Milford chronicle., 1907-03-15
PENNSYLVANIA
CAPITOL PROBE
Engineer Green Says State Got It's
Moneys Worth.
he KNEW OF NO CoLLUSION

qutry into the cost OF the new 41SiUVV,-
600 state capitol was begun by the
legislative committee with the testi-
mony of Bernard r. Green, Of Wash
ington, supervising engineer for the
capitol building commission.
The official reports OF Mr.. Green to
the capitol commission showed that he
was not satisfied with the business
methods of Architect Huston and that
the architect was Withholding infor-
nation from the engineer. Mr.. Green
said. however, that he knew of no evil
dence of collusion between the archi-
tect and the contractor and that the
state got the worth of its money in the
construction of the building.
He was unable to give the probers
any information on the per foot" and
per pound" rule by which the build
ing was equipped and furnished by the
board of grounds and buildings. He
never heard of this rule until it was
employed by the board and did not
regard it as a proper method for ascer-
tanning the cost of such furnishings.
He thought there were too many cleo
trio fixtures in the building, and that
many of the fixtures were too heavy
and clumsy and out of proportion with
the surroundings.
Mr.. Green said the architect was not
judicious and broad-minded In his
dealings with the engineer and acted
as if he was afraid some one was try
ing to deprive him of the glory OF de-
signing the building. The engineers
reports showed that several mOdifica-
tions were made in the original specifi-
cations for the building without the
knowledge of the commission and the
engineer.
James Cameron, Of the New York
Audit company, which is auditing the
accounts and making an inventory OF
the capitol, submitted a report show
ing that of the $4,000,000 appropriated
for the building to the capitol building
commission there was an unexpended
balance of $45,890.93.
Mr.. Cameron testified that he had
collected from the Harrisburg Trust
company. in which this fund was kept,
S27.353.51 in interest at the rate of
per cent. on the daily balances. No
formal demand was ever made by the
building commission on the trust COM
pany. of which Edward Bailey, treas
urer of the commission, is president,
for interest on this fund. Mr.. Gamer
on said the minute records Of the COM
mission were indefinite and that re-
ports which should have been record
ed were not included in the minutes.
He also said that the system OF sin
gle entry was used in the bookkeeping
of the state government and that the
general accounting was not as com
plete as it might be. There was no
asset record of what furniture was in
the building and no way Of ascertain
ing whether any furniture had been
carried away. The final reports of the
auditors will be submitted in three or
four weeks and will contain an item
lied cost of each room in the building
The report presented by Mr.. Gamer
/ on shows that Joseph M. Huston, the
architect of the commission, has been
overpaid $685. 1t was also developed
! from the records at the capitol com
] mission LudL ulOSL VI l4AC du dASCo sAe+s
had been made to George Gray Bar
nard. the sculptor and Edwin Abbey
the architect, had been made upon
Hustons certihcation; and that the
changes that have been made from
time to time in the specifications gov
/ erning the contracts we're at Huston's
suggestion and were approved by him.
It was also shown that upon more than
one occasion the architect had assur-
ed the commission that the capitol
could be erected we'll within the orig
inal appropriation of s4,000000.
The report also shows that the total
aggregate contracts awarded by the
commission amount to $3,954, 1O9.OI
and that the contracts with George
Gray Barnard, the sculptor, and Edwin
A. Abbey, the artist, are unfinished,
while the sum of $4,000 has been ad-
vanced to the former and $4,000 to
| the latter.