New-York tribune., 1908-12-10
COLER "A DEAD ONE .
He SAYS SO HIMSELF-
Refers TO His Political Future
Before Cassidy Committee.

c.-,,,e- Met, and Borough President Celer
.< Es-,ok1,-1 a former Controller were the star
-,.,ess.s ~ the hearing Of the legislative com
...s .-.o tho c,t-s financial condition, yesterday
c,nsv one of them was allowed TO speak at time
md the one who was not on the stand stayed at
~. other side Of the room from the witness chair
Zach allowed an interesting statement OUTSIDE
.ps realm OF the hearing. TO leak out Controller
Metz declared that he had suspended an enlploSe
:, she bureau Of markets pending an investigation
p, the grand Jury. He explained that the youns
mans duties connected with the haIohns "a
buildings on property condemned by the Cl'y aii0
4hefr sale 10 wrecking companies The Controler
said he had learned that the man with whom the
.-,esov. used 20 practise law vas acting as couh-
SCI for the vrecking companies
II Do moi know that any thing wrong has been
done said the Controller, IN talking aoont the
rsse later .Thut the grand jury viii learn al INC
=. - know about I do not want 20 give INC
Young mans name until the investigation Is oohe
President Coler when being asked about the AZ
fairs IN his department, announced that ne was Po
,itf~sll1 dead Politics 60 not figure IN my oHlce
=. est5 u hav. no political ambitions TO crafty
As matter OF fact I am dead politically
No comment vas made OF this statement al the
time but AT recess President Coer explained NM
self 20 some friends Il political corpse" he
se-la-ed with no show Of feeling, because OF my
attitude On the school question In the first place
an opposed continually increasing the saAaIy
of teachers. Then I believe you cannot 'each
morality without teaching religion In the schoolA
Religion Is the foundation Of society and shouo pe
taught in soms form Our present system UeiiNS
too much 70 sociology and agnosticisul
n the afternoon Senator Cassidy, chairman OF
TIE committed, asked Controller MetE II there was
IN sETeeme2t made with the persons VINO 0oueI'
sr issue Of SSo.o09ooo about year ago regarding
the deposit OF money. He declared that no such
> agreement hsd been made Then be went into the
whole history OF corporate stock ano revenue
londs for several years He came to the sSl"neo
issue Of bonds last December. which was taken
hv I P Morgan & Co
They GENT two checks IN payment one on the
National city Bank FOR sl5,oeaooo and one on The
First National Bank for like amount Following
the custom, the Controller said. OF deposluIg TINS
money in city repositories which favor the city, he
had str71Dlv exchanged the checks deposiuns the
National city check IN the First National and
--ICe versa
Somebody had come TO him with proposition
ne said that the account IN one Of the banks
should not be checked out below *2e,0ooo0' but ne
Lad refused TO agree 20 it
The Controller said he understood that come OF
The previous controllers had agreed to let certain
interests get revenue bonds at q high rate OF in
terest IN consideration OF favorable bids for cor
rsorate stock The system was wrong, he thought
snd he had not used it
In explaining the case OF the building IN Bridge
street Brooklyn which was sold by the Controllers
ofioe at private sale after it had been Withdrawn
from e public auction Controller Metz declared that
g technical mistake might have been made by a
new man at the head Of that bureau, but at that
the city had got more 1or the building tlah u IL
had been sold auction He declared II 10 De I'M
rossibe TO get anything Ike reasonable price FOR
hildir Is sold by the city, because there were only
sreckng firms IN the city with the faclIities
70 handle sreckng jobs. and they usually oid What
thev pleased and got the property Prices ran from
81 70 6 $50, ne said
One great evil said. in taking title TO prop
ertg and tearing down tho building before the prop
er,,- was actually needed for city purposes. He
said President Coler had been exceedingly active IN
having the city take title To- the property for tie
F1atbusb avenue extension and getting the build
irgs rprn down The city was losing some &o'"h
3 month i'm rentals and interest because most OF
,l7e buildings on the extension Rad been torn down
whereas IT would not be necessary 10 use the street
for Two Years yet
Tables prepared uy expert accountants OF The
ce7rrnittee and Of the Bureau Of Municipal Research
showing prices paid for various kinds OF forage by
different 5eYarrueuts of the city government IN
various boroughs at the same time were TeFeIa-
tion Of municipal extTavagaIce and an al IgolleH'
for central purchasing department
For example the figures showed that In the De
,,s-4-7enr Of Street Cleaning much ss SOVD
might have been saved IN single quarter Il the
department had obtained its forage at the same
r,-ioe eiug paid by Of the other departments
IN the same borough 81 the same time The tabu-
1arfo- showed that hundreds OF thousands Of dol
lars might have been saved in the eighteen months
under examination if all the departments had
bought from the lowest bidder for TartIusT sort
O. forage
II developed At the hearing that Senator Cassidy
las an idea thar would be e good thing 10 have
81 citx employees wear q badge in conspicuous
T,ace during the hours they are supposed to De on
duty SO that everybody could tell they were loetlnE
when they were away from their jobs. President
,-ofer said he did not think much Of the scheme
1,,t declared that II the committee would provide
2 badge for the Mayor and require him TO wear Il
be might favor the plan for all the city employees