Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-22

CtWINDLING the city through the me-.
- dium OF a politically biindfolded Direc-
tor OF the Department of Supplies had so
long been the practice that contractors
we're genuinely surprised four years ago
at the attitude Of Herman Loeb. manu-
facturer, who in his private business tor
years had studied methods of obtaining
low prices in the purchase Of raw mate
rials. Philadelphia annually purchases
from t2.5O00OO to 100000 worth of sup
plies-coal for the various public build
ings, milk. flour. beef. fish and other edi-
bles for the different public Institutions.
and hardware. paints, glass. lead water
pipe, stationery. lumber. packings and
other materials for the sundry municipal
departments.
mo private business can stand up for
long which does not follow the fiuctua-
lions Of the market in prices for raw
materials" he said. 81 simply did for
the city what any business man does for
himself For years had been purchas-
ing leather. strawboard glazed paper.
glue, cane and various fibre goods, and
my system possessed no novelty. judged
from the rules OF private business. In
stead OF going to my desk at the factory
went to my desk in the City Hall. It
was the same Herman Loeb, same brain,
same ideas, same methods"
NOT A SPOTLIGHT SEEKER.
Being a quiet sort OF man. yet practi-
cal, the accomplishments of Mr.. Loeb in
getting a dollars worth for every 81 ex-
pended by the city have received small
exploitation. Somehow he lacked the fac
ulty of achieving a headline triumph after
scoring each victory in the expenditure
Of public funds.
.'Many OF the contractors dealing with
the city during previous administrations
were old personal friends" explained Mr..
Loeb. Because l was the instrument dis
ciptining their ways Of business-a former
laxftY that primarily rested in the office
held-was no reason for me to rush into
print with the chronicle of their dis
honor In many instances I had to go
to law with them, and 1t was more in
sorrow than anger that 1 was forced to
make their old practices a part of the
documentary record of this office
Here Mr.. Loeb related an instance in
point:
This particular contractor, whose
name do not care to mention, and my
self were well enough acquainted to call
each other by our first names. He put
In very low bid to deliver steer meat
20 city Institutions, and was awarded the
contract. He had been the lowest bidder
for many years. Later, discovered that
his price to the city was an attempt to
deliver my integrity as a business man,
for he had counted upon no inspection OF
4 the meat at the institutions. I found that
he was sending us inferior meat, and was
not complying with the specifications un-
der which he obtained the contract
had TO notify him that he must comply
with the terms OF the specifications, and
incidentally 1 had to reject the inferior
meat.
AN ANGRY MEAT DEALER.
swell, he came down here as mad as
hornet. He assured me that the meat he
was delivering was the same as he had
been sending to the city institutions for
Is years and concluded with the personal
plea:
Herman. do. you want to ruin me?'
at never occurred to him that his put
ting In a low bid for one kind of meat
and then delivering another kind. was a
fraud against all the other meat dealers
OF Philadelphia. After threatening me
with his influence II l did not yield, he
had the boldness TO go TO the Mayor and
lodge complaint against my action. told
him that II the Mayor sustained him /
would resign inside OF five minutes. When
his Honor had heard both sides, he re-
marked 10 me:
eff you had done anything in this
matter different than you have done you
would not have remained in your office
ave minutes
"That is the sort of man Philadelphia
has had at the helm for the last four
years
II went in the open market and bought
the kind OF meat this contractor had
agreed to supply, and later he sued the
city for $9263.11, the amount / withheld to
cover any difference in price between his
bid and that which I was compelled to
pay for meat in accordance with the
specifications covered by his contract.
CITY WINS LAWSUIT
MY contention was that. through the
refusal OF this contractor to deliver meat
I'm accordance with specifications, the city
had been put to a total expense amount
ine to t16,132 through purchases made in
the open market, and that, in addition to
the s926311 withheld, the said contractor
WAS still indebted in the sum of $SS68.69.
The Judge at the close OF the case ordered
the jury 10 bring In a verdict in favor of
the city for the full amount Of s18132."
The following Is an excerpt Of a letter
received by the Director of the Depart
ment OF Supplies from a meat contractor
who Is a follower OF the Organization:
''Have you ever calculated how much
the city has saved by rewriting specifica-
tons during your term on meats and
poultry? / have calculated that the va
rious changes should mean a saving of
at least 100000 during your administra-
ton, also giving an opportunity TO other
than favored contractors to secure busi-
ness"
Probably the greatest difficulty Mr..
Loeb had to contend with was invisible
coIluslon between favored contractors
and holdover city employees. He gave this
instance;
EMpI Owes DTSHONEsT