New-York tribune., 1910-06-24
BLAME MCCLELLAN BOARD
CITY Record Commissioners File
Appendix to Report.
GROSSLY NEGLECTED DUTY
Document Amplifies Charges OF
Waste in City Printing and
Advertising.

Advertising.
More rYIupent remarks about the excess
eire cost Of city printing and advertising
are contained in an appendix to the report
of the City Record Commission which was
handed to Mayor Gaynor yesterday The
Mavor indicated that he would take some
action on the City Record within few
days.
The report holds that the Board of City
Record under Mayor Mcclellan, which In
ciuded the Controller and the Corporation
Counsel in addition to the Mayor, was re-
sponsible for much OF the waste in the city
printing and for exorbitant prices paid for
books, pamphlets and general blank PRINT
ing.
"Au three members OF the Board OF CITY
Record grossly neglected their duty" 1t is
declared. They permitted heads OF de-
partments. or the Supervisor of the Clty
Record, or some accelerator, to order hun
dreds Of thousands of dollars worth OF
printing in one form or another without
any authority in law, and. for the most
part without any competition, and then
the Board Of City Record met TO act as
stamping machine and 0 X everything
that had been done. When the mere fact is
stated that more than five thousand requi-
sitions were submitted to the Board OF City
Record at four meetings, the story is told
These acquisitions could not be read by
title and understandingly in an entire
week not TO speak of four perfunctory
meetings OF short duration, one in March.
one in June, one on DECEMBER = ana ohe
on December 2S'
Bio Waste in Advertising.
The commission says 1t found the waste
in advertising 10 exceed proportionately the
waste in printing.
Money was presented TO newspapers, big
ard little, by the grace of Mayor Mcclellan
the Controller OF the city and the Corpora
ton Counsel" they declare. Money for
purely optional advertising was scattered
broadcast, the charter requiring the adver-
tising only in the City Record or the City
Record and the Brooklyn corporation news
papers, but il was given out 70 favorite
newspapers, at enormous cost.
The commission recommends that all the
advertising should be in the control Of the
Board OF City Record, and that the election
advertising be cut down one-half- AS ii is
now, a number OF departments and com
missions are independent of the other city
authorities as 10 their expenditures for
printing and advertising by special 1egis-
lative acts OF the total amount spent for
printing under the Board of City Record
sS2l e75-only s54,4So was let after public
competition. The remainder was under So
called open orders.
A table is given showing the increase in
expenditure for printing the City Record
during the administration Of Mayor Nc
Clellan. In 1904 the cost was se67,30o and in
1903 ii was s6Sse.s77. The advertising bills
OF the city last year were s79S,652. A tabu-
lation of the money paid TO various papers
for advertising last year includes Boston,
Chicago. Philadelphia and Washington
papers. as well as small publications in this
vicinity which are seldom heard Of
The extent to which the Mcclellan ad-
rninistration padded its optional advertising
would ill q volume in description say the
commissioners.
w. c. Fosters Commissions.
It is declared that more than two-thirds
of the sl65. 474 spent in 1903 for advertising
tn connection with the Catskill watershed
was clear waste It is absurd, the commits
sion says. 10 allow weekly papers to charge
40 cents q line for legal advertising.
The weeklies raised their price from 20
70 25 and then to 40 cents" they say. be
cause they were forced TO pay big commits
sions TO William George Foster, an unof-
fetal attache of the Mayors office and
treasurer of his campaign III 1855
Under the city charter there is a pro-
xision. a survival from the days OF the old
city OF Brooklyn. that the five daily news
papers there shall be corporation news
papers," and receive $4,000 year for pub
fishing corporation ordinances and other
advertising Year after year. however, no.
tees were sent TO these papers outside the
scope Of their contract, and for which they
put in extra bills.
In 1905 they put IN claims for four years
previous aggregatfng s621 029. After arbitra-
ton by Edward NJ. Shepard the claims were
settled for s61 S23. A claim Of s216S5 for
the years 1906 and 1907 was settled for
sss,024, and later claim for 1905 and half
OF 1909 was settled for s31, ,532
The commission says there should be an
editor in the City Record office who would
legally placed.
The commission holds that Il would be
advisable 70 let the contract for printing
the City Record for the four-year term OF
an administration. Thus successful bid
Ger would be assured of work for an ex-
tensive plant for more than a single year.
Recommendations are also made for de-
tailed specifications to just how much
should be paid for printing and binding and
for using matter already set in publishing
reports Estimates from outside printers
are given TO show that the city paid more
than double what it should have paid for
The publication of certain reports by the
Martin 3. Brown Company.