The sun., 1899-08-03
MAzET CALLS C0UNClLMEN
,r1rR DAY SPENT SHoWTNG HOW
1.uMdNY MEv GET RICH

,,,coycrcd In the Dock Depnrtment-The
,,,,rmnp Of the Executive Committee
-, T,mmnny Hall Doing Very Well-Got
Third Avenue subway Contract Away
fam the Crin,minses nnd There Was No
,uMcuIty About n Permit, None at All.
u,u n dozen of tho Mazet Committees sub
,o servprs spent Yesterday afternoon in the
'.l,ors of City Hall catching tho Council
mon nil ~ whom are 70 appear before tho In
',,,i,,,,rs 10 ,layitnot in Jail The Councimen
,,Jo mo- very vigorous efforts to escape. Each
,,,, who was 10 hc subprnaed had received a
,,,,r from Frank Moss counsel to the COM
,,,,, ,clirg him that the server would call
bi,, In tho letter Mr.. Moss said that he
sod hpan much impressed by the reasons
,tyrr hv the Councilmcn for not concurring in
~, Hail OF Rrcorls hond issue. and that the
,.,,-r,,prc would undoubtedly be urged to
,,,,crc and vine out the Municipal Assembly
Nr Mass said that under the circumstances il
,sc,nrI only fair that the touncilmen should
have nm opportunity to tell their side OF tho
s,,,y He promised that each one examined
st,,,d have fair and courteous treatment. and
urr,d them 10 testify. Several Of the Aldermen
,'sn have been summoned for to-day and the
aovwi,I he devoted tu the Municipal Assembly.
Two pr,nci, al subjects occupied the commit
,o, yesterday one was the monopoly Of Dock
r,,,r,rncnt contracts bv certain firms and tho
avoidance " competitive bidding hy issuing
.reasurcr's orders under repairs by days
work" clause of the charter. The other was
tna Third Avenue l}ailroad electrical subway.
Thet'rimmtu-es expected to get the contract.
II, opcr the street. however, required n per-
uIt from Tammany. The Crmminses are ont
NJ favor with Tammany. The firm that got the
ioh was the firm in which Bernard Naughton
sarartncr with the Chairman OF the Exccu-
five Committee OF Tammany Hall.
Mr. Moss told the committee incidentally
that he thought the fees Of $1,000 year that
Johnny Carrolls brother gets. and Johnny
himself used to get as Clerk Of the General
Sessions. in addition to his $1,000 salary. ought
to be abolished.
DREDGING POOR TRADE.
Ralph G. Packard. President OF the R. G..
Packard Dredging Company. was asked
O-Have you had any understanding with
Morris 4 Cummings about bidding on contracts?
A.-Hyou limit your question to city work. we
have not We have. however. understand
inrs with them with regard to outside work.
But nowadays nearly all the dredging COM
panies have understandings with ono another
This comes from the fact that the specifications
for dredging are such at present that no one
Arm can do the work. For the past several
wears dredging has been an Improbable busi-
ness. Contracts with the Government have
I,tcy been completed for which he cont tractors
t,rcive all told. not more than 80 per cent. OF
o.. Have yuu heard that there is an under
randinE among dredgers with relation to city
kurk Al have heard such reports. but
now Of no such understanding or comhna-
hon
pf contracts To lie awarded requiring bidders
to disavow any cOllusion with possible compet-
thar'es Du Bois was called and asked II he
was doing any dredging work now and he said
he had n contract III Hoboken rthe D.. l.. W.
Q.-liuw much do you get for that work
Al decline to state.
Q-Why do YOU decline to state? A-Be-
cause think its private business,
y consulting a memorandum)-You set
for that work ought cents per cubic yard? A
That what you say. a.,
faces Of several Of the drrdgers who were in
the courtroom. Il don't wonder he declined
the contract is only big enough. he'll be rich
enough to go to the poorhousr next wintrr
abny aN work wn
Q.-Ever talk with any firm connected with
that Gomnany aGomt 6 GusresNI r. b.tz Ales re-
Dwell. since you talked with Mr.. PETE you
haven't done, so much work for the, city. have
you? Al don't know as that had anything
10 do with it.
But BRISK FOR MORRIS CUMMINGS.
Charles i. Murphy. Dock Commissioner and
Treasurer of the Dock Board. was recalled and
By the Treasurer of the Dock Departme ent, the
Morris Cummings Company did dredging for
H. s city, M tSs 4sTes1 Apr Il ana css ay H 2s
reccs Of work. the estimated cost Of which is
$3.50, making total OF s25"Ol. -.
iredg"rs than Morris d Cummings during that
time? At 70 other firms are mentioned in
V-Whv was ali OF this work given to the
Morris n Cummings, Company? A.-Bccause
he Commissioners thought they were the best
George is President Of this concern
Fioner to a contract awarded to Morris 4 Cum
ings last month; awarded at public letting;
Mr.; Murphys private secretary stepped for
wa and HeMpSd to hnmd paper to the
said; Never mind"
V,-Can You give tho locality within two
miles A. No, sir. knew when the contract
Mr.. Mss read mcmornndum showing that
n" Witnesses Packard and Du Bots bid against
c"ntrao's con " ri in April Iss Morris Cumings innings
hid "a 81 cents a cubc yard. The engineer =
most fortunate figuring Morris 4 Cummings bid
mne-tenth OF cent lower than the estimate.
They got the Job.
THE MORRIS CUMMINGS MONOPOLY.
COMMISSIONER Murphy testified that he be-
!i"vcd IN patronage. and that the recommends
tlOns Of tn" Tammany Hall district leaders as
" appntntm"nts ALWAYS carried weight with
hm II" denied that men were appointed a.
atorrrs in order TO escape civil service exami-
nations, All things being equal. he said. he
was IN the habit OF giving contracts to organi-
2a'Ion men. Ne thought that this method OF
reWarinE men for political services was goOl
one. Asked il the board ALWAYS advertised Tor
ods Tor work in excess OF ) 900 in amount
he said that tn" hoard did not. as ther" was
a section Of the charter eNempting II
from this necessity. MIR, Moss. addressing
the COMMITTEES. said that II this was true il
offered a tine opportunity for Legislative action
Hc produced m"morardN, showing that mum,
been given without adv crtisem"nt or rompeti'
non e. Morris n CumingS. The law re led on
sthe last clause of section S2l Of the charter
which say~ that repairs may he done by day
Wurk and without contract whenever in the
InIgm"ht uf tn" board IL is expedient'
~ u" Norris x Cummings get the bulk o.
A,-les
= Why is that? A-Well they do gooC
Wnrk and uu il NJ the lowest market price.
~ BUt how dp Won know you can get worL
%nhe NOR" "heaply when YOU don't ndycrtis'
'.F bids Ave nr" satisfied that this tlrn
,.IrHee work a| chonply rs any other could do It
lh"l. when ia" chic, Engineer reportS the ne
rrsslty for certain work, why. we go ahcn'
Wlih"ut delay. To advertise would necrssttnt'
ue ~ We simply advantage of our right
Nnl"r the charter