Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-10-24

VI
custodian that it done that the accounting
officers would not question the bills.
"Your committee finds that 1t has been custom
airy when sales OF old furniture carpets, &C., have
been made to pay the fees of the auctioneer max
ing the sale, and other expenses connected there
| with, out Of the proceeds and that only the re-
mainder, after deductng the amount OF such fees
| and expenses from the total amount OF the sale,
has been paid into the Treasury. From July /,
Of the department was sold to the amount OF
made in the Treasury on account of said sales, but
the money received therefrom was paid to the
custodian who states that he paid the cost of
asserting out OF the proceeds, and kept the balance
I'm his safe awaiting instructions to what dispo
sitiOn should be made OF it. Very soon after this
fact was discovered by the committee the atten-
ton OF the chief clerk was called to the matter
and IL was suggested that the money in the hands
OF Of the custodian ought to be deposited in the
treasury without further delay. This was not
done, however, until after the assorters were paid
for their services during the month OF May, 1851,
Wnen The sum OF $2,1S677 balance stated as on
United States
"In relation to the sales Of old carpet furniture
&c, we would say that we have been unable to OBJ
tain any books showing either the sales or the dis
position of the proceeds We have asked for such
books, but were informed that none had been kept
We find that 1t has been customary to make what
are called private sales of secondhand carpet but
have not been able to get satisfactory statement
covering the number OF such sales or the amount
realized therefrOm. In one case some 60 or 20
yards of this carpet was sold last January, but
the purchaser stated that no payment had yet
been made for it, because the custodian did not
wish the pay until the next public sale should take
place. The prices realized from these sales were
In most cases merely nominal We also find that
the custodian has sold five government horses
within the last last three or four years for prices ag
gregating S270, 800 OF which he claims to have
| used towards paying for other horses, and
that the balance, with the exception Of SIS, still
due from one OF the purchasers, is now in his
hands A considerable number of persons, I'm ad-
dition to those appropriated for in the appropra-
ton for employees in this department, have been
noria ioy
for contingent expenses These employees have
been paid on what are called miscellaneous
are for wholly different services from those
actually rendered. Your committee examined
most of the persons who were called before them
during this investigation, under oath. The CON-
mittee called Mr.. o. L. Pftney, the custodian, and
requested him to testify under oath, but he refused
'We find that during the months of January
| and February, 1880, there was paid to j. B. Nc
Mullen out of the appropriation for fuel, lights
for the o to se the aEon is de deyee s f0I OF
decomposing water for fuer on "a boilers. At the
time this examination was commenced, May 9Th,
and it seems doubtful from statements made to us
by the supervising architect, whether any OF the
rights paid for will be used.
"The attention of your committee has been at
tracted to the prices charged for plumbing, gas
ftting repairs OF machinery, forage and Other ex-
penditures as being exorbtant, but for acant Of
time they have been unable to give the subject
sufficient examination to justify them in making
a report in detail.
1--WE are not at present prepared to submit any
recommendations relative to the changes we
think necessary in the system of making purchases
that we think the system at present in vogue very
loose, and liable to great abuse, and in our
opinion p,I1 It should be materially changed.
rufs file-holders, when they could have been
bought for $3.50 or less s. each has been paid for
competition been invited they could have been
bought for $50 each or less. s12 each has been
DirfiOOA when hav
for $40 each or less. so each has been paid for
Colt9n,s Cotton - Atlases, when they might have been
cellaneous character have been bought at regular
retail prices, when discount of at least twenty
All of the foregoing articles were purchased of j.
Bradley Adams, OF this city, who seems TO have re-
ce1ved nearly all orders for goods OF this descrtp
. ton:
'The department has been paying at the rate of
$3.50 per day for horse cart and driver; the usual
price in the District is s1.75 per day. The person
to whom this payment is made is employed In the
Treasury department. Thirty cents per ton was
paid for slowing coal furnished the department
for the current year (iScal, when the actual cost
OF slowing said coal was much less. The differ
ence between the amount paid and the actual cost
appears TO have been paid to the engineer OF the
department, because, as has been stated to the
committee, his compensation is inadequate for his
services.
"During the months OF May, June and August,
1880, one hundred and seventy-five copies of the
us. Government, Lamphere,' were bought OF
informed by bookseller OF this city, they could
have been bought for s2 so each, with 20 per cent
discount"
WHAT SECRETARY WINDOW SAYS.
In transmitting the report to the Senate Secre-
tary Window says:-"On considering the report
became convinced that certain Irregularities and
abuses existed in this branch of the service and
as had some doubts as to the legality of the APP
pointment of custodian, 1 abolished that Office
June, 1881, and by general order of July 1st 1881
reorganiZed the Office coyy OF this order is here
with transmitted, from which it will appear that
n a q n6 hnr
Ough correction OF the irregularities and abuses
referred to, have been adopted. 1t was my inten-
NIT, to have pursued this general policy in other
branches OF the Treasury, by the appointment of
competent committees to collect the necessary
data on which to base proper action to secure
economy and promote the best interests of the
public service; but the assassination of the Presi-
uenC suspended further action in this directiOn.n
WHAT CHIEF CLERK POWER SAYS.
Accompanying the report are letters to Secretary
WINDOW from Chief Clerk j. T. Power and Assist
ant Secretary j. K. Upton, making very full and
complete explanations OF the various transactions
them Referring to the carpet account. Mr. Power
says that he discovered the deficiency referred to
in the report. Six hundred and thirty-seven and
halI yards OF carpet to make good the account
was sent TO the department before the investlga-
ton commenced In reference to the vouchers for
1le-hOliels, he says that there is nothing on the
and no officer could avoid being deceived by them
On July IA, 1881, the person receiving payment fCr
these vouchers refunded the full amount sson ac-
count of errors in accounts for hle-holders'
These articles did not pass through the hands of
the St0rekeeper and so the chief clerk did not have
the usual check. similar explanation applies to
the accounts for candles paid in August and OctO
Der, 1851. MI. Power says: Gin reference to the
statement OF the custodian before the committee
concerning the items covered by these vouchers
l have only to say that contributed out of INV
private funds what I considered my proper pro-
pOrtlon TO the expense OF the lunch referred to.
ana had no knowlege OF any intention to charge
any part OF the expense thereof to the contingent
fund. The sum Of $74h has been repaid into the
treasury by the custodian, and has been credited
10 the appropriation from which these vouchers
were paid. No other Information as to articles
covered by these two vouchers has been received
Dy me- The custodian, although earnestly requested
TO furnish a detailed statement of the items en-
6raced In the vouchers, has failed to do so; and
the hrm from whom the purchase was made has
also declined to permit an examination OF their
DOCKS or to furnish any statement in reference
thereto"
When he learned OF the purchase of the barrel OF
bay rum, Mr.. Power says, the quantity unused
was ordered to be returned and was not paid for.
Drivers OvercoatS he says, were allowed as
proper expenditure in previous years All sales OF
unserviceable property authorized by him, with
one exception, which he notes, were by public
auction 1t is necessary, Mr.: Power says, to pur-
chase large part of miscellaneous supplies for
immediate delivery, and the law does not require
these to be purchased upon advertisement 1t was