New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-06-14

matelv $500 coo we End a saving Of 10000
For the bIankbook printing and technical
stationery. such as pens. pencils
mucilage. etc. there Is . further ex
penditure of more than 100000 year
The very best that the city gets now is
the ordinary retail price that any indl-
vidual could have for single article
in a stationery store. But the city also
pays improper prices for the various
ledgers. etc. used IN the cry oeTPa a
There Is real competition
The excess payment is easily 20 per
cent-in some cases much more But
making II only 20 per cent the saving 40 900
easily can pc. -.---.'--'-''-- '------
W. a,s mi. +ot,, 20 he .....s4 $4,000
Further saving could be made. 1t Is
stated. by a proper supervision and care
In ordering stationery supplies in the vari-
Gus departments.
In round figures the cost OF the City
Record. It's supplements. the stationery
ana blankbook printing is 81. 100000 year.
1t is stated that there has been an in
crease of practically 100 per cent since the
first wear of Mayor McCIellan's admins
tration.
OF the $500. 900 that is paid for advertising
$780, 600 is mandatory The commission holds
that 100000 Of the optional advertising can
be saved to the city. Regarding the CITY
Record the report says
We find that the waste and improper
charges for the City Record and its sew.
eral supplements is not less than sioo'ooo .
wear in a total of about $500. 900 Inc con-
tract with the printers mas Deen COZ 3nr ms
profit of the contractors. The pest eAC Use
given by anybody for this is that II mas
been the custom, and that precedeht WaS s
ALWAYS followed in violating the contract
and practically doubling the cost or type
setting. The contract with the PRIMER li5 LII
the City Reco oba b et solid and that
ali tables shall be set In BREWER whenever
POSSIBLE. No attempt has been maze 70
follow this. with the result that pages
have been loaded out and slugged so as 20
make more space than If set IN brewer,
and then the product has been charged
an average difference of more than 20 d
page.
The commission prepared for the Mayor
a series of exhibits showing certain mat
ter as printed in the City Record ana
as It would have looked and cost II set
according to the contract Exhibit K
showed certain matter printed IN the
City Record In a way that cost the city
SIS II: also the same matter printed &C
cording TO the contract. which would have
cost just 20 cents.
Speaking of the departmental estimates
which should have been set in brewer type
bat which in fact was set on plea body
with nonpareil face, and charged 1or as
solid nonpareil, the report says II was
mot only a plain violation of the contract,
but absolute larceny"
Paid Twice for Same Work.
AS matter of fact this matter was
originally set I'D for the Board Of Estimate
ana nut in book form for use Of the Vari-
ous departments 1T should have gone
into the City Record standing mat
fer" saws the report 1T was charged Tor
as new matter without being reset, except
as to some headlines"
II would seem that this occurred IN
MANY similar cases+natter being picked
out of The City Record and put in book
form. and vice versa, an additional charge
for the setting of new matter being made
II would seem that there was never any
competitive bidding for the book work, the
printers being allowed TO fix their own
prices Of this the report says:
Many of these annual reports are or
dered in violation of the law by the De
partment heads, and in some cases tnere
II is q conservative estimate TO say thaC
the prices charged are so per cent above
the market rates for the pupllcatlon OF
reports in book form or pamphlet form OF
matter already published in The city
Record"
The commission goes on TO point out
that many OF the reports are useless. being
verbose and often out Of date when pub
Iished. It says:
Bad as the printing of The City Rec
ord is the worst feature IS the plank
printing and stationery for the city There
Is practically no competition We found
many printers unwilling to give US figures
There seems to be an agreement that one
man NAV have the Western Union printing
and charge his own price and nobody snail
tread on his pasture; that another man
NAV have the Postal Telegraph printing
and keep 1t for himself, and that therefore
one or two persons may have the New
York City printing and get what they can
On the trouble in getting estimates for
blank books the report says:
bIankbook expert who was taken over
there 1.-THE City Record office was har-
ried and MENTALLY bIackiacIzed all over the
town for two days thereafter and prac-
ticallv threatened in order to prevent him
from giving us figures on the work The
fact that he visited The City Record ot1ce
was Immediately telephoned TO the con-
tractors and they in turn communicated
with persons who were supposed to have
some influence with this particular man
Mayor Gaynor would make no comment
on the report last night He said he
wanted to examine it more thoroughly.
THE WEATHER REPORT.