The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-01-30

| bOoh hoNo W hAOnoAps 0VAAOhu " W. hAhW -"
meat & DOugherty. The only evidence given
BY the subcommittee Is as follows;-
"Messrs. Sellers q Co. having examined the
| exhibit hereof referred 10. said:--
were requested u do Our letter of Augus1 n,
time Time NS% pfsSOus q %sS a. 1
vised our price list must have been the 1n, o pSe
sizes given As ours we DO NOS make
"on this point Mr. Bsmenss. as%n OF tnS me sIhibit
and asked whether the prices were those % OF ms h,
rm, said they were not bids a thai wnen ns thsm
| tbai the books OF the q rm had been examined
ana found that no bids hsd neen % iUr on
| tbeIeof had any recollection OF any bids having
soGssS SssS or al %s
1851 the prices would not have been as carried
out in the exhibit
stors Tor the several items set forth that sohe
duiea a. NO, sir; and had such cal been made the
quoted as ours in some cases are no. the prices
q ne s 49, which WIS furnished year before on August
In the report Of the Board OF Engineers we
find the price lists of the various bodybuilding
firms set forth at length and sworn to as cor
rect by the assistant engineers and the
draughtsmen and others employed In the
Chief Rngineer's Office at the navy yard.
The only definite conclusion we have that
able is that arrive at In this whole matter Of
purchasing tools was conducted in a very
loose and unbusiness-lilre manner by Chief
Engineer Zeller. His assistants swear that
they waited upon Messrs. Sellers & Co. and
Messrs. Bement & Dougherty at certain times,
and obtained price-lists from them, stating,
when they did SO, that there was to be COM
petition In the purchase of the tools. The
firms above-named, however, according to the
report Of the subcommittee, only considered
these transactions as the preliminary steps
to still further negotiations. A misunder-
standing certainly appears to exist on this
point. The report of the subcommittee
further states that MessIs. Sellers & Co. and
Bement Dougherty positively deny that
that they were examined by the Board of En-.
gineers as to whether they ever made competi-
tive bids for the tools in question, and pro-
nounee the conclusions Of the Board to be false
and unfounded. The Board of Engineers on
the contrary, report that papers, which they
gave at length, were personally submitted to
members of the aforementioned firms, and
acknowledged by them to be the prioe-lists OF
tVVAe oh0hou " SAAel GuBlueoI AelloI' 1uoE0
appears to be some full-fedged fabrioations
somewhere on this point, and we hope that
the report of the Naval Committee will let I'd
know who the fsbricators are.
Complaints are frequently made about the
red tape in our public offices, but such case
as this shows the necessity and importance Of
red tape. In all matters where the expendi-
lures Of the Government are concerned, too
much care cannot be exercised to have all the
contracts, specifications, receipts, exhibits
ETC., set forth clearly and unmistakably In
black and white, and then If disputes arse
they can be settled without much difficulty.
This tool-purchasing matter does not appear
to have been probed to the bottom yet, and
we hope that the next report we have on the
subject will give us aH the facts, without fear,
favor, or curtailment, and in such clear and
understandable manner that there will be no
mistaking them.