The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-18
HOLE IN The POLICE FUNDS.
VARIOUS CREDITORS NAY NAVE
10 LOOK TO M'ADOO.
bingham Finds No Money TO Meet Charges
Of 60 .SSs 80 Against the Contingent
Fund - Informed That EN-SeCretary
Howell Owes 81 400 TO the Same Fund.

tcrday to tie Mayor n formal letter
,alling his attent ion to the feet that there
"na a deficiency in the fund for oontinE gent
expenses Of tho Police Depn rtment for
1905, the last year OF the McAdoo admins
trGtiin, If $o,SS7 30, and that there Is no
iroroy to ray Il. He also said that the
Ieetrds show That William Howell. who
aGs Commissioner McAdoo's secretary.
owed the fund 81 10000 for money ex-
tendHd in Houell's ma ne in 1904. Gen.
Eirgham also declared that the expenses
q tho vica sq,iad in 1908 were SO, $40 20
end tillt the expenses for meals for score
tnrioS and clerks in tie SAINT year we're
sctj, both If which itens were paid before
tlr. McAdoo left Office IN January l..
With his letter tho Commissioned sent
two quotations from The city charter bear
inx on the subject. Tho frat. Section 2o7,
fiys that the Police Commissioner may
draw on the Comptroller, in advance Of
vouchers, for not more than $40. 900 at one
time Of moneys appropriated to tho dn'
raltmsnt for contingent oSpenseD and
shall give a boud in Slo,NM to see that tho
money advanced is lawfully expanded.
The second quotation from the charter
was Section l542, which declares that ex-
r%enditures OF city money shall not In any
one year exceed the amount appropriated
and that If such a thing happens no charge.
claim or liability shall exist or arise against
said city"
Here is the Police Commissioners letter
to the Mayor:
Sin: / have the honor to call your attention
TO the fact that there Is a deficiency in funds
for contingent expenses. Police Department.
for 1905 amounting to $s.ss7.s9.
When 1 took char &c Of this office | asked
for an examination of the accounts and funds
Of the Police Department by the Commits
sloners of Accounts. They made a report.
dated March 8, 1909, from which tho following
Tarae raph is taken:
The unexpended balance of the 1905 con-
tineent account on January /, 1905, was
sl.e29.4I. Liabilities were contracted in 1905
amounting to til ,036. "a. OF such a nature that
they could be charged only to the contingent
account. which remain unpaid. To enable
the COMMISSIONS to discharge these liabilities
will require an addition to the 1905 contingency
appropriation of 50, zoe. 49,"
Since the foregoing report was written
bills have been rendered chargeable against
the contingent fund. Police Department.
for the year 1905, bringing the amount Of
liabilities, as reported by the said Commits
sioners OF Accounts, from 90, 400. 80 up to
$40. OIL .oS, to pay which there Is a cash balance
on hand OF only sis4.Ss. showing n deficit.
as stated above. of 50. 1857. 80.
The appropriation for the year 1905 having
been exhausted. there is no money TO pay
theee bills.
The expenses OF the vice squad for 1905
were s9,64o.20. Meals were Furnished to
secretaries and clerks amounting TO $695.
Path of tHoea itAyna hnWaver uara naid
before ! tool ONCE.
am also informed that there Is still owing
10 the contingent fund. Police Department,
for the year 1904, from William Howell, the
sum OF 81 1856. 90.
Hereto are appended certain sections of the
Garter which bear on the above. Respect
fully. T%HEonoRE A. BINGHAM.
Police Commiss oner.
The purpose Of quoting the charter In
reference to The pon-liabilitv Of the city
vas evidently to show that those who have
unpaid claims against the city for these
contingent expenses will hn We to look either
to rS.Coinmissioner McAdoo or his bonds
men for payment. The n,ention Of the
alleged Indebtedness Of eS -SecretGry Howell
to the contingent fupd was to show that
the department had 40 vouchers to provo
what the money was expended for. The
'l''''' VI NiN NV S' E'iLl IuiNN " lICdi1
Tor secretaries and clerks WAS to call at
tention to the lax methods Of spending
public money under the McAdoo regime.
When Police Commissioner Bingham be-
gan to TT his bearings in his new Job he
itnon ran againnt tho contingent fund.
About So; COW a year is expended, largely
for secret purposes, from this fund. lie
had the Commissioners Of Accounts mike
, VI IN ti,,-ti ian ,rNioh ;s mt ,,at Gn;nkaI
Tho expenses of certain kinds Of detective
work, OF which the public henrs little, come
from this fund. All sorts Of other things
IRE charged up TO it when there IL no other
convenient place to put them. The Police
Commissioner gives an order on the fund
and the voucher is fled to how how the
money has been expended.
For many years there has been a lot OF
looso bookkeeping in reference to this fund.
The vouchers have beer vague. A deteo.
tive could say that he had spent a certain
amount Of money and an order would be
drawn to pay it. COMMISSIONS Bingham
soon found that one Of the hardest problems
lie would have in the department would be
to secure the honest expenditure Of money
from this fund. He set about making re-
forms. One of the first moves was to abolish
TIE Office Oh HuulUOI OF JnS department,
held for many years by jeremiah Bacon.
MIR. Bacon remain on the civil service list
but is out of a police job. COMMISSIONS
Bingham put Charles Colt in as bookkeeper
and gave him one assistant. Mr.. Bacon
had five assistants. Then the Commissioner
began to draw the line on what should be
spent for contingent purposes and also to
require prompt reports Of moneys spent
So that in the monthly accounts there should
hn no eNoess. of expenditures No more
meals are charged up to tho city by secre-
taries and clerks.
EX-Police Commissions McAdoo was out
Of town yesterday, 80 that no comment
could be secured from him as to the charges
commissioner Bingham made. Mr.. Howell.
however, was at home. He denied with
some warmth that he owed tho city l,i60.
He said that he was simply the agent for
Tie expenditure Of that money; that it was
uhod FOR secret purposes under n special
agreement between Mr.. McAdoo and Comp
trolier Grout; that he checks were drawn
III favor OF Howell 50 as to conceal the real
,,r,.y,, IN ,phNp, tbo RaArnu O.a x,fI 1.l