The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-01-20
NEW BOARD MAY BUY GOAL FOR
 SCHOOL NEEDS
But Latter Body Will Probably Continue to Purchase its
 Own Text Books
Member of Board of Edu- cation Sees No Great Flu ture for Latest Addition to City's Departments.

'aThe Board of Education is inclin- ed to look with favor upon the crea- tion of the Board of Contract and Supply, and is inclined to use the new body for the purchase of staples. whenever it can be made to appear that it can purchase better or cheaper goods"
 sThis at least is the view of a mem Der of the Board of Education who is usually in tou ,h with the sentiment of the members upon the matters with in their official purview. Said this gentleman, speaking for himself: e The idea of a. purchasing agent is not novel in municipal government. New brooms sweep elean. A brand new tool in the hands of its creators frequently renders service to them that it never performs for anybody else.
 '1t is perhaps possible that the pur- chasing board may buy some things cheaper than the board acting inde- pendently caH do. There is coal, for instance. If there is any advantage to be gained by having the coal sup ply of the city purchased as a unit, 1 would favor that method.
 Tn the matter Of such purchases as text books, a commodity not used by any board other than the Board shou resign our powers to the pur- chasing board They could not buy cheaper, nor in any other market than we are compelled to buy in.
 The purchasing board is all right as far as it goes, but the trouble with city government Is it's wide distribu- ton among many groups, with con flicting and often contra dictory pow CTS, 50 that the city is really without anybody able to treat it as whole, or bring its several departments into unity.
 'aTfe boards are piled upon new boards, under conditions that are cer- tain to increase the difficulties of municipal government as the years go on We have a Park Board and a Lii brary Board that are self-perpetuating and practically autonomous They are not respopsible with any directRess to any Mayor or to the people
 Commission which was to perform miracles in the way of producing ef- ficiencys yet it is now not deemed competent to buy the supplies which 1t alone uses, or make the contracts under which 1t must work.
 This board is practically beyond the cannot be changed except with the passage of several years.
 The purchasing board is constituted another link in the system of putting power into the hands of officers who cannot be readily reached by the stockholders of the municipal corpora tion. It may do service for day, or a year, but within very brief period it seems to me reasonably certain that 1t will find its way into the discard.
 Concentrated purchasing power has its advantages, but it also has it's dis advantages, when the purchasing agents are handling other people s money
 bridgeport needs a responsible gov ernuent, brought immediately within the control of the municipal stockho.d- era
 Too many boards have already been created to gratify the whim of some faT7nOPQrfIU in fO cfxya the satisfaction of public place to somebody who could not get it except through special legislation; or to please somebody else who entertains the not uncommon idea that good gov ernment is a sort of magic formula to be accomplished by writing a few words on paper to which the o. K. of some legislative body Is given"