The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-24
SAY AHEGRN IS EASYEFUL.
CITIZENS UNION CONDEMNS THE
BOROUGH PRESIDENT.

In Long Report They Declare That He Has
spent More Than 81 ZOO. 600 In TIVE
Years without Public Letting ef Con-
ts-Thousands for Carriage Hire.
Charges Of a~riotous extravaganza OF
in~oompetency and implications of illegal
expenditures Of moro than 81 200, 900 OF the
city's money in his first term of Office are
made against Borough President Ahearn
by the Citizens Unions bureau of city
betterment in a 100 page pamphlet issued
yesterday.
II il declared by the Citizens Union that
all the bureaus comprised In the Borough
Presidents department are without COM
petent supervision and extravsgantly main
tanned. Figures are submitted to show
that these bureaus in 1908 and 1905. the two
years OF Mr.. Ahearnfs first term, spent
more han a million dollars without public
contract through the old device of never
ordering INC re than 81 900 worth Of supplies
or work at n time. The Charter provides
that orders calling for an expenditure OF
less than 9, 900 can be given out without
public letting.
: Mr.. Ahearn was 30 disturbed by the con-
tents of the report that he sent a formal
request TO the Mayor to instruct the Com
missioners of Accounts to make an inves-
tigation OF the affairs of the Borough Pres
ident's office. Mayor Mcclellan said last
night that he would certainly order such an
investigation.
The report of the Citizens Union shows
hat the exact amount expended by Mr..
Ahearn during his first two years Of Office
without contract was 81 or ,s47. o. this
amount s443 OTIS went for supplies and
repair work and $40. ESQ., o? for incidentals,
the chief item of which was ~carfare; SOL, -
924. OF for expert services, 500, 80 for re-
moving and snoring unsafe buildings. $1,000
for street signs, ST. 500 so for removing
sidewalk incumbrances; for carriage, 49,
ei+.77. for repairing sewers $40 ,4+7.eO and
for repaving $751; ,Ts4.5l.
The Citizens Unions bureau i'll a sum-
mary OF its report goes on TO say
The supplies for President Ahearn's
bureaus are bought by the Superintendent
of Public Buildings aud Ofices. William IL.
Walker. That Mr.. Walker has spent this
money to the advantage of q few individuals
is clearly shown. or the $40. OSI. % expended
in Two years for ~ianitors' supplies. hardware
and paper. $50. 3l2 SO was paid TO the Metro
politan Equipment and Supply Company.
Six firms divided the greater part Of the
SIS .sss paid for furniture. John II. Little
receiving sp.5is.2 20: James X. Keane 4 Co.
5000. a: Doherty & Co, .l5S.15;I Frederick
Coll. -. 0O6.5 :. Fink 4 Co, s3.997. 10. and
Thomas Bowe. 3.sO7. oS. The New York
Steam Company received slS.2S:. 40 for live
steam Of The total s2O.9s2. 60 spent for this
purpose. Out of ~. l2O.j5 paid for disinfectant
in the two years. 81, 133. W went to the VI. Frank
DisinTeCtant Company: to the AutO2one Chem
ical Company, s3,4e Is. Two firms divide
A., 800. 81 spent for saHps. This unbusinesslikr
method of purchasing supplies was also
employed by Mr.. Walker in making repairs
to public buildings. Fifty-tWO thousand
eight hundred and ten dollars and thirty
nine cents was paid to Joseph W. O'Brien Tor
plumbing. Two other plu mbers were al
lowed to divide the 5000 remaining Of the
total spent for plumbing in the two years.
The sum of Sal .939.37 was discussed for
carpenter work without contract. the chief
benenciaries being Michael II. Lynch, who
received s23. $40; Sexton 4 Odell receiving
a.. AL ~, and Charles ii. ~PeCkworth, who got
S.. p9.s7. MIR. Peckworth received 81 ss5 ~
alone for work done in me City Hall Building.
Of the so. $50 90 spent for carfare and other
incidentals SIS. $50. ~ was charged to Super
int enden Walkers Bureau of Public Build
ings and $4,000 II TO the Bureau Of Highways.
.Presiden Ahearn reQuisitioned $4,000 himself
in twenty-fOur monthly instalments Of S2iO
each.
To pay for cab. coach. wagon. buggy and
horse hire. not including carting. $50 ,oS0.S1
was distributed. The New York Cab Com
papy. Ltd. James y. Smith and Edward
Monaghan each received $3.50, while Martin
=. Byrnes. George Form. John AcGOvern and
John c. Mulligan were each paid over $1,000.
Large sums were used TO pay for the hire OF
horses, wagons and drivers on a monthly
basis. costing the civ 81 $50 per annum in
each case.
When three-fourths Of the Board Of Nldpr-
men approve. the law requiring the letting Of
contracts for Jobs and supplies involving
more than 1900 may he waiv ed. The con-
sent OF the Board of Aldermen was sought and
secured TO giving a 81 ,t85 carpenter job to
John J. Gotter. The board also approved the
buying OF si.iE worth of carpet for the
General and Special Sessions court rooms
from Thomas Bowe,
No authorization of the Board OF Aldermen
was found attached 10 three warrants, amouD
ing to 81. 433. 10 paid TO John =. Sayward for
carpenter work in the Criminal Courts Build
ing.
In the summer of 1905 the floating baths
provided a means of giving the favored
Boyce and Lynch Carpent ering firm q ST.
1850 job. The money Was paid in three
warrants. in three succ essive months.
The report condemns Supt. Walkers
administration of the public baths az in
efficient and charges that no accounts have
been kept OF tne cONJ Ol operating Tue DHtnS,
On this point the report explains:
"In addition to the sli2 500 already spent
for new bath sites, $500 900 Temains unspent
from the appropriation made by the Board
of Estimate for public baths in Manhattan.
This information could not be obtained
from the Borough President because no
account has been kept by him Of the cost
Of the various baths"
A great deal of space IL given in the re-
port to describing the bad condition of
The street pavements and to showing that
these defects are due TO the want Of a proper
system of inspection by the Bureau OF High
ways. Attention is called to the practice
of permitting inspectors designated by the
Borough President to pass upOn the work
done by the corporations, a practice it is
asserted. which works against the interests
of the city.
Among other matters dealt with in the
report are the inadequacy OF the rentals
charged for vault space permits, the mac
tivity of the Borough President in removing
unused car tracks from the streets and the
absence of any effort 10 clean the streets
and sidewalks Of incumbrances. In a chap
ter devoted to the records OF the various
bureau superintendents appointed by Presi-
dent Ahearn the report says; Being a
district leader himself, Mr.. Ahearn frankly
holds that a district leader ia the best quail