Evening star., 1909-05-13
PRESIDENT TO SIGN ORDER
Big Saving Expected to Result From
Uniformity of Prices.
WILL CUT OUT MIDDLEMAN
Coal to Be Purchased Direct From
Mines and Government May
Make It's Own Ice.

President Taft Is expected to sign an
executive order in the next day or SO
that will revolutioniZe and centralze the
purchase Of supplies for the government
departments in Washington The out
come of the order may even result In the
establishment of an ice plant for the gov
ernment in competition with the Amer
lean Ice Company, which fixes its own
prices for supplying the departments with
ice. and fixes these prices so that Its
profits are considered excessive.
The order has been submitted to the
President, but he directed some changes,
and it was sent back to the Department
of Justice for such corrections as were
deemed essential. The order formally
creates a central board of awards, OF
which, 1t Is understood, Assistant Secre-
tar Hilles of the Treasury will be chair
man.
There is such a board at this time, and
il is composed of assistant secretaries of
the various departments. The work OF
the existing board Is confined to supervis-
ing and awarding of contracts for sup
plies for the various departments. but
the bids for these supplies are made
direct to the separate departments. The
good of such board is confined largely
TO protecting the departments from extor-
tlOll as lar dS possible ana no attempt
has been made to centralize the pur-
chases. In many instances the prices
of certain supplies to different depart
ments were entirely different The Treas
ury Department would pay one price for
coal delivered. while the Interior De-
partment would pay another price, the
haul being practically the same.
How the Plan Will Work.
President Taft's purpose is to meet just
l,f1 -
instance, will be asked to lay before the
central board. which will probably be
composed OF Assistant Secretary Hilles,
Jesse Wilson, private secretary to Secre-
tary Wilson, and p. Y. DeGraw. assistant
postmaster general, an estimate of the
amount Of coal 1t will use during each
fiscal year. When this estimate il IN and
thesasGyeeata Heads. up the central board
the government departments in the Dis
trtct Of Columbia with so many tons of
bitumnous coal and 80 many Of anthra-
cite. to be delivered as directed. Instead
OF bids being to each separate department,
the bidders will agree to supply $4,000 or
100000 tons to the government as a whole,
TO be delivered when and where directed.
The contract will be signed by all cabi-
net officers Heretofore each head Of de-
partment has signed the contract for his
particular department.
The opinion Is that this plan will elimi-
nate the middle man and that the pros
pect OF a big contract will induce bids
direct from the coal companies and cut
out local dealers who have heretofore
been awarded most of the contracts.
The same plan of asking for bids and
making contracts will be followed in all
classes of supplies common to the govern
ment service, such as inks. typewriters.
ice. certain classes of furniture, station
cry, etc.
Big Saving Expected.
The belief of the President and execu-
tive heads of departments is that thou
sands of dollars will be saved each year
by the plan OF centralizing bids and pur-
chases. and it is estimated that the board
of awards will make contracts ON approx
imateIy $SOOO.OOO worth of supplies, the
amount increasing each year as the de-
partments find themselves able to use ar
ticles of common kind, which they will
be encouraged to do.
The matter of ice has been especially
called to the attention of the President
Tie American Ice Company controls the
Washington ice market. Its bids 10 the
different departments each year are for
supplying SO many tons of natural and so
many tons of artificial ice. according to
the kind desired 1t has long been known
that one department is compelled to pay
enc price and another a different price
the claim of the company being that one
department uses so much more than an
other. and that the hauling and handling
differ according to the location and de-
mands OF the departments. 1t is probab- e
that Congress will be asked next winter
TO furnish the money to establish a great
government ice plant, making it inde-
pendent OF the trust. The doing of this
would make precedent far-reachng in
importance. and recommendation of
that kind would be fought hard in Con-
Sress.