New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-10-11
COLLISION CHARGED
Municipal Research Reports on
Police Department Supplies.

The Bureau OF Municipal Research has sent out
report its investigation of the business. meth
DDS OF the Police Department, made at the request
OF eX-Commissoner Bingham covering a period
from February 1907. to February. 1909. Among the
facts discovered which ga evidence of collision
between the Bureau Repairs and Supplies and
the dealer" the Bureau of Municipal Research
gives examples the following:
Circular typewriter erasers. 50 cents dozen in
Circular typewriter erasers. "a cents dozen un-
Manila pads 2lIs cents each in open market.
Manila pads. 3iz cents each under department 3
Various printed blanks from 100 per cent to 500
per cent higher cost in open market IMAM uhuer
Benzine AZ 8-5 cents a gallon paid by the Police
Benzine i cents gallon paid by the Fire De
Benzine, 10 cents a gallon retail price quoted %
the Bureau of Municipal Research
Finger print filing cardboards 81 o. each PAID oy
the Police Department
Finger print filing cardboards 10 cents each, price
quoted TO the Bureau Of Municipal Research
Taken as a whole the examiners reported that
the conditions discovered gave evidence of continu-
Gus failure on the part previous police officials
ITO devote the business problems of the Police
Department the same careful consideration which
bag been from time "a time accorded TO different
aspects Of police work"
The report says Commissioner Baker co-operated
when ne was a deputy and that Deputy Commits
sicner Woods did likewise. The former received
the report July u last and acknowledged receipt
July p. saying he would take il up when he had
time to do so. Mr. Woods, on receiving the result
Of the investigation. said that the facts stated
were correct
In 1905 General Bingham appointed two advisory
experts, and it particularly in 1907 that the
practices of the bureau said to have been
'slipshod and unbusinesslike,' and it is supposed
that they the prior 10 that time. For
the years 1906 1897 and 1905 the bureau spent l4I-
545 g. and 1903 the appropriation. exclusive of
salaries. was So 0o1. The bureau combines the
functions Of a purchasing agency and repair de-
partment. It was in the former that it found
that excessive prices had been paid and i'm the lat
ter it was said that insufficient force to do the
work was employed. necessitating the doing OF
much of the work by contractors under open mar
ket orders
As an example of the proceedings in the supplies
end of the bureau, the Investigators say:
creased in some cases 100 per cent after having been
approved bv the deputy commissioner in charge
change Instances of this were changes from $40
TO S244 and from $50 10 SeS ..
Instances of this kind were marshalled to show
the necessity Tor a change in method and super
vision Other Deficiencies were shown in the pay
ment for goods that We're never delivered; dealers
paid twice for the delivery; bills paid before
the goods We're delivered or even billed 10y the
dealer, and in some instances the Withholding OF
payment for months and in several instances for
years. Similar methods prevailed in the repairs
department of the bureau, and the accounting was
found 10 have been equally defective in system.
result of the findings regarding the supplies it
was recommended that the general storekeeper be
replaced.
As the repair department. the estsators
recommended a well equipped mechanical bureau;
stationery and printing be supplied the bu-
Teau under contracts entered into by the Board Of
city Record. and a practical plan is suggested for
the systematic reorganization OF the present meth
DDS OF the bureau 50 that the best results may be
obtained In economy and efficiency. There
siNty-four recommendations in the latter covering
every feature of the work which, the report de-
cares is closely correlated with the effective add
mnistTation OF the whole Police Department.