Following these
Ne sta,enen;s showing the articles provided for each
department. under the terms Of the contract
acquisitions for stationery could be made by some
Eighteen twenty persons, and when the person Sc
ke,ed by the head Of the Department TO procure the
lssfioney called on the satOner Ire would be shown
"a style Of inks,ands, pens, paper &c. Of superior
quality TO that embraced in the list and instead OF
tstpg nksands according to the sample in the con
tract Nos. /, 2, 3, at cent piece, fhe stationer
tloN .nfaN nff,
souId be compounded by the Of these cheap
fces ano the acquisitions would be filled with ink
rsnds at SO, So an 81 and IN the Board of Council
men they have an lnkstand at SIG, u dozen at s1s IS,
md 81 dozen al Sf so and other articles equally
lnavsgsnt. These high rates were probably paid be-
fore the new Board organized, aad the fault
rests wi n the Common Council of 1888. II will be
been by reference 10 Ne 49, the sj79t is charged to
he Clerk of the Common Council in the six months
bf 1853 Before closing the session of 1853, the Com
mon Council passed a resolution directing the Clerk
to advertise for variety Of curious and expensive ar
tces for the Common Council, evidently designed
TO give appearance OF extravaganza TO the advent
Of the order Of things.
Under such state of things the contract was IN
measure superseded by concurrence OF views be-
tween the persons who made out the acquisitions and
the ststioners who filed them.
There are statements appended, showing the amount
of stationery procured in the several departments on
the terms of the contract.
The only efoctual mode Of checking the lavish
peDditures which prevail generally in the use of sta
tODery, would be TO purchase the leading articles,
such paper, &c, by the quantity, and then have
faithful clerk to take charge of the stationery deliver
the articles thus procured TO tie departments courts
&C.. and keep account with each, for the articles
thus delivered. In this way the ream OF paper con
fracted for and delivered 10 the City at the price bid
could not grow from so cents 10 g 80 Then again,
by this process gold pens and other precious articles
could not be obtained under the head OF foolscap
paper as was done in the golden era, in times past
as has been represented to thi- department.
In ls43 this course TAX en- by the State Control
Ter and the saving TO the State the first year
half In referring to the report made by in 1874,
i was struck with the fact that only 81, 1872 s put
down h8ving been paid for stationery for the As
sembly, consisting Of 1913 members whereas the cost
of stationery for the Board of Aldermen of this CITY,
for articles not embraced in the contract for the last
twelve months, given in statement No 40 at iJ'9
90. The Board of Aldermen in twelve months have
expended 81 200 more for stationery than was ex-
pended in 843 Tor the stationery of both branches OF
the State Legislature and the ordinary executive de-
parments.
From all the facts now presented, am strongly
impressed with the opinion that there Is not the care
and economy in the expenditure of the public funds
in he legislative and executive departments of this
City which prudent individuals exercise IN their or
binary business; and satisfied that the expendi-
lures for stationery might be rrre1chedone hall with
ont any Getriment to the public service.
In mekine out the bills for stationery not included
in the list attached to the contract and in creting
these accounts, ii seems 10 me from the exhibit no"
made that due weight has not been given TO the
specifoaion at the head of the list, viz: That
arclts not embraced in the list that may be needed,
care to be furnished at prices @rcy PToporf0naet to
{. those specified
Taking the detailed lis of charges, presented in
statenorts from No. 40 TO "a, and comparing these
with the prices in the bid it to that rule
of proportion will reconcile these charges with the
his: and if this is so, the wrong to the Treasury
covers a period of about four years, having COM
menced in 1850.
CARRIAGE HIRE FOR ALDERMEN AND COUNCIL
MEN.
Statement No. % shows the sums paid TO the old
and the new Common Council for six months The
total sum for pay and carriage hire is s27, 80 In
the old Board Of Aldermen there were eight VINO qua
not ride at the expense of their constituents. la the
nresent Board there are thirteen. This is reform OF
five members. Then again, the thirteen Aldermen oil
1853 took out of the Treasury an average sum OF s2
each whereas the carriage-hTe Of the ten Adetpen
who have rode at the expense of their constituents
averages only s23 60 for each member Here then
we have clear indication of improvement IN prnci-
pie by getting thirteen instead OF eight, and q re-
frenckment of s4s in the OF each Alderman who
did ride.
There are 90 Councilmen who have not had any
carriage hire at all; leaving 81 on the carriage ls
Although this is large majority on the wrong side
of retrenchment yet in amount they exceed the sum
extended by eleven Assistant Aldermen in six months
of 1853 by only about 500. While the teachings OF
experience force us TO admit that retrenchmet is
plant of very slow growth yet the friends oil Irua
Government may take courage from the break which
has been voluntarily made by the members OF tue
Common Council themselves in the line of carriages
Last Sir Months Of 1883.
Al, p.,;deno,s 4aogat
49, WV No s D,vst...,. ................. t45 20
Hsey............2S2 20
Oskley......8 Dovers % 90 ~