New-York tribune., 1922-01-05

can be done by them is limited by
statute. l recommend that the present
restrictions in the statute upon print
ing in state institutions be removed
and that The printing law be amended
so as to authorize the Board Of Esti-
mate and Control to determine what
shall constitute printing and what shall
be considered supplies and to divide
group departmental printing into
falls and to advertise for bids for sepa-
rate contracts for departmental print
ing for groups or classes of printing
1T will thus be possible to introduce
real competition in ~ bidding for de-
partmcntal printing and to give those
best equipped for doing the different
classes of work an opportunity to bid
tor the same. | also recommend that all
printing be placed under the jurisdic-
ton Of tho Board of Estimate and
Control
Central Purchasing
In my opinion the one improvement
in existing methods Offering the great
est hope of substantial economy w is a
centralized method of purchases for all
departments and institutions.
There are three institutional groups
tutions and prisons. each having
its own purchasing methods. and there
are as many departmental methods as
there are departments. There is pur-
chasing committee composed Of super
intcndcnts and stewards for the hos
pitfalls and a similar committee for the
so-callcd charitable group. Those COM
mittecs make consolidated purchases
of part only of the supplies used by
each group. The other supplies needed
are purchased by the stewards. The
wardens of the prisons make the pur-
chases for their respective prisons on
superintendent of prisons. The pur-
chases for the hospitals and charitable
institutions arc made on quarterly cs =
mates approved by the Hospital COM
mission and fiscal supervisors re
spcctivcly. Unqu,stionably the best
methods prevail in the institutional
groups and comparison of purchases
indicates that the best results arc oh
tanned in the group having the largest
purchases to make; namely, the state
hospitals. There has been great i'm
provement in the purchasing methods
of those institutions. The expenditures
for supplies Of those three groups dur
ing the fiscal year ending June 30. 1921,
from appropriatis and special funds
for the purchase of raw material for
manufacture amounted to $13.768.-
12446. Of that total about 26 Per cent
was made centrally and the balance
was made in the quantities required
by each one Of the thirty-eight instltu-
tions separately. all of the purchases
for the prisons being made in that
manner. In other words "a per cent of
the purchases were made to meet the
requirements Of the individual instltu-
tions. A tabulation of the cost OF
forty-seven standard commodities rur-
chased by the three institutional
groups during the year ending Juno 30
1921, aggregatng s3,705 ,402.2S, shows
cost and what would have been paid if
all the articles had been purchas sod at
the minimum price paid was S317 7,793.54.
That rate of variation would have
amounted to over a million dollars or
the total appropriations for the institu
tions. Whilst there has been some at
tempt at Standardization Of the commod-
tiles purchased for the institutions, q
consolidated tabulation of purchases
shows the widest fluctuations in price,
in quantities purchased and in different
kinds Of similar articles. There is in
truth as many different methods as
there are purchasing AGENTS. win no
attempt at standardization except in the
institutional groups and there only a
partial attempt. with no means OK max
ing the experience and knowle edge ac-
ouired by one of use to another. with
no effort to take advantage Of the sav-
ing to be gained by quantity purchas.
ing, except with respect to the central
purchases made for the hospital and
charitable groups, which in the former
case. is only about % Per cent Of the
total value of all purchases made for
that group and in the other about AZ
Ger cent Under the present plan the
state does not even take advantage of
the ordinary trade discounts with the
money waiting in the treasury for the
prompt payment of bills.