The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-06-08
INVESTIGATION ENDS IN RECOMMENDATION FOR IMPROVED
 METHODS OF BOOKKEEPING
Committee Reports to Common Council That Nothing is Found Reflecting upon Person. al Integrity of any Member Of Charities Board.

The committee appointed to investi- gate the board of charities, to see if it needed investigation, reported last night that there is no occasion for | investigation, other than the inquiry
 the committees had made The most definite recommendation made by the committee is that the board should
 employ an expert to systematize its methods of bookkeeping.
 The report follows:
 The undersigned. a committee ap- l pointed by his Honor. Mayor Henry Lee. pursuant to resolution of the Common Council, passed May 3d, 1909, 'fto inquire into the need of an in vestigation of the business methods of the Board of Charities" respectfully report as follows
 The committee has examined the members of the Board of Charities with regard to the method of con ducting the business of the board. has the Board. the Lakeview Home and the Department of Public Charities. The committee further held pub lie hearing. which was advertised by any person to submit complaints or facts relating to the Board of Charf- ties.
 As the result of these investigations. the COmmlCCee nnQS as IOllOWS. No complaint has been made or fact found from which a reason appears to question the integrity of any member of the Board of Charities.
 Certain irregularities in the conduct of the business of the Board have been found. which the committee deems ad- visable to incorporate in this report. These facts appear of record. or have been verified by the Board. and in volve no disputes of fact.
 1. It is the practice o< the Board of Charities. either acting as board or through its purchasing agent. to enter into contracts. both large and small, without public advertisement. and in some instances without even private competition. Section 96 of the Ordi- nances of the City of Bridgeport pro- vides that contracts, which involve the expenditure of more than two hundred dollars. shall be publicly advertised. The majority of the supplies. as meat, groceries and other provisions, are pur- chased at short intervals and rarely involve an expenditure of two hundred dollars at one time. Other contracts in effect extend over a period of one year and involve more than the expenditure of two hundred dollars; thus. the con- tract for coal for the use of the De- pertinent is made annually, and in volved in the fiscal year 19O8-1909 the sum of $3.297.54. In 1908 requests for bids were submitted to three dealers, and in 1909 to two dealers. and the Board in neither instance advertised for proposals. This was clear in fringement of the ordinance. and. in the opinion of the committee. incon- siStent with good business principles. The experience of the other boards of the city in contracting for coal dis closes a wide range of bids among the various dealers. and there is reason to believe that a proper submission of proposals would have obtained a like result in this instance.
 The committee also believes that an a f1x-or "a in fir1c contracts for other supplies. so far as practicable. to public competition. g. In at least two instances supplies have been furnished by or contracts business firms in which the members were financially interested. These con- tracts involve considerable amounts, and were made without competitive bidding. The committee has examined these contracts and purchases, and finds that the prices were fair and reasonable. and that the city has suf- fered no financial loss thereby. It is, however. the opinion of the committee that transactions of this nature are opposed to the principles of good gov ernment, and that the interests of the city require that members of the Board should not accept contracts from the Board. either directly or through the purchasing agent. without the safe guard of competitive bidding.
 3. The system of checking supplies
 
 weight and quantity delivered with that stated in the bills of the dealers PiS not complete or certain in its opera ton. Considering the large amount of supplies furnished the Department of Public Charities, it seems of vital inn portance that this system of checking should be thorough and such as would permit no possible neglect upon the part of an emplOye-
 4. The system of distribution of sup plies to the outside poor is efficient, and the Department is conducted in careful and painStaking manner.
 5. For the fiscal year 190S-1909, there exists a deficit in the Department of Public Charities of S34. 4.SS4.04 of which $4. S11.51 was carried over from the previous year. The total increase of expenditures in 190S-1909 over 1907-190S on account of the regular expenses of the Department amounted to S2o421.O7 This increase is divided as follows:
 Lakeview Home. $9,33S. 50 Expenses chargable to outside
 poor, as groceries, coal.
 rents. etc., 6,572. .64 Charge for care of sick and
 insane, S,112.95 Ambulance and Emergency. 1,402. .9S
 The increase of S,11295 includes an increase of $6,431.S0 in the accounts with the Bridgeport and St. Vincent's Hospitals. The patients in these two hospitals are received on the order of any one of the city physicians, and uniform charge of five dollars week is imposed. This increase in the hos
 pital accounts seems disproportionately large when compared with the increase in other branches of the Department. This is more noticeable when com parison is made with former years. In 1894 the total expenditure of the Board of Charities, deducting the cost of the disposal of garbage. which at the present time is chargable to a separate account. amounted to $59. 9.973.90, while the hospital charges amounted to s3.- 063.33. In 1900 the total expenditure was $53, ,3O3. 53 and the hospital charges amounted to s5.077.1S. In 1906 the total expenditure was S64 135.O0 and the hos pital charges amounted to S7.403.S5 In 1909 the total expenditure of the Board was S114. .66S 2S while the hospital charges were S19,719.11. Thus while the total expenditure has a little more than doubled since 1894 and 1900. the hos pital charges have increased nearly three-fold since 1906. nearly four-fold