The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-02-20
WALLOPS FOR BOARD OF
 O CONTRACT AND SUPPLY

Echoes of the decisive rebuke ad- ministered by Bridgeport voters for the proposition to make the board of contract and supply a charter matter, were heard when the proposed charter change affecting that measure was of fered. Judge Carl Foster conducted the hearing in behalf of the advocates of the measure.
 Rep. Wilson inquired who had in troduced the bill. House Chairman King said it had been presented by Senator McNeiI.
 By him personality
 f'No by request replied the house chairman.
 ''Then we don't know who is back Of this measure'' observed MT. Wilson. Judge Foster made the opening speech announcing that the board of contract and supply was a good business prop osition. He recalled the defeat of the proposition at the referendum vote but maintained that at that time the mat ter was in an experimental stage and was regarded a, small proposition.
 A. E.. Macdonald, the chairman of the committee, followed. He said the expected considerable assistance from the audit committee in the way of help was not forthcoming, however, and the board was forced to devote 8 good share of it's first nine months to that work besides the regular work of purchasing.
 Macdonald had tabulated statement which he said showed the efficiency of the board of contract and supply. He maintained that various items aggre- gating $82,O of expenditure showed saving of s12,0O on the figures of the city before the board was or ganized. The total amount of busi- ness done by the board during it's first nine months was $182, GOO and he said he believed that the same propor- tion of saving extended through all the items, though it had been inpos- sible to get figures to bear out this sta tement, because there had been no records on which to base such a calcu- 1ation.
 Accounting various items in which savings have been shown, he said that in an expense of $500 for beans, a. say ing of S1s4. 50 had been made: the cost of coffee has been reduced from 16e to 12.8 cents. On gasoline a saving of $1.5oO has been effected. On 5000 pounds of fish a saving of s132, ,64. Oats showed a saving of $731,79. A saving of $313.25 was made on $1, ,033 spent for pork. Speaking of stamp ed envelopes, he said that a saving of $159.74 had been made on an expense of s1, ,16, for this item alone. In re- sponse to inquiries he said that was done through taking advantage of discounts by printers who handled the stamped envelopes of the city.
 c. D. Davis, president of the Busf- ness Mems association, said he didn't believe there was any opposition in Bridgeport to the proposed measure.
 Then you wouldn't consider the ma 1ority of 1,6o0 against this matter, in sition,''' suggested House Chairman King. There was a general smile at the expense of MT. Davis, who with drew in favor of B. L. Graves.
 MT. Graves said the board of alder men were always called grafters, and he thought it would be a good thing to let someone else do all the buying on that account.
 Judge Foster introduced a substi- ute for the measure that was origin ally introduced. This makes it man datory upon the several boards that are not now, under the ordinance. within the province of the board of contract and supply to make their purchases through this board.
 These are the library, Park. Educa-