The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-09-01
STATE PURCHASING AGENT
Auditor Says He Has Saved Treas
ury $4,000

According to Horace +. Graham,
state auditor very considerable say
ing has been effected in the purchase
of state supplies by the establish
ment of a purchasing agent.
Mr.. Graham gave out the following
statement last week:
This law has only been in effect
for little over a year but has to my
mind, brought about a material saw
ing. While in a state like Vermont
the results obtained must be small,
yet they are large when compared
with our expense. The purchasing
agent plan has been adopted and
found TO be great benefit by many
large corporations, firms, cities and
municipalities throughout the cuun-
try. But few days ago Mayor Nit
chell of New York took this matter
up with the board of estimates and
appo.tionment and strongly recon-
mended that the purchasing agent
plan be adopted instead of the pres
ent system of individual purchasing.
The question is how much benefit
has the Office of purchasing agent
been to the state?
From comparison of the expenses
that would come under this depart
ment for the fiscal year ending June
30, 1912, the last full year under the
old system when all the pu ,chases
We're made by the uperintendents of
the several state institutions and the
state officers and members OF boards
and commissions, | estimate the saw
ing for the year ending June 80, 1914,
to be approximately $25,O0QO0
The purchase of the miscellaneous
printing stationary and Office sup
plies ana pamphlets for the institu-
tions, officers and boards has been
brought together and systematized,
and by being able TO give out larger
contracts certainly a saving from
$4,000 to $4,000 has been effected.
In the report Of the state officers,
boa DIS and commissions. certain SUI
pernuous matter has been eliminat-
ed and the actual requirements OF
each institution, officer, board or com
mission has been more closely ascer-
tanned, and the number of copies of
any report required figured down to
actual needs from what the expense
would have been had the old plan
been followed where each institution,
officer. board or commission ordered
on their own initiative.
In the staple articles such as coal,
-four, meats, fish, beans, sugar, but
ter, potatoes, clothing and tobacco. a
comparison OF their figures mention
ed show a saving of from $4,000 to
$4,000. The quantities OF these diff
fe.ent staple articles that are used
in tho state Institutions, one has but
little idea of unless he has spent
months In checking and auditing
these expenses.
The state uses annually over 200
barrels of sugar, from $50 to 1000 ba
barrels OF sugar from 1900 to 2000 bar
fee. from 10000 to $4,000 bushels of
potatoes, from five to six tons of to-
bacco, from $4,000 to 10000 tons of
coal. At present the state has on
hand sugar sufficient to carry the in
stitutions to the first of June at $3.50
per 100; flour TO March at $3.50 per
barrel; beans at S215 per bushel TO
March /; salt salmon at Sl1.1O per
barrel that will last until February.
In the purchase of coal tests have
been made TO asce tain the type of
coal best suited to the several insti.
tutions and following out these tests
the purchases were made at a sub
stantial saving to the state.
The state now has on hand some
over loo head OF beef cattle and on
'ests of this method OF purchasing
beef On the hoof rather than dressed
found more advantageous to buy the
beef on the hoof rather than dresses
and especially so at the state hospi.
tai and indust ial school where tho
state has pasturage and feed This
plan had TO some extent been follow