New-York tribune., 1911-04-04
NEW YORK PLAN COSTLY
Central State Supervision OF
Charities Not Approved.
WRIGHT INQUIRY REPORT
Cost Of Food Much Less in 1ndI-
ana. Where Each Institution
II Independent.

OF state institutions. made for the state
Charities Aid Association. we're made pub
lfc to-day Part ! Of the reror- vas pub
lished las, Monday Il showed that the
central control ~ Nev Vorks charitable
institutions and hospitals had not secured
anv notable economies. snd that there had
been many abuses and r'uch loss 20 the
state
The second part Of the report made pub
l:c TO-DAY. compares New York states sys-
.enl of fiscal control with The systems in
operation IN iowa ard Indiana The state
institutions in Iowa are under rhe complete
eGr,.-ie-rative control of q central board.
md have been since 1925 In Indiana each
INSTITUTION il an Independent unit There
iz no central body which has power 20 die
tate policies or 20 control finances and
tnere never has been New York states
system s midway between. and has been In
cperation Tor about seventeen Years
The results obtained under the three sys-
tens are shown IN a table giving the per
capita cost If food consumed a. year By the
institutions in the three states The insti-
tutions In Indiana. with TO centralized con-
trol. expended :i5 % per capita for food :.
New York with centralized control in part.
srert s45 05 per capita for food, while
Iowa. with comrlete centralized control,
spent s5S IS per capita for food. In order
70 assur. himself that the low per capita
cost Of food IN Indiana did not result from
the purchase OF an inferior quality, Mr.
Wright took with him 70 indiana and Iowa
on his inspection trips the same food in
srectors who passed on the quality of food
furnished New Yor,z State institutions. He
found that the quality OF food in the three
states was approximately Uniform.
The Cost OF Supervision High.
lIr. Wright found that 1t cost New York
State 81 70 supervise s4S 80 expended by
the institutions. while Indiana obtained a
supervision Of SIS 80 for its ST. IN Iowa
81 was paid for the supervision Of only
s54 50 The cost an inmate OF such super
vision in the three states was as follows;
Indiana. g So; Iowa. 3 20; New York. 50 Is
Commenting on this. the report SAYS:
II is clear. therefore. that on the basis
% expenditures supervised, the cost or su-
pervisiCr ir New York State was about 10
per cert higher than IN Iowa and nearly
twice g. high as in Indiana.
Ii IS generally assumed in business IN
dertakrgs that cenJrallceC conlro- reQuces
overhead or administrative charges. A
similar reduction. however. IS not noted IN
connection with the centralized control IN
New York State. II this state more than
four rfr1es as marv inmates are supervised
by central departments as III Indlana or
Iowa. yet tire per carlfa cost OF sucn Su-
pervision ) materially larger than n either
OF those states.
IN Investigating the beef furnished the
institutions q the th-cc states 1Ir. Wright
discovered that though New York state
receives all of It's beef from Chicago, or
points west Of that place. nevertheless u
has been paying less a pound FOR IT'S beef
than has Indiana or Iowa, although con-
tracts cal FOR approximately the same
c-ade Of meat in the three states. The
fac, that. regardless OF freight charges,
Beef has been cheaper in New York State
than In Indiana or Iowa, the report points
out. was probably due TO the fact that the
Institutions in Indiana and Iowa received
the quality Of beef contracted for, while IN
New York State-as Part 7 OF the report
shows-a large portion OF the beef delivered
vas COW beef or was otherwise OF lower
grade than that specified in the contract
Capitalization in New York.
Concerning Capitalization IN New York
State NJ. Wright says:
Capitalization in New York state has
secured low unlt prices but net econcrlicaI
administration ot TIE institutions the low
unit cosls Gave been largely onset BY the
delivery o. goods of lower grade tnan
those contracted for. Comparatively niue
attention has been given by the supervising
deLart!aerrs 70 the receiving, testing, stor-
ing. delivering and consumption ot sIppues.
ApproDria--cus Tor the expenses OF ne cen
tral Offices have been more lafgelv USED y!
keerin- minute records tnan n employing
eypcrts and agents. The institutions nave
needed advice rather tran control
such Capitalization ss now exists N New
York IS maintained al a high per capita
cost Further Capitalization would add
materially 70 the cost, probably Eithour
producing commensurate results. THIS in
vestigsticn seems 20 point 20 the advis-
ability Z a further decentralization Of the
detailed supervision of buying and fuller
Supervision Of Tie larger pro6len: Of IN. tne
institutions. Experts, rather than book
keepers and clerks, seem 70 be needed
As result - MS investigation AIr.
wright has suggested new type Of state
supervision and control of state institu-
tions II this were applied 10 New York
state il would limit the powers OF the CEN
tral Departments 10 suodividing the appro-
priarlons made by the Legislature into
smaller aggregates II WouQ also take
frolu those departments the power 70 con-
troll the purchase Of particular items anc
would return thar power 70 the individual
institution.
Ttis plan also provides that the central
department shall employ experts IN the
treatment q the inmates In the purchasing
and handling OF supplies, In the manage
rn,rt 81 t-e farms. IN the handling Of steam
plants md In accounting
Joint purchasing is permitted by this new
plan. Contracts for the Joint purchasing %
supplfcs. where such purchasing is found
desirable are 70 he entered into by conf
nliftee u superintenderts for each depart
men'.