New-York tribune., 1873-04-12
THE CONTROLLERS REPORT.
DEPARTMENT or FINANCE. CONTROLLERS OFFICE,
NEW-NORE. April 1SJ3

NEw-YORK, Aprii 40. 1873 )
~ the Honorable the Senate: have received
from the senate the following resolution:
IN sENirU-ALHANY, March 10, 1873 -ReSo'red, That
uc Controller of the City of NewYork he requested TO
communicate 10 the Senate statement showing the
amounts claimed and amounts PAID TO the various news
papers the city during the last five years and as0 OF
tho claims which have been presented ma amounts pMn
1" each in settlement snce MS a.Scssio 10 ,
ul settlement, when settled and other matter 10 ald any
Legislation.
In the performance OF the duty imposed upon by
this resolution schedules herewith submitted show
ing:
"A" The amounts actually paid for advertising for
the city aud county each ef the 1867 1865 1862
1870 ISL and the total paid for these five years. amount
ing to Sl,5Gs.676 As.
R" The cost Of advertising for the city and county
in ISL O93 269 81 1872 s1455JO 10; being reduction
in one year $97s19 n. There is but little doubt that
II the Legislature does not pass any laws compelling
moro city advertising, that the cost of will in 1873 be
still further reduced.
&C" The amount OF claims presented 70 the Board OF
Audit under Chapter S7 Laws of 1872 being 81 ll2236 b
and the amount allowed thereon To wit, the sum OF
sSo9i7 The amount of $S0GsI % of claims which
have not vet finally settled it is believed, gen.
orally very excessive. Some without authority aud
some wholly spurious.
ID" TRe total paid for advertising for five years,
to wit $500 49, which. with further amount
Of claims presented since 1871. but not allowed, would
mako total of claims fOr five years of $5,lSO995 s5
"E" A tahuated form Of the arrangement of the
claims and the animation and report thereon by the
examiners.
OF" Form of affidavit required of publishers.
&c" The form Of certificates OF examiners as to pre-
vious payment Of bills presented.
Schedules A and b given below. The others
involve repetitiOns and extraneous matter)
submitting these results in the condensed form OF
tables the undersigned deems IT necessary to accompany
these with few explanatory comments. Among the
most numerous and extensive Of claims presented at
tie Finance Department those of the prOpretOrs
Of newspapers city and county advertising and they
were of very complicated, confused, and voluminOus
character. II is difficult to describe the articles and
agencies by which many Of these claims have been put
upon the treasury The necessity of dealing with de-
moralized officials bego class Of equally demorailzed
agents. each acted upon and debauched the other Tie
advertising claims began to swell into excessive proper
tous about the year 1885, in which year they paid
at 21 "a thcnceOrward they steadily increased
volume up to ls7 which year they 81 093369 g.
Assuming the duties of Controller IN the
latter part Of that year, the undersigned |
found the treasury practically empty, but the
claims for ADVERTISING were Immediately urged with
pertipacity though there were means 10 pay even
those OF them that just The reputable standard
papers were very from being the chief benefeares OF
tins class of patronage; 1t was bouneousy bestowed
upon persons who procured the printing OF sheets Whch
we're neither newspapers useu in any sense as me-
aiums Of advertising They without circulation,
and so obscure that their names were unknown
They were wholly dependent upon the ayais Of the pub
lie advertising, and when that was withdrawn they
oeased TO exist The Legislature OF 1872 passed very
liberal act chap 375 for the settlement of these claims
II became immediately apparent that the extravagant
pxpectations of Of these claimants must be dis
puted and as the repeatedly appealed to by
Them 10 establish their claims, they were as Oten re-
sisted Great variation in prices, rates sxe OF type
measurement authority 70 publish and extent OF elrcu
laiiOn were lnVONeu'
METHOD OF EXAMINATION
II WAS necessary the examination 10 understand the
mvsteries of the printing Office and was evident that
% do iustice this examination be reduced to sys
tenn and such system wasI devised cOmprehendng the
following features:
First The services of of integrity and character
experts printing ana newspaper advertising were en-
gage1 anayze the claims and ascertain the quantity
OF advertising done TINS was 70 oe h oy
careful examination OF the volumes or mes Oh tne news
paper which the publisher was required TO procuee
Zach for bsd been Inserted in each paper
as claimed-that is. II advertisement was charged LOT
Ss 10 have been inserted was examined to
IL the number OF times and lines charged iOr was cor
Dcb s many OF the papers used an unusually large
type, in order 10 lengthen the advertisement ny IN
creasing the number or lines. -
second The matter Of price at which the ad-
yertsement ~ be paid for referred to examk
era who aseertaned and reported the actual prceH NJ
which advertisement should be charged 10 any gwen
paper Thls with papers other thsn tue standard pa
Third one more clerks detailed 10 search the
6,a ~ the depar ment 20 ascertain whether any adver
tiSement for which pay claimed had been be-
fore paid (see schedule GJ
Eosrfk: IL was also necessary to ascertain whether
the hdyerseents charged for were authorized by law
some papers we're accustomed 10 copy advertisements
from the authorized journals without any authority
6aeyer and present bills for payment as though
fhey bad right or au nOrlty 10 do So And ths was
often after the period had expired Vheh tney cOuu
be Of any utlllty -. -. 49,.
lated sheet one which specimen Is herewith an
pexed. (See Schedule E.l o,,..
Sirth TIE publisher was required 10 make amoaVtt 10
his claim (See Schedule FL .
All tbis having been goae through with, the results
were laid before the Board Of Audit in those cases ~
winch It's action required. aud the claim was acted
on and pa ssed rejected or modlned 1hero was taken
from the treasury for the work claimed 70 be due Dy
iOurna called The Transcript, which was the peculiar
property Of the friends OF certain weknoWn e&
officials the Of Sl09i6l 65 ia the year ll IN 1'e
years there was paid TO TINS Journal Noos0 w. anu "a
CLAIM Sls6l6O stl presented, making total OF
a969Cb8 20 for paper and IS understood tat more
is 10 come In. Toe work formerly done by ths ITd-
script paper Is now better done Tor the SUN Oh V per
aDDum. . - -. - s.,,A .
great diversity In the prices ehsrged and IN the mehod
OF computation adopted by the various 0urnas papers
Of saudard character with large circulation were eA'
ceeded IA rates for advertising demanded by unknown
sheets Of but tri6nR circulation. Enormous demands
were made for advertisements which were set up IN
1argerszed type aud charged for having been printed
an type TWO or three Ies smaller the result DeiR enS
an advertisement would occupy twice or thrice the space
10 which IL eRtimately entltledi thus more thah
doubling amount OF tue BILL The utmost license was
also taken 70 space out and increase the length OF he
sdyertsement without the slightest advantage TO the
Dubc Another practice that dlscrllnnaed with great
Injustice against leading Journals OF established eapal
md character the printing by JOB printer OF vo
in,nous public dOcuments, like the Mayors OF
isTI with the reports Of all the departments n ful
and the Official CANVASS, covering soHetnSs lrom
40 10 rs large newspaper pages or from " 10 100 news
uaper columns. Tue enterprsng printer sofa them at
nr{ce per 900 ~ various newspapers, when Issued
be with their sheets. charging their fu rates IOr ad
yeTTisin0 a. If the had been printed IN Their
reQuar issue Demands for TINS service were hade OF
amounts from 5000 " $4,000 for printed Sheets "hch