The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-11-06
LOCKWOOD TOPASS
ON CITY CONTRACTS
Craig Preparing List to Sub
nit Of All Work In Process
Of Being Done.
MILLIONS ARE INVOLVED
Estimate Board Holds Up the
Awards for Snow Removal
Pending Scrutiny.

Following Lockwood committee dis
closures and allegations concerning the
contracts for the new Court House. FOR
the construction of which Comptroller
Charles l.. Craig is tho Board Of Esti-
mates committee. the Comptroller an
nounccd yesterday that he Will not give
his approval TO my award OF city con-
tracts whatever unless the bids have re-
ccived the approval Of the Lockwood
committee.
Mr.. Craig added that ne Is preparing
a list Of uncompleted contracts awarded
by the city within tho last eighteen
months which he proposes TO present to
the committee for It's scrutiny. II the
Comptroller 10 able to push his pro-
granme through Il will mean whole
sale investigation. not only OF city
building contracts but OF contracts Tor
ali other kinds Of work to which the
slightest suspicion Of exorbitant charges
could attach.
The Comptroller announced his plan TO
force an aising Of city contracts at the
Board of Estimate meeting yesterday
when the Street Cleaning Department
contracts for snow removal during the
coming winter were on the calendar for
consideration. Tho effect OF Mr. Craig s
position was to stave OF action on the
snow removal contracts for at least one
week until the city can have opportu-
nifty to make careful inquiry Into the
reasonabienes and other aspects or the
bids submitted for the work.
The ACCESSIBILITY OF letting the con-
tracts at once WAS raised by r. II. La
Guardia, President Of the Board of Alder
men. when Henry N. Steinert represent
Ing the Department OF Street Cleaning
asked tho action Of tho board. Il was
shown that most OF the lowest bidders
this year were the contractors OF last
year.
Didn't these men lie down on your
department last winter g~ asked La
Guardia.
II don't think So" replied Steinert.
"That all depends on how you look at
It. You know. nobody could have han
died all tho snow after the big storm
Of last winter"
you know as well as any Of tho res,
Of u.s." the Mayor INTERCEPTED, that the
whole lot OF them laid down on you and
that the Police and Fire departments
had to turn out and help clean up the
streets and tho city paid them for IT.
The Mayor declared that 1t was IN
wise to defer action, since the present
contracts expire November ~, and the
city might be engulfed In a snowstorm
after that date with no means of rennov-
ing tho snow.
Upon tho Mayors motion 70 authorize
awards the Comptroller declined to vote
and announced his new policy. Discus
sion finally forced delay Of one week
The Comptroller said that he believed
the Street Cleaning Department Is one
of the worst offenders among tho city
departments In getting itself into con-
tracts which prove excessively expensive
to the city and he expressed the opinion
that bids on Street Cleaning Department
work have been rugged" on more than
one occasion. Tho Comptroller then
added:
IT have in course Of preparation list
Of all contracts awarded by the city
within the last eighteen months in which
and where a substantial part Of the
work has not been completed. have
notified every head Of department and
every borough president OF this and have
put tho whole matter up 70 them TO
decide whether the city has been made
the victim OF fraud.
Il have asked for q report from all
OF them and unless assured that there
is nothing that would suggest that the
bids were not openly awarded I shall
refuse to pay any more vouchers on
those contracts" tho Comptroller said.
IT win also send a list of those same
contracts to the Lockwood committee
for whatever action the committee may
see At TO take"