Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-31
LINCOLN HEAD ON coin NEW PLAN DEVISED
Cleveland BUST to Ado New General Supply Committee of
Dollar Bills. the Departments
EMERGENCY NOTES READY FOR AWARD OF CONTRACTS
Designs for New Metal Labor and Money
by " D. Bremen pected.
PRESIDENT APPROVAL UNIFORM PRICE AND QUALITY
Be Chosen-Change Body Intelligent Supervision
of Details
Z FOR AWARD OF CONTRACTS
Saving of Labor and Money Is Elk
pected.
UNIFORM PRICE AND QUALITY
Proposed to Give to One Experienced
Body the Intelligent Supervision
of All Details.

With the object of securing uniformity
in the price and quality Of supplies pur-
chased by the government. which it is
believed will also result in the saving
or a large sum of money each year, the
board OF awards, consisting of Assistant
secretary Beehman Winthrop of the
treasury. chairman: Assistant Secretary
Jesse +. Wilson of the Interior and p V.
De Graw. fourth assistant postmaster
general has succeeded in perfecting a
compre hensive scheme that materially
modifies the present plan of advertising
for proposals and letting government con-
tracts for many articles needed in the
service.
The board was created by act of Con-
sfess in 1854 amending section 3103 of the
Revised Statutes. and its prescribed duties
are TO carefully examine and. compare
all proposals received pursuant to annual
advertisement by the departments for
bids for furnishing supplies. and to recon-
mend the acceptance or rejection of bids.
The board has found it impracticable,
however. under the existing method
Whereby each department and independ-
vites proposals for it's own supplies. TO
institute any method of comparison tina
would be at all effective in bringing about
the uniformity in prices which the law
cOntemplateS
The prices submitted with the various
BIDS were based upon the quantities and
qualities of articles specified in each de-
partmental schedule and the various
methods of delivery employed. Two years
ago the Keep commission sought to over
come the difficulty and recommended a
change In the law whereby one advertise
ment for proposals and one contract for
supplies would suffice for the entire gov
eminent service. but up to the present
time Congress has not provided the nee
essary legislation.
New Plan Devised.
The board of awards. however. fully re-
alizing the necessity of some method such
as that suggested by the Keep commits
sion. undertook last spring. in the interest
of economy and uniformity. to devise a
plan within the present law which would
meet. as far as possible. all the prac-
teal requirements. Accordingly an execu-
tive body has been provided for. COM
posed of one representative from each ex-
ecutive department. and independent es-
Enlistment. whose duty it will be to pre-
pare the annual schedule for publication
advertise for and receive proposals, eX-
anime and test samples, compare prices
and recommend awards.
This new body will be known as the
general supply committee, and it is al
present composed of the following rep
resentatives: Department of State, Ward
A. FitZsimmons; Treasury Department
James I. Gibbs: War Department, NJ. r
Thorp: Department of Justice. C.. r.
Sherwood; Post Office Department, T. G.
S. Marshall: Navy Department Clyde
Reed; Interior Department, Amos Had
ley: Department of Agriculture. f. A.
Bennett: Department of Commerce and
Labor, S. w. Stratton: Smithsonian In
stitution. A. B. Baker; interstate commerce
commission, Duncan +. Richmond: gov
eminent printing office, Edward S.
Moores: District government. r. NJ.
Boardman; superintendent of the State,
War and Navy building, O. c. Gibbs
w. ". Ludlow, chief clerk of the Treas
ury Department is secretary to the board
of awards and chairman of the general
supply committee, and is the executive
officer under whom the new m0ihod will
be administered. Mr.. Ludlow has taken
an active interest in the formulation OF
the scheme.
A great saving Of labor in connection
with the award of contracts will result
TO the departments from this method.
Instead of being handled. by the indi-
vidual departments, the business will all
be done by the general supply committee
In considering the new plan it was
deemed eXpedient to keep within the pro-
visions of the present law. without ask
ing Congress for new legislation.
Sixteen Glasses of Supplies.
The general schedule contains 1854
items, embraced within the following six
teen classified headings: l. Stationery in
Guiding drafting supplies. , Chemicals,
drugs. medicines. hospital supplies, includ-
ing surgical apparatus. 3 Dry goods. 4.
Electric supplies. ). Engineering and
plumbing supplies 6. Engraving. print
ing. binding and photographic supplies Z.
Floor coverings. S. Fuel 3. Furniture 10
Hardware, metals. leather and saddlery.
IL. Ice. L. LtRnber and building materi-
ais. IL. Oils, paints. painters supplies
and glass IA. Photographic supplies. IL.
Miscellaneous. 16. Forage.
Each department and Independent es-
Establishment, while ordering from the gen.
eral schedule. will contract for. order and
distribute its own supplies, as hereto
fore, but contractors will be required.
save in exceptional cases. to make delv-
cries to some one place to be designated
by each department, and bidders will be
privileged to bid on either the aggregate
quantity of an item or on d department
part of the aggregate Of an item.
1t is not intended by the new plan TO
create a purchasing agency and the es-
tablishment of a central bureau of sup
plies, but to gather under one expert
enced body the intelligent Supervision of
all the details leading up to the making
OF contracts for government supplies, SO
as to secure uniformity in price and quail
ity of the supplies. and this cannot fail
TO result In d great saving Of money, as
we'll perhaps as an improvement in the
quality of supplies furnished. The new
method, it is believed, has such merits
as must commend it to contractors and
the business public generally.