New-York tribune., 1908-10-06
FINANCE PROBE BEGUN
METZ TELLS OF WASTE.
Controller on Clutches Recommends
Remedies to Committee.

The joint committee appointed at the last session
o< the Legislature to investigate the conoiuoh vi
the city's finances held its first meeting IN '"e
Alaernlanic Chamber of the City Hall yesterday
The whole session devoted to examining Con-
troner Metz and his subordinates The members
Of the committee present were Senator O"en O"S
.idv as chairman. and Senators Martin sake anu
p u NcCsrrer and Assemblyman Warren l. Lee
e A Merritt jr. and James Oliver Assemolymai
George NJ Palmer Democratic candidate for Al
torney General of the state. was absent ASSEM-
blynan Louis Bedell and Charles A. CONN nave
been engaged by the committee as counsel The
committee hold only two or three hearings anu
then adjourn TIL after election
Al the opening Of the hearing, Senator CASSIDY
placed on the minutes long statement outlining
the course TO be pursued by the cornInltIee- 11o
said that Il not the purpose TO praise or Diaie
either 5epartments or tie heads thereon, but prl-
rnarilx 10 ascertain as accurately as possible the
true condition of departments OF tne cl'S
government from business STANDPOINT anu 'iien
20 present whatever remedies they could for such
evils as might be found He said that the near
,ng- vvould he puhlic and that the first session
would be devoted to a general survey OF the oit-
ferent departments of the city business to be 1ol-
lowed by a detailed inquiry into the specihc SUD
ject OF the purchase of supplies
Controller Metz the first witness caIleo- ne
csn,e into the room on .crutches he is still lame
from the effects Of his fall from horse recenuy-
The Controller said that he believed the greatest
waste 20 the city lay in the purchase or suppnes'
WYNN
establishment of q central purchasing station He
cited the method OF purchasing coal as open TO i'm
proverent as Il is now bought and delivered sepa-
rstelv al nearly two thousand different places IN
the city.
Mr.. Collin then asked where else there was a loss
the city
IN condemnation proceedings" said Mr. Metz
THAT is the greatest steal the city is up against
and the trouble is il is lawful We managed 10
hold IN special awards intended on the Riverside
for v-fO which
10 be bought for 8 10000 We saved the city 20
per cent. I held up the F2atbush avenue extension
and saved the city 10 PEI cent. think court OF
condemnation might help"
Mr. Metz then referred 20 the Kissena Park
affair declaring that he did not think the city
had paid more than the property was worth. He
thought that when had to give up property
where he had lived sll his life he ought 10 receive
little in excess of its actual value. The Con-
troller also attacked the provision IN the city
charter requiring that all goods costing more than
S.eeO be bought through public letting by com
petitive bidding
He cited the buying Of horse liniment for the
Street Cleaning Department in this connection, de-
claring that the reputable dealers were underoid
by jobbers who then worked off a lot OF old and
worthless liniment the city. The Controller
said that he welcomed the investigation as a
practical necessity.
similar TO that OF Mr.. Metz in regard TO the pur-
chase OF supplies.
Charles S. Hervey. supervising statstician and
examiner IN the Controllers Office. told of some
OF the improvements that had already been in
stituted the department, such a better sys-
TEN Of accounting, although, he added. there is
still room for much greater improvement along
this line"
The systems of accounting have not progressed
cornnensurably with the growth Of the city" said
Mr.. Hervey- There is proper classification of
disbursements. and sometimes. knowing there, is
g waste, Il is hard 10 put ones finger 1t. Tho
new system designed to make the department
heads give proper estimates. instead of making
them so very liberal. is generally the now
The hearing was then adjourned until 1890 clock
this morning