New-York tribune., 1908-03-28
WHERE S175.O56 04 WENT
BRONX EXPENSE. ITEMS.
Wasted by Buildings Bureau IN Str
Years. Soys WitneSs.

Some idea Of how money is distributed to mu-
,icipsl employees IN the Borough OF Inc bronA
was given Yesterday afternoon at the inVestlea-
tion into President Hafen's administration by L
W Stewart chief examiner to the Commissioners
of Accounts He testified that after careful cal
culstion he had estimated that 1886 % had been
wasted m the bureau nf buildings and ofhces alone
during the last six years
For the wears from January /. 1907. 10 January
! 19s he ~aid n. had learned that s14a@es IS had
been expended for cleaning public buildings lax
sne basis the minimum bids Of cleaning con-
tractors who had preceded him on the stand our
ing the day. Mr.. Stewart figured it out that OF
this amount s1el.5ss IS might have been saved
The lowest bid submitted TO Commissioner
Mitchell. who is conducting the investigation. was
gs5s year. The amounts actually expended by
IRE city fer cleaning the buildings are as follows:
!sss !sss Sc $: :, !sss $ s 5
For cleaning the Borough Building alone it cost
the city s1a.7o7 25 in 1907 One of the cleaning con-
tractors had testified that he would do the work
for s..
For the six wears sS4 .eo was expended in watch
mems salaries. Even with liberal allowance Tor a
sufhcient number Of vatchmen, Mr.. Stewart SAID
that gaeo had been wasted in this item One
wstchrlan. he said. enough at the Municipal
Building there are five stationed there. Ii the
work Of cleaning the municipal Offices and keeping
them in repair were let out on contract. il "oud
not be necessary TO have a superintendent. he said
estimated had been wasted during the six years
F NJ Greenhook Of the contracting cleaners
seid he had made inspection of the municipal
buildings in The Bronx and found them in very
very bad condition lie said that he would keep
the eight buildings clean for ss.5l3 year or
ssoo - a month Elias walia. another contractor,
named similar minimum bid. which would save
about s.5eoo S Frankel. another contractor. said
he would undertake the Job Of cleaning IN The
Bronx for $500 a month.
Claude A. Breidenbach. foreman in the Bureau
Of Buildings and Offices. admitted that two men
named Murphy and Toight. who had worked under
him received pay for three days IN the week OF
January - of this year that they had not worked
He said that A. Liebenau, the superintendent hao
spoken him Of the matter Commissioner
Mitchell wanted 10 know about the rest Of the con-
versation and asked him TO lock at time check
book from which erasures appeared TO have been
made after il had been left Breidenbachs office
by an employe Of the Commissioners of Accounts
Commissioner Mitchell then wanted 10 know what
took place on Thursday afternoon at a conference
between the witness. Superintendent Lebenau and
Norman e Bolton, the foreman. in Liebenau's
office BreIdenbech said he couldn't remember
Finally the Commissioner warned him that If he
persisted in his refusal he would refer the case to
The District Attorney still the witness couldnt
remember
Changing his line Of inquiry, Commissioner
Mitchell obtained the admission that several men
were retained as Hatchmen in a public bath last
wear which WAS not in Superintendent
1Aebenau who followed Breidenbach said that the
latter had reported him that the two men whose
names appeared the payroll had not been work
jrg He thought il merely an uninten1onal
mistake Of Breidenbach's in allowing the names to
90 on the roll. and said that President Haffen.
when he heard of the matter. had declared he
would discharge him Q4ehenau) if such thing
happened again
The hearing will he continued Monday.