The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-25


body had, through delays and chickering's
| among themselves and with contractors,
| failed to provide necessary garments or
material therefor and because the man
| agement, even though no change of cloth
| ing could be secured, seemed to be unable
| to devise plan whereby these inmates
could be first secured and then kept in
bed until their clothing had received at
] tention. And the shoeless children in
their rags and the helpless old men with
their vermin had been thus continued for
a period of quite two months, and would
| in all probability have had to so continue
for an indefinite period had this investi-
cation been not made.
| The children are seemingly permitted to
roam at will. They intermingle with the
older inmates and often times acquire de-
| plorable vices. The almshouse as it ex-
| lists today is but a tester, and while, in
| the solution of this social problem, many
differences of opinion will be found, we
| believe that the majority of those who
! have given thought to the question will
agree with us that these children should
be segregated elsewhere than at Snake
| HILL That suitable building for their
accommodation and care should be erect
ed. and that when the children shall have
been so housed, the government and con-
troll of the institution should be vested in
which should have some natural aptitude
for the position, and at least one of which
members should be woman.
Until some such plan has been adopted
we would strongly urge the immediate
and permanent separation of those unfor-
tunates with syphilitic taint and would
also suggest that grounds adjacent to the
Aims House be enclosed and that the
sexes be separated With the exercise of
proper care, additional and systematic
provision for cleanliness, and unceasing
vigilance the present system might be
continued, with fair degree of success,
pending the radical reform we have sug-
gested.
In the course of our investigation tl.~re
was intruded upon our notice certain
methods of the Board of Freeholders and
its contractors, which for the time de-
manded our attention to the exclusion of
49,. ;x,,,o,+on+ mo ttarc That orr
investigation into these methods in the
/ limited time at our disposal was not and
could not be completed we submit but
enough has been learned to warrant us in
suggesting that radical change be made
in the present form of county government
and that the existing system of purchas-
ened and more prosperous communities.
The prevailing contract system, as car
ried on, is a fraud, pure and simple.
Supposedly, in anticipation of the re-
quirements of the various institutions for
the year lists are prepared and sub
divided into groups, i. e., dry goods,
/
stituting a separate bidding, and the sup
posed annual requirements for every
item in each group being stated Bidders
are then solicited to state a price (per
piece, per dozen, or per gross, as the case
may be) for each item, and the lowest
bidder is presumed to get the award.
| Now mark the actual result The Board
has advertised that it reserves the right
to award by item if it chooses to exercise
that privilege, but except in occasional
| cases it does not so choose and award
| is made on the basis of aggregate bid,
thus the contractor who has the ability
| to secure inside information, who thus
| has knowledge that such lists are padded
with call for goods largely in excess
! of the requirements, and often times for
goods that will not be called for at all,
procedes to Compete Knowing that
| certain articles will never be called for
| he quotes for them nominal price, while
| for the goods actually required ne SUD-
mits figures largely in excess of market
rates. His aggregate is naturally lower
than is that of bidder who submits
bona ffde prices for each item and the
Board making the award to him on
the aggregate basis he proceeds with his
legalized robbery.
If award were made by item the county
would benefit by the competition, as it is
| legitimate competition is about dead, and
! is SO much Of farce that award last year
was made to an ostensible bidder whose
given address was a vacant lot in Jersey
| City and who has since been ascertained
to be a resident of and a stableman in
| Trenton.
Some pecularities of the contract sys-
| tenn are worth noting. Red nd blue
! awning stripes were advertised for to be
bid on separately They both cost the
/ same in open market but the contractor
| bid ten cents for red and twenty-four
cents for blue per yard, and the records
| indicate that he actually furnished 5,s55
yards of blue while Gas yards of red were