The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-03-12
THE SYSTEM is ROTTEN.
Amazing Figures Showing
Up the Freeholders' Grim
inal Extravaganza.
IF ONLY THEY WERE HONEST,
Then Bookkeeping Might Furnish q
Remedy; But as They Are Not,
Check System Would be a
Mere Sham.
q tae lldito, q tae Jersep citv Ne.os.

Mere Sham.
To the Editor Of the Jersey City Nescs:
In my two previous communications
pointed out the causes of the extravaganza
which prevails in the Board of Freeholders
and some of the methods by which 1t IS
carried en- III addition to the facts and
figures which have already given in
reference to this branch of my subject, l
may perhaps state piece of reliable i'll
formation that has recently come to my
knowledge.
A gentleman who has had occasion to
examine the bills contracted by the Board
since December, tells me that he found
that the poultry, consisting of turkeys and
chicken, purchased during the Christmas
holidays, aggregated the unusual sum of
s3 1900, or in other words, over 50 worth OF
poultry for every man, woman and child
on Snake Hill. This astounding discovery
carries with it its own commentary.
In the present article shall endeavor to
make good my promise to suggest and ex-
plain system, which, if adopted by the
Board would render dishonesty impossible
and would vastly reduce the expense of
maintaining our county institutions The
Freeholders are now in the habit of con-
tracting semi-annually for supplies.
There are several notable objections to
the awarding of these contracts as now
conducted For each line of goods there
is prepared what is called specification;
that is to say, q list of the goods and the
estimated quantity Of them that it is sup
posed will be required during the ensuing
six months. And just here creeps in
6. fraud of no very small dimensions.
FRAUDULENT SPECIFICATIONS.
These specifications are absurd and mis-
leading In some cases they enumerate
goods that will never be wanted. In other
cases they enumerate goods for which
there viii be no call during the six
months that the contracts are to run.
Finally, the estimated quantities are al
most invariably erroneously stated. The
bidder with few honorable eXceptions)
who is on the inside" who knows per-
fectly well in what respects the specifica-
tions are defective, can very well afford,
with this knowledge, to defy competition
The goods that he knows will never be re-
quired he offers at a price much less than
their first cost With the goods that will
not be required within the next half year
he follows slightly different course
more expensive half, he puts in for less
than cost. The remainder of them he puts
in for trfiing profit. But when he comes
to the goods which he knows will be
wanted daily he crowds on the agony and
charges for them from one hundred to five
hundred per cent. more than their market
value. But because of the lowness of his
price for the things which he knows he
won't have to furnish, he can charge these
exorbitant prices for the things he will
have to furnish and yet make his bid
lower in the aggregate than the bid of
any innocent competitor.
OF course he gets the contract for fur
nishing the line Of goods in which he
deals, and he reaps rich harvest.
STILL ANOTHER FRAUD.
Investigation has further shown that
Just before the expiration of his contract
he will manage to get an order from the
+. Board for u quantity of the goods which
he offered to supply at bare profit. 1t
doesn't make any difference how large or
small the order is he will see to it that
enough of the goods are sent up to the
Hill TO last the institutions during the en-
tire period of the contracts that are soon
to be awarded. When he again bids he
knows that none of these goods viii be
wanted, and he offers to furnish them for
next to nothing. So he again gets the
contract and continues this process in
definitely,
Of course the bidder who is on the "out
itie, y the honest, unsuspecting merchant
who In rhe guilelessness of his heart takes
4 it for granted that the Board will need
everything that appears on the specifica-
tions, puts in proposal that will at least
give him profit, however small, and he
gets left.
A POSSIBLE REMEDY.
Now, how can this state of affairs be
ramediedp Very easily, il the Freeholders
had any sincere purpose to effect refor n,
Instead of contracting Semi-annually, they
should make yearly contracts They
should also revise the specifications in an
honest and intelligent manner, SO that
they shall contain q true statement of the
supplies and quantities that viii be
required during the year. Then, or
rather before then, an inventory should be
taken of all the goods and property of
every kind on hand, and an account
should be opened between the storekeeper
and the warden of each institutio1 and The
head official of each department. The
storekeeper should be directed to charge
up against each of these wardens and
propertysof every kind-provisions, cloth
Ing, household utensils, furniture and the
lke--in his institution or department
belonging to the county.
Every bidder should be shown sample
.sf the goods that he will be requested to
furnish His bid should be accompanied
by responsible bond.
A dietary, or system of daily rations
should be prepared, under the direction of
the Board of County Physicians or other
competent authority, SO that the precise
daily allowance of food for each man,
woman and child would be fixed, as it is,
for instance, in the army The wardens
should draw on the storekeeper for the
daily provisions of their institutions. in
accordance with this established dietary.
Under such system the Board and the
public could calculate to an ounce Just
Z how much meat, bread, sugar, tea, coffee,
fish. milk, vegetables and other food sup
plies would be consumed daily at the Hill,
and by reference to the contracts could
learn their precise cost An allowance
npon similar principles of clothing and
ether articles could be also made.
A system such as this would render pos
siblc precise monthly audit OF the
accounts OF the institutions and of the
Board, and it would be impossible for any
wastefulness or extravaganza to be prac-
;iced. Its detection would be inevitable
baud 1t punishment should be severe.