New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-26
CHARGES MADE BY coLER.
FORMER BROOKLYN OFFICIALS ACCUSED
OF LETTING CONTRACTS ILLEGALLY


OF LETTING CONTRACTS ILLEGALLY
THE CONTROLLER MAKES PUBLIC A REPORT
OF EXPERT ACCOUNTANTS POINTING OUT
ALLEGED IRREGULARITIES IN THE
OLD CITY WORKS DEPARTMENT.
CONTRACTORS SAID TO HAVE
BEEN ovERPAID.
Controller Bird S Coler yesterday mace puoho
ro,or, nv expert accountants upon an inVesusa'io"
49, eao,csaI arYaIrs in tho former city Of Brook
,yn The report deals with the City WORKS Depa'
roent In 1897 and declares that the Coiniiiss
OF City Works made contracts without puo"' az
vertisement ard that excessive pIloes W. -,
s,ch contracts the report declares the larger part
spent illegally. ...,,s In
the report: ,.,,ne
CieI t rs},nS,,on and maintenance OF the water
Works IN was possible for the Commissioner oi ,, 49,
49, sdVerIseInent for proposals. in cases Where
the amount OF the contract Was ~ es 500 go noe !;
Vas exnended for dumping earth over water mans
on vouchers OF over 81 800 ana less ' p. I'm OCon
nor For FOR earth niing on East New-York ave. be-
and rsTs ss This e sam
sented POI cubic yards at x cents per onuoTs
p,eee of Work into number Of CONTRACTS Of less
han 81 600 each IS evident. Henry Z. Finke was
.a. d, g. nnd West q SITS This
represented l0702 cubic yards az - o. p a sor
Hing on Neptune ave, between West Eighth and
West Twelfth SITS This sum represented '''' 'uO''
In regard to the prices paid. i may be SAID tssi
the Controller requested his sngneer 10 SSS coud
Te Ssq be charged FOR shis work and was tSs
rs cents 1t was Charged rs cents would be hg
figure and that r9 or une spaS So cents wouif
have been high 1t Furthermore appears mag MAJ
OF the city warrants received by ne succef so
Endorsed to the order Of Thomas Frazier VINO wa.
himself Of the contractors bidding IN wha
supposed TO be competition win other IT.
81 the s72 9O6 IA expended for this purpose on;
Department Of City Works TO have been authori5ed
The vouchers for these payments were Certlneu =
SsoS Ss5re Sy X 2f'f Fe kdnaRD pSpu
and marked 90. X" by the Assistant EngineeI' al,
Milne In almost every case the bioding WAS coii
fined 10 the same bidders
Controller Coler gave some additional racts a1lu
figures TO show that there had been evasion OF the
law requiring the public letting OF the contracts
He also exhibited photographs OF checks ana
vouchers to show that tho contractors were on
friendly terms with each other and Endorsed each
others checks and vouchers.
Taking all the contracts together he said' II
appears that &C per cent Of $4,000 is made up OF
excessive charges"
The Controller said It rested with other officials
10 take legal steps against the contractors lie
added: ~ have made these facts public to snow
why going slowly in dealing Th the me, pIopose
TO pay single claim until ! have rully lnV vS r
Brooklyn and the other boropghs, and am going
Politicians at the City Hall said It significant
that the name Of Peter Milne was among those or
the Brooklyn officials who indo the vouchers
ment of Water Supply in Brooklyn, whom Deputy
Commssoner Mofett has yany tired 10 remove
removal OF Mr. Milne
Theodore b. Willis. the former Commissioner OF
Citv Works expressed establishment yesterday
when the Controllers disclosures were shown 10
him This Is news to me-" he said. Il had no
knowledge that more than 5000 was spent IN this
work ! remember authorizing the work as shown
IN the minutes but my authorization permitted an
expenditure Of than $500 and II It had stopped
there well and good. But did not see the bids
or the bills The Deputy-Commissioner. Mr.. Field
ing was authorized by law equally with me to ap-
prove bills. Frederick Milne. son of Chief Engi-
neer Peter Milne. the assistant engineer IN
charge OF this kind OF work. and he certified TO
the bills and Knapp accepted his recommendations
l believe Knapp innocent IN the matter.
"Do you think any one had rake of on these
Il can't tel. / have no thought about that" he
replied 81 was greatly chagrned when l learned
that thef Tss was u anything IKE that in it There
one thing obvious II was az steeret Uear 81 my
possible bids should be advertised for I authorized
no such expenditure as SI2l"J. / knew nothing OF
il and am not responsible for It, Had found this
succession Of contracts on my minute-oook day
by day should aftsr the first two or three, have
called them In question and Instituted an inquiry
about them"
Mr. Willis admitted that the bidders for the work
were employees OF contractor.
x-Deputy-Commissioner Robert NJ. Fielding,
when asked how It was that he had signed bills
aggreRating s72 900 which were not recorded on the
minutes said: "Oh. never paid any attention TO
the minutes. I had other things to attend TO.
Water Purveyor Knapp signed the bills as correct
and I assumed them TO be all right"
Oscar Knapp. who as Water Purveyor, had direct
supervision over the work said The bills were
passed by me- and az Mr.. Fielding certified to them
without question had every reason 10 believe that
! was proceeding in the regular way"