New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-10-21
EXORBITANT SUMS PAID.
WASTE ON POLICE Supplies.

WASTE on POLICE SUPPLIES.
REPORT ON THE OPERATIONS OF JOHN
c. sHEEHANs COMMITTEE.
UNDER THE OLD BOARD THINGS WERE BOUGHT
AT PRICES VASTLY N EXCESS OF WHAT THE
PRESENT COMMISSIONERS CAN Oct THEM
roR-INsTANcEs OF ExTRAvAoANcg- g
LITTLE OR NO. COMPETITION FOR
BIDS IN SPITE OF sEEEuANs AS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS BY TIE
COMMISSIONERS OF Ac-
COUNTS.
after finding glarng irregularities In the opera
ton Of the Registers Office Messrs. Terry eno
Dennis the Commissioners OF Accounts, pegan an
examination Of the accounts or tle treasurer VI
the old Board of Police Commissioners pertain
ing to supplies bought by the Committee OF
Repairs and Supplies, Of which John Z. sheehan
was chairman The report Of the examination
which was made public yesterday, sEows .na'
the Board paid exorbltant prices for its supplies
which were furnished. with few exceptions py
men prominent in the doings of the Wigwam or
the machine and on intimate terms OF friendship
with It's leaders In one instance. where bids fof
supplies were requested. the present Beard got
prices about one-half the average paid by the
Tammany Board. and from the same person who
had regularly supplied them
SPECIMENS OF EXTRAvAGANCE.
Several cases are cited in the report showing
that prices paid sor supplies were about 4W per
cent more than they could have been bought fcr.
Iron skegs eighteen inches long and an inch
wide were bought by the Board for $1s dozen.
The same could have been secured from several
leading hardware merchants for 81 "A dozen.
being little less than i2Oo per cent Of the price
paid w 3. Leddy. who sold the iron skegs 70
the Board, died about year ago. He was
prominent man in Tammany Hall. and his hard
ware store was in the old XIIIth Assembly
District In which John c. Sheehan was the Tam
many leader In the same district lives Mr..
Terrell Of the firm Of Terrell Vrccm. wood
work contractors. He is the assistant Tammany
leader in the district Terrell & vroom supplied
the Board with ffty-two wardrobes for 1914 The
Commissioners Of Accounts found that the Board
could have purchased the wardrobes for s22S less
One Of the firm Of Higgins & Co.. Of No. 80
Iex,ngton-ave which furnished the Board with
weather strips is said to be son-in-law OF ex-
Police Commissioner John McClave. The hru
failed about a month ago Ex-Police Commis-
sioner McClave Is a preferred creditor OF the de-
funct firm for over s. 000 The firm Of Moore IL
Co., mentioned in the report. operates only IN tho
interests Of a Mr.. Moore, who IS memper OK
Tammany Hall. There are no other persons con-
nected with the firm. X. p. Mitchell, who Is also
mentioned in the report as having furnished tho
Board with supplies at high rates. is prominenf
member of Tammany Hail. He was one OF the
Tammany Conference Committee. Of which
Jimmy" Martin and Sheehan were the other
members which has been trying to secure har-
mony In the local Democracy as TO candidates
for the State Senate in this city.
Commissioners Terry ard Dennis said to
Tribune reporter yesterday afternoon that they
had been to the best business houses in the city
In order to get bids the supplies named In their
report. The merchants understood that the
goods were actually to be supplied and that the
Police Board could call upon them for the goods
whenever necessary at their prices. According to
the Commissioners. John c. Sheehan appeared be-
fore them and told them that, except in all mat
ters less than dollar. there had been competi-
tion and referred the Commissioners to Edmund
C. Gay, recuisition clerk Of the old Board, who,
he probably expected, would verify his state
ments This Mr.. Gay failed to DO. as he informed
the Commissioners that only comparatively
small number of cases were open to competition.
Mr. Kelso the manager of the business of the late
Martin B. Brown. who supplied the Board with
nearly all its stationery and printing, also de-
clared before the Commissioners that there had
been no competition to supply the Board with sta
tionery and printing, except in a few cases. The
printers who furnished estimates to the Commits.
sioners were Styles & Cash. G. F. Nesbitt. Stew.
art. Warren & Co. and John Bingham.
THE REPORT.
The report of the Commissioners Of Accounts 10
as follows
Hon. William l.. Strong, Mayor
Sir: An examination has been made OF the ac-
counts of the treasurer Of the Board OF Police Co
missIoners from January l. 1898, to February l5
1885, when the present treasurer assumed the duties
OF the office.
Vouchers are on file covering al payments charged
In the treasurers accounts II appeared from m
spection OF many of these vouchers that prices pa
for supplies and payments for alterations and
pairs excessive and an investigation was then
made as to tha reasonabeness thereo. The amount
expended during the period In question was SD-
ca q for such purposes and $l9S 80 for election
stationery. other than ba..os. making total OK
s22 SD 81 very large portion OF such expenditure
was for labor and the purchase OF materials de-
scrlbed so indefinitely In me vouchers as TO be be-
yond the possibility OF Identification. After deduct-
ing from such sums the amounts paid for gas, fuel
.abor and supplies which coud not be identified. a
balance OF s6753 80 remained, being the amount ex-
pended for the purchase OF materials and supplies
capable OF Identification. Samples Of these furnished
by the present Board OF Police Commissioners were
submitted during the last month TO persons. firms
and companies dealing In articles or the sane Kin H.
with requests for bids for the furnishing OF the same
to the Police Department The requests for bids were
limited to business houses Of the highest standing
IN the community Il has been asceTtained that no
prices have not hlctuated materially during the
period under examination.
The investigation has shown that purchases %
about one hundred kinds OF supplies costing s25-