The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-02-02
. ed Tape In ~ ~ ~
~ Municipal Offices.

''It's good thing all my customers
are not municipalities" remarked the
small dealer, as he scanned his credit
book and frowned, while from a shelf
above he jerked down a ledger and
thumbed its pages for the leaf bearing
the title, City of St. Paul" Zone gross
OF matches, bought six weeks ago. and
not paid for yet" he grumbed as he
threw the book back on it's shelf with
savage energy. 'All right, but -
slow pay" was the parting remark.
SLOW as the wrath of God" was an
other remark by a creditor, who showed
his face in at the wicket in the city treas
urers office and wanted to know if st.
Paul was ever going to pay that bill
He wasn't aware that st. Paul is jeal-
Gus Of its strong box, and surrounds it
with more safeguards in the shape Of
red tape'T than any other city of It's
size in the Union.
81. Paul last year turned into the
channels of trade as a municipality over
Sz,VVo,u0V, but not one cent of the amount
ieIC the cltys Golfers until a score or
more of clerks and officials passed on
the correctness of the claims which the
money was used in satisfying. The or
olhary big corporation would have froWn-
ca down on some of this critical inspec-
tlon as useless and expensive red tape,
put the charter demanded such proceed
the letter. The small business man would
have called it pure nonsense.
ordinarily. st. Paul REQUIRES a month IN
which to determine the Correctness and
pass upon the legality of claims for all
supplies purchased by it's servant be-
lore the holder OF the same is rein-
bursed; but in the case Of some Of the
departments this period is increased 70
SIX and eight weeks. Sometimes a still
greater time elapses before accounts are
finally squared. In this respect the fire
department heads the list because Of the
fact that its request for supplies and the
final payment of the bill presented en-
counters more red taDe and passes
through more hands than any other in
dividual department composing the city
government.
How a Broom Is Bought.
Should 25-cent broom be wanted for
any of the engine houses. the captain In
charge makes known his wants to his SUI
perior, who in turn CONVEYS the request to
the attention of the fire board the first
time it meets. That body passes upon the
necessity and cost of the article wanted
and if convinced that it is needed, duly
orders the secretary to prepare the proper
requisition.
For this purpose the CITY clerk furnish
es properly Worded blank which, after
pelng engroSSed with the title of the de-
partment desiring the broom, is filled out
with the name of the article wanted and
the cost. If the cost is ia doubt, ap-
proXimate figures are given. This requi-
sitiOn, with others of similar import and
representing nearly every department in
the city, is filed away to await inspection
by the committees on acquisitions of both
bodies. Each tackles the job separately
and applies its o. K.
This procedure completed. the officer
making the request is sufficiently armed
with authority to make the purchase and
he forthwith, on receiving the broom de-
mands an itemized BILL which is filed with
the secretary Of the fire board This in
voice is relied with the monthly list of
bills and when the board again meets 1t
is inquired into, passed upon and ordered
paid. If there is any doubt as to the
validity of the claim it is held up ara
an inquiry sent along the line until the
party making the request is located the
necessary questions asked and an inves-
tigation made.
BY this time the perusal Of the bill
has only begun, and when it is again To-
Gated it is found attached to a blank
in the city clerks Office, containing com
pIete memoranda as to the transaction.
the hands of the committee on claims of
the two council bodies, where, after re-
ceiving the official signature of the chair
man of each committee, it is sent down
to the watch dog of the treasury, Comp
troller MeCardy, to prepare an audited
resolution calling for its payment. If he