The San Francisco call., 1897-09-25
SPLITTING
BILLS FOR
SCHOOL JOBS
Clever Scheme to Evade
the Legal Demand for
Contracts.
REPAIRS DONE By SECTIONS.
One Account for Removing a
Shed and Another for Start
ing a New One.
no BILL is FOR TWO HUNDRED.
No Wholesale Discharging of the
Men Who Have Jobs in -,
Repair Department.

''It's worse than any of the old Buckley
boards, say many people who have been
intimately connected with school affairs
for many years.
Perhaps the most damning assertion
made by these experienced experts is that
the work of the present board is raw"
while that of some of the old buckley"
boards was smooth" in omparison,
though no more fragrant.
The dishing out of cash to favorite con-
tractors, as well as the distribution of
patronage to favorites, is being charged 20
the solid nine of the Board of Education.
1t is said that an investigation of the ac-
counts of the board would show that one
very plain provision OF the law mas been
evaded in a wholesale way. This provi-
sion is that when expenditures amount
ing to more than 500 are TO be made bids
shall be advertised Tor and contracts
awarded therefor. II is an old game 10
get around this aud similar requirements
affecting other departments OF the city
government by giving out a series OF jobs
without bids, each bill to be less than 5000.
1t is charged, for instance, that when
$500 was to be expended in putting a GER
tain school building in proper condition
during vacation, the chairman of the
buildings and grounds committee who
was in a position 10 dictate the expendi-
ture OF thousands in accordance with the
best interests of the school department,
would on one day order repairs for three
rooms OF q certain school building at
cost of, say $175. Three days later he
would order the same firm to make simi-
lar repairs to three or four mors rooms.
Later the same contractor, whose employ
ment depended on the pleasure OF the
committee chairman, would receive
third order for exactly similar repairs 10
The rest of the cIassrooms and the hall
ways.
There was thus, supposedly, no techni.
cal violation OF the law, though the favored
contractor did $500 worth OF work on one
school building. The bills would be au-
dited as they were put in, seriatim, and no
bill would exceed 5000. Nobody has
charged that any member of the board re-
ceived a commission. 1t is undoubtedly a
fact that no member of the present board
would touch a dishonest dollar if it were
living in the City Hall corridor and no one
was near, but it Is charged that the
method of bookkeeping, etc, is open to
criticism.
No expert has yet gone through the
stupendous mass Of bills passed by the
Committees on Supplies and Buildings
and Grounds In the past few months, but
very hastv glance at some of the bills on
file will afford any one some excuse for
talking the way some people 10.
For instance, one can easily run across
some of the bills filed by /. r. Perry for
work performed during vacation at the
Horace Mann School.
One for "Inside finish steps and stairs"
is for $195-$5 within the limit
There quickly succeeds a bill for "tak-
ing down old shed,H filling ventllators
cleaning yard ano so on, for $8S.
Tha ''old shed" seems trou blesome, for
a similar bill few days later includes
taking down old shed and putting up
new frame for shed, " repairs to office and
new classrocms ETC., $37 so.
Two or three days later, according to
date, outside sters. fixing front fence,
carriage, ETC., cost $62 20.
There are whole lot of other good
sized bills which relate to undoubIed ly
badly needed repairs and improvements
at the Horace Mann School, but one may
high as $500. OF course it Is quite likely
that d. K. Perry did all this work for less
money than the city would have had TO
pay had the job for the whole work in one
line been let to the lowest bidder, but
then it gives people chanc to talk. But
why should the job of finishing steps and
stairs be made so aWfully separate from
the job of the ''old shed" and the rest of
the carpenter work at the same school
building?
Among the other August bills to which
attention has been called are two which
show that the department is indebted TO
Frank Lee in the sum of 1870 for work on
the Paramount School. One is for $3.50.
and includes "inside finish, outside cloak
rooms, new double window, new yard
planking, all in connection with TWO new
ciassrooms at Paramount School,"
Another bill dated within twelve days,
for $195 is for 1.-TWO new rooms, Fairmount
School"
These are but samples of things in this
line which Director Head and others have
noted, and which are likely to be the sub.
ject of investigation. A good explanation
of why two uew classrooms at the Fair
mount School and carpen ter work n con-
nection Herewith should be given out
piecemeal at s. below the contract limit
will be sought.