New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-09-10
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
p,ruops or DEPARTMENT DIsCoRD.

RuMOHS Or DiSNOhb'
LACK oF HARMONY BETWEEN THE COMMISSIONERS
OF CHARITIES AND CoRRRCToN-THE SYSTEM
OF PURCHASING SUPPLIES THE APPLE OF DIS
CORD.
Since the new Board Of Commissioners OF 1
Charities and Correction consisting OF VIM Laimoeer,
President Gen. James Bowen, and Myer Stern wen
into operation has been busy in asserting 80
the relations OF the three gentlemen who form tne card
while perfectly amicable, not those OF eh una
nmity upon topics relating TO their ue faEtments
and that there was decided r.fseFence or
opinion upon the merits Of the sew system Of
obtaining supplies IN open m9 .rset and more
or less Of decentralization in. tse departments
themselves report reached TIE TRIBUNE Office that
the OF unanimty had at Ast eliminated In direct
vutbaFst of temper betwetn the Commissioners at
private meeting lately held, TRIBUNE reporter at
tempted by sanding in his card yesterday morning to
obtain interview with the Bosrd while in session, in
order that the vtewsof members might be frankly
fairly obtainedupen the subject of the efficiency Of
she method o. conducting the Departments, what
ever shat system An interview with the Board
Was however, denied but the Commissioners were con-
versed with separately.
IAINBEER's VERSION.
Mr. Is;mbeer was FIRST Intercepted in regard to the
private meeting az which 1t reported that fOrcibe
words had been inclged in He reluctantly admitted
tbat Cen Bowen had stated before Commissioner Stern
and Warden Brennan Of Bellevue Hospital, at tie
meeting Thursday morning, that the Department
wSs fast becoming demoralized. Mr. Stern had &c
replied chat tho speaker ought TO be ashamed OF him
srf
Q. what didGen. Bowen mean by Generalization"
BoarJi A. don't know oq6a' he means by saving that
the Departure t Is fast becoming demOralzed, and
prove 80 the public satisfaction that on the
tEaTy all the institutions better managed im
proved. ana run with less expense.
where they DC purchased cheay is better tan the
old contract system where the purchasing agent
~ 20 ta IL then se neDarr,oent ann
Competed adElit, fast becoming detnorazed."
the purchasing OF at 81 20 bushe instead of
81 20 Is demoralzng, then the Department Is demera
IL the purchasing ma+er5al at IS cents yard
which bought before for 81 ~ is demOJaiZDg then
the Department had better be locked after somebody
else. We purchasing hats foy As cents dozen which
the old Board paid 81 o. See the difference there in the
e1peusr II thu looping of OF all superuous help, easy
going attaches. sinecures, DC, is demeraliziDg then
there is much 10 complain OF IN the various Depart
q. What attaches have you dscnargodi A. Well.
Michael Bush gatekeeper Blaokweil's Island, has
beeu removed ana his place is flied by with
'ont pay IN Office of superintendent o. Free Labor
B1eau mas been abolished and 1t IS new run by chief
clerk. Gen.icga with assistants, many of whom have
been removed, and the wark Is done just as well the
ON Blackwelfs Island has been discharged; tine
wees Of come men on RandalPs Island have been dis
use az al and keepers who were under by the rela
tives OF lunatcs and were at the time boarded by
the Department, which knew nothing about II until
ia
q 10 has been publicly asserted that under the ole
regime some Of the institutions better than
houses OF prostitution and that the keepers de
moi.l1eH ana corrupt A. IL was said upon good an
Ihorty that several Of the keepets BlacKwelrs
Isand were IN the habit of visiting the Lodge where
hours during the night, and have investigated the
fact aud become satisfied that the case;
We now hope, under The present warden such thing
will take place; believe rhe Commissioners were
only difference Of opinion whether remedy should
be applied al once. the radical members of the Board
pIeicrnng 10 vail While; founu when into
ofhce that every warden these islands mad little
III. -. IL
Whole being PAD. a. we consider, out of the public
Ihhos apd we c on these little membranes last
We found them
CEN. BowENs VIEWS.
The Interview with Commissioner Bowen was short
and an almost moDosyllabic one, although entirely
courteous When questioned regard 20 the trouble
bea~eeD himself and the Others he replied in substahce
"1here is 10 decentralization la the Board that am
aware Of The method of obtaining supplies is ali
rght enough Before the new Charter into vogue
the law very point, and the supplies
were obtained IN any way We thought fit. The
contract, ana think AZ t All s GHer 5sy S IN o o6e by
, one In w. Wh9teTep IL rs On the question OF pros-
Was nothing IN the charge at ALL Under the old Board
the Lodge, hut they could not be proved. The women
h9wsEef were sent away There has been no cutting
cheapy as We could aud there hes been reduction
any Importance"
COMMISSIONER sTERS's STATEMENT
Commissioner Stern when asked whether the report
was true as 10 Commissioner Bowen's charge of de
moralzaon In the Department said that it was 1.-THE
President reported one morning." said he that the
dealers were openly stating that they would charge
this Department 10 per cent more than any other be-
cause they had difficulty In getting their money
nInmn,v was not 80, Oh because the bills are
cept IN case OF rreJ ularies which have TO be
corrected. ecu Bowen then made the charge thai
the Department was becoming demOralized AT which
Told MIN he ought 10 be ashamed OF himself for any
thing was wrong lie ought 10 correct IT, / told him we
looked upon hun rs an Older and experienced man
and were willing 70 be governed BY his Judgment and
experience, and II for him, above an Others Ia
detect anything that should be remedied and check n
al once should be happy 10 remove any Irregular
IleE n 40 can point them out, but he can't DO II"