New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-09-04

up deficiency with such additions as he THINKS
proper to add for the general stock Of the store
Srh: Upon the acquisitions made by the storekeper.
the Commissioners their discretion order the supplies
therein specified to be purchased. In making these
purchases IL appears no regard Is paid by the Comms
soners TO the provision OF the els section OF cnap,er
$685. Laws of 1873 which declares that whenever any
work is necessary to be done to complete or perlct
particular job or any supply Is needfu Tor any
supply furnished by the corporation, and the several
the expenditure Of more than 1000 the same shall be
done by contract founded on sealed bids or pro-
provision Of the law designed TO secure economy in the
purchase OF supplies for the city has been continuously
Correction in the supplies purchased by them Instead
Of advertising for proposals for the supplies reqmren.
themselves or through purchasing clerks The supplies
purchased, the invoices or bills for the same IN
cred to the storekeeper The goods received BY the
storekeeper placed by him IN stock, and when de.
officers OF the respective institutions. are charged
against snch institutions by the storekeepel IN MS
those for the goods delivered direct TO the store as wei
those delivered at the different institutions anu
bakery certified to by the sorekeeper and returned
by him to the central Office The invoices 30 trans
mitted to the central office are in duplicate one dup
cate retained at the central office, and the other IS
| supposed to be transmitted TO the Department VI
| Finance.
the storekeeper in which the goods either recevea OF
tons are entered have been altered with the evident
intent OF evading the provisions OF tne slsS so0
ton OF the charter This has been done where avOc les
stnreSeepers books. as received exceeded in value
1900 The original entries showing the correct nst azure
received and value thereof have been erased ana
entries OF So Numerous have these
erasures been that from the storekeepers Dook winch
are the only record in the Department OF the supplies u
nshed and received it is not possible to make up true
and statement as TO goods actually 1urnlsheu W
the Department and the dates upon winch tne saino
| were received. .,,-.
As illustrative of the manner in which this system has
been carried out cite the fooSdng instances h me- ,or
Inv a rpOu
keeper the Board for brown sheetlngs ana AWNING
Iouis Sternbach commission merchant, No. SO Church
st. delivered the goods on July 81 1875 Wheh they
were received and reoepted for by the storekeeper
The invoice which accompanied the goods was certified
to by sOrekeeper the charge for the goods as stated
in the invoice being s25 The bill so certified was
transmitted duplicate the Commissioners. and sub
sequently thereto. as stated by ,he storekeese e
he erased the entry In his books under date OF jay 81
1873 and made new entries as Tor July ~ July 81 anu
pond with these entries The sorekeeper certlned haG
the goods specified received by him on sald
respective dates which was not ue IN point ot me-,
aud these certified bills were also ansmltteo III
duplicate to the central office Each OF the three new
bills was under one thousand dollars On June TO- 1873
another requisOn made bv the storeKeeper on the
Commissioners for 1900 yards melton gray cotn Inese
goods were also purchased through ,ue sao Los aso
Sternbach. and furnished In two quantities VIZ soo'
YARDS Aug. T. and 463l yards on aug II. Inc value
OF the first invoice according 10 osepacn ao 90, VI
charge SlS6S on. and the value Oh IU secohu
sl,979 sc. The goods specneu III 'hese Tespee'so
| invoices were received on the dates statea ~, py
| the storekeeper, and entered by him on MS
/ hooks. These entries stand upon the store
keepers books the correct record of the TRANSACTIONS
but instead of the two original invoices each of which
shown, above $1,000 five bills were substituted
each OF which was less than $1,000 and those DIE,
which represented that the goods therein stated were
received by the sorekeeper on Aug. ana were
certified the storekeeper transmitted to the CEN
ra office, aud are the bills on file in the Department OF
Finance and paid by that Department Toe ran tSs
subject Of investigation before the Grand Jury ana tue
evidence this investigation published on June Z,
From that evidence appears that the facts were
not brought to the attention OF the Grand Jury that the
purchase OF the goods exceeded in value Nco), ana
that the provisions Of the charter were eyaded by
making up five different bills for the two TRANSACTIONS
But il is in the purchases OF -four that this system OF
evasion of the provisions OF the charter has been most
extensively carried out. Here follows detailed state
to -four II will thus be seen that the entries in the
storekeeper's books were not made showing correctly
these various purchases, the quantities, dates and
amounts, but were made to conform to the altered DIS
and these altered bills. certified by the storekeeper
were transmitted in duplicate 10 the central ofce, ana
were subsequently paid by the Department OF
Finance. In the confusion created by this irregular
mode of conducting the business OF the Department
lind that in instance at least both the orig ana
substituted bills certified by the torekeeper aud by the
Commissioners of Charities and Correction, were trans.
United for payment TO the Department OF Finance, ana
the creditors who furnished the Hour, E. W. Coleman
Co. were paid by the Finance Department the amount
specified on both the original and substituted bills
This double payment was not discovered by any OF tne
officials the Department OF Charities and Correction
E. W. Coleman & Co. made known that on balance OF
their accounts they had been overpad $50 oelng 1or
barrels OF flour purpOrng to have been delvereu
by them on Nov and H. 1879 and on Jan - 1871 they
paid to the Department Of Charities ana Correction TINS
amount OF $780, and this sum was handed over
by The latter M.sps he Con-
further represented TO the Department OF Charities and
Correction that they had made mistake in repayng
sl $50 as for an barrels of -four and
thai tho amount that ought to have been paid was only
$500 Whether this representation was correct III point
of fact or otherwise the Commissioner had OF
testing in so far any books In the Department could
an investigation, the books ana papers of the
Department, but in the books OF Messrs. Coleman u
with books represented that he was satisfied that
the overpay ment to Messrs. Coleman Co in the first
had ufa1f nlV "a
repaid instead OF this sum SIS
ALSO find that In the supplies OF groceries ana sacn
system similar to that which have explained as 10 the
purpose OF evadiug possible, the provisions OF the
EShth find bills for purchases OF supplies exceed
ing upon their face value $1,000 certified by the
Commissioners, transmitted to the Department of FL
furnished in june 1873 by H. X. Thurber Il Co. and H.
WaIIach's Sons; August, 1878. by Hoister q Cham
WooarGf Robinson ana H. K Thnrber CO.; in No.
vember, 1873 by Armstrong Morrison In February,
1874 by Teff, Gnswold & Co. and H. X Thurber & Co.;
void d 4 Co.; in May 1874 by H. K. T4urber Col in
Ninth Section ll6 of the Charter provides that ono
subordinate in department shall receive greater
ment" The highest salary paid to the head Of the De-
parment OF Charities and Correction is to the President
OF Department. whose salary by the same section OF
the Charter fixed at $500 On Oct IA. 1873 the Com
of the Department by resolution adopted on
the meeting OF that date appointed Chares cornell
Purchasing Clerk Of Meats FOR the Board and fixed his
compensation at one cent per pound upon the pnr
cbases made by him. find that between Nov 10, 1873
and June 26. 1874 being little seven months, Mr.
Cornell's purchases OF meats for the Department
amounted $90595 85 and that he has been paid as
compensation salary Purchasing Clerk during
this $5749 beng equal a salary Of more than
double the paid TO the President Of the Depart
ment.
Tenth As a result Of that system Of evasion of the
provisions OF the charter carried By this Department
and the mpossbty Of accurately determining the posi-
ton OF the Department In reference to the appropria
ton made by law for conducting it, found that pur-
cbases made in the latter part OF 1873 by the Depart
in of the appropriation remaining for that year
The Charter Section 3d. provides that "no expenses
shall be incurred by any OF the Departments