The herald., 1893-02-22
ITS COST WAS AWAY UP IN c.
Absurd Pices Paid for Federal
Boildipg Furniture.
The Stuff Came Badly Damaged and
Ten Months Late.
The Articles Cost from Fifty to Seventy
Fer Cent More Than They Could
Have Been Purchased
for Here.

There has been in the past some talk
about the extraordinarily top-heavy
prices that were paid for furniture that
was placed in the court house, and also
that that was made to adorn the Whit
tier Reform school. At the time this
furniture was bought the public was in
formed of the fancy prices paid for it by
the state and county.
And now comes another case where
exorbitant and ridiculously high prices
were paid for the furniture placed in q
public building-prices which no private
individual would ever pay.
The HERALD several days ago referred
to the furniture placed in the federal
building. 1t looked as if it had come
from an eastern junk shop, as it stood
on the sidewalk in front of the building.
Passers-by thought that a secondhand
store had been temporarily opened up
on the postoffice steps.
As matter of fact the supposed Sec
ond hand truck that was there on exhi-
bition had cost the United States gov
eminent $3O49. 1t WAS some of the
finest kind OF furniture from the jack
son Sharp company at Wilmington,
Del. 1t had been subjected to some
very hard usage in the trip to Los An
geles, and was 10 months late in ar
irving.
But the condition of the furniture was
more than eclipsed by the prices
the agent of the treasury depart
ment, under the administration OF
calico Charley" paid for the stuff.
The figures at which some of the articles
were taken was simply outrageous.
For common No. roller top screen
desk OF cherry wood $40 was paid, and
six of these were bought. For No. 2
cabinet desks $50 was paid, and for No.
cabinet desks $50 was the price. These
figures are for the goods delivered here
in Los Angeles. They could have been
duplicated here for about 80 per cent
under these figures.
Then the heightened treasury depart
ment agent went and put in single
cherry wardrobes, six of them, at $50
apiece. He also put in two revolving
bookcases Of the simplest kind for $35
each.
Six water cooler stands, very high and
stately, were taken for 800, SIS apiece.
This price was simply outrageous.
Four simple book racks about three
feet high, with three slanting shelves,
were bought for $l4 apiece. They could
be made here for about So apiece.
And 80 one could go through with
each individual item OF the $3049 worth
OF stuff that was supplied and show how
the prices were swelled. The federal Of
ficials at the postoffice building them
selves admit that the sums paid for the
various articles were simply scandalous.
C1e OF them in conversation with q
HERALD reporter yesterday said:
"Oh. yesl The prices are awfully
,higil and do not see how in the world
the department ever paid them. l
know that greater portion of the fur
nit~re could be duplicated here in Los
Angeles for about from 30 to 20 per cent
of the prices paid the Delaware manu-
facturers. The furniture was in bad
condition when it arrived but we have
had it fixed up and now it is all right.
The prices paid for it, though, were GER
tainly way up in g."
OF course none of the Los Angeles fed
eral officers are to blame because the
government was gouged in the matter of
this furniture purchase. The buying
was done at Washington and there the
blame lies.