New-York tribune., 1908-12-20
CITY COULD SAVE
TWENTY PER CENT
TESTIMONY OF UNION PA-
CTFIC OFFICIAL.
Adlises Buying Supplies Directly
from Manufacturers Through
General Purchasing Agent.

Z :
Pacific Railway system. called as expert by
.se legislative committee investigating the ctys
s,s7oss. recommends the abolition OF public ad-
,.--istng n the purchase OF supplies He says the
. bv establishing a central bureau for the pur-
base - supplies. VIII save about % per cent a
,-.s- or x-e0Ooo. Senator Cassidy. chairman OF
=. ,,-7-1.-ree. SAYS the annual saving would be
-.s-s- - Ter cent. or sseoo.ee-
- abolition OF the competitive bidding system
-,r15 be revolG lG1ionary. but Controller Metz. his
.4.s t,ok keeper. Frank Smith. and others in a
-, 70 Judge Of the needs Of the situation
-,,gz. hack up Mr.. ThOrDe in advocating the
-L,re The Importance OF Mr.. Thornes advice
-. n he fact that he outlines definite plan for
ne reform
-, -ssenr so-caIIed competitive bidding system
- senator Cassidy yesterday The central pur-
SO bureau plan might not Kill OF all the
-4-s-s bur 81 would go good ways in that
-, When Governor OdelI appointed H h
- fiscal supervisor. or purchasing agent for
- han thirty large state institutions there
ss --rch criticism at the outset but the expert
-. .,-gtfse5 f-seIf very soon. Bender saved De
-, n and 20 per cent IN the cost OF supplies
--s-,sr75er one item, that Of coffee The various
s-1s rad been paying about 90 cents a pound
a III Bender ordered 500 pounds at q cIlle
= r7r ?. fer cents pound Our inquiry has
- .hat n one instance a city bureau paid Il
- more Cor rye straw than II cost announcer
90 81 ire same tine OF year
LOSING MILLIONS A YEAR
-. --oubIe with the city's system now said
-.-7re- Metz. Is that the municipality won
single individual with fun power as Pur-
..sssnz agent Alr. Thorne's recoU1Inendatlon =
- -ezsorable- The city IS losing n1llLlons OF
- ves- by not doing he says. The CITY
-s~es 50 mary checks and safeguards aTound
- Nu-saz that il stalls everything II "oU-@
roos deal better Il the city had 500 or 40o sup
= -o---zrto-s OF the outside watching eacH
- - 2. IS now with 500 200 bureau raen
Ss,-s s-aau contracts for the city ana usAle
= .-rve-t COLLISION among a reV small .
r---- ere city Is ready 10 trust some On7 a -,
- - 8 rig central purchasing bureau = ""
~ o,o - s. 100 coo year Just Mr.. Thorne
says -,,--- .,,,ss as rer-
NJ. Tncrne IS regarded In railway cltcles a -.
=. re sbIest man n q position such as I
- ia turned IN by him to the CASSIDY c0nlAli'
tee z-s follows:
-hs-k 4 would be TeTy adyaTfas@eogs @ 1oE -ill7 i
~ - ave soma central purchasing agency 49, 49,
could purchase supplies foT re t "a, = f15ene2dent
-s-ts Of rle city instead o. AaHL-e % e0-c4u-
r-gl-izztio-s for each department ts - Srn.
--5nE those purchases the yvoTk e9--I - Se NJ
- srcl clerks now employed WI I rssr oe
-e- s-s-el and methods ana me- t S14F-sn9 de-
linens when are Identical. and Il agreellle-i5 agreel-i5
We a-7 ~ -ra 8i1ferent departments instead OF
having e4ca department 20 over the "oIA -H
TIE 5ls secret Of securing low prices sa gen 15
-1g good material u o-Eln6 scLl1-s =, 9saI with
r-r--sE-= and able rnanu1accureTs Or loooeIs- =
v--1
sI-sce 70 me 80 = sar-,re II whereas II
- -----zses are made by different lndivlduals N
s-a Quantities and through 1oboerS II Mo-l9 i3 77
mp =.---- - - - ea6auarters. our experience has
sE1w- rs mat the closer We get 10 The rlAn4IaSiS
1-g-r he -lore farorsble agreements We are able
GENERAL sT0REkEEPER NEEDED.
Z. a central purchasing agency were established s
e would also be necessary 70 nave sOIle gaHaraI
aEenr.-- 90 work with It; for instance q =
s-5reszeu-r who would nave general oversight o.
11 --t---at a -.a---l "-.-e-- -e-1-2 -e-z5 Tor and
would --- -at II vas 5IOLe--s - . r--,-Tis+rf0rs
proper records Of Il kept, ana W-en 70 --7L-o iS
OIL Ea1E instead o. purchasing new material a ,
TIE general srorek-eper would report - t-e gs.- %
--r5s--E s-glI6 ua-rv hand. and would also con-
ST VITA lie heads Of he. Department concerned
d 10 -- c-sn-lrr u material that he could carry
Oh aa1E TIE general sturekeepe- would report 10
lie controller IA regard 70 the method 81 Atps f tp
-a.17 c1 tie material distributed each month 70
Tie ---srs6a q a central purchasing agency
sle--l a-so De acGll--laS- - f rSs+ b,ITea1
EU--5 be 70 inspect any material purchased and
s1es win TIE speci.3carions under which Il was
21-gI- al-- n most l4ses 41 S $50 - mis-
are approved and paid By having al lnsPectlon
sureaa whoever furnishes material would be more
ser- mat II was right qP 70 what Il s]noa.q ]
os a2c ne cty ~ou- no{ @ Re 43[S SIsss H. % 7I.g1itT
The au-ezu OF Inspection would receive copies
ssEl-es a-5 Il %oliq s-so .,Ec5ssI4 2 ierart1
f----s-- r-fra br- II would contain infor-
@ % s % @ f = was as oT4s9 04er5d 1nf 4 we You'd Se Be- the
cE-- ~ Inspection bureau % see IL-et L-oJTT.
s7a0- given 10 that ajeT.1. z, H-S-aI-s =
Ess an arer a-e enough & 70 y @uSg {.- n5pgS pSicb
eo-d very easily be Inspected when Il Feached
sl1la He under The supervision Of the purchasing
cH7a--r7H-- q an. The heads Of the respective
.--ea- could confer with the purchasing depart
-e-- from tine % time. Another point ILat
v7r7 Ike 10 suggest is that. as a result Of The
2.
In market for certain (
t70-E- ~ material We have found - PIelaI aI-aa7
- -oFe- o-- requirements oy continuing agree
BENEFITS OF AGREEMENTS
These spe acarions could al oe made Up 2y tLe
BEADS r rre departments which are ccncerLeoF l
-nE V-laJeT-r Aelp they In1gL4I 9 nee ~ vbo
ls % tlat line, or rom lle lL4%all - 80
make me material from the DlIea4 q I-4Spso
'trr and tests would assist them IN obtaining de-
H'-e results We geuerally maze &c - -
81 mat we can cancel them either on notice or n
eo0-- -E-ee months Ny IDEA would be thaI tLesse
s-2l-o oe mace - "a - - p, -Ior-
~ @-EHs and - cancelled ~ ne cLLg IN -
a1r.ce whenever Il finds any better source OF GET
There zr- -z-f.v more than fifteen or twenty /
reputable rnanufzcrUrers Of most kinds Of ulaterl-
5Fer- - ef ca. can -, -i-,,s. Manufacturers are.
There plenty of books published that sho" t-er
names and h. would know naturally who they /
geEe They vc-.Id coufe 10 him and ask 10 submit /
s1s This would lead TO direct purchase through (
-le 1lal-fscturers and save the expense OF tIle
esc--@ man Or course, there are certain articles
gar EGE could buy Ilst well through some JOB 4
! .-- l-ie Dfihtf-e Me-4l - l-e same MLtt.tel
vas cone through The 5o5ber or through the 4
7 -aese continuing agreements are made it VIII 1
eetr immense amount Of expense and labor,
Slleh are no doubt wasted now, from the fact
- y = WI not 2e necessary 70 ask Ior prices apa
.slng very thoroughly and ask al OF the large
,-tacr-lreTs for prices and then finally make +
e 3 agreement with the that seems best able TO
= IS what We want. many u these agreements
sseng able % come ia and offer any better IN
- --ei-is- is- Therefore tle only times we open up
HE " "a -n CT HaF q "a ~ \