EXPENDITURES   OF   THE   BOROUGH   PRESIDENT
WITHOUT   CONTRACT.

The borough president, like the heads ot other city depart¬
ments, has the right to purchase supplies and to carry out public
improvements without public contract, if the expenditure in¬
volved in each case does not exceed $1,000. This privilege is a
valuable one in all departments from the patronage point of
view, and while bids are not infrequently invited when supplies
are to be purchased in lots ot $1,000 and less, it does not neces¬
sarily follow that the lowest bidder is successful.

By utilizing his appropriation account and special trust and
revenue bond fund accounts. President Ahearn, in 1904 and
1905, expended for supplies, repairs and repaving, wiikoui
public contract, for 'incidentals', cab and buggy hire, and pro¬
fessional services the vast sum of $1,031,717.50. This amount
is divided as follows:

Total tor
1904.             1905.        two years.

Borough Presidents' office (general

adininistration)   ............... $12,474.82        $12,536.63        $25,011.45

Bureau of engineer of street open¬
ings   ..........................      1,582.33            2,392.07            3,974-40

Bureau of Highways  ............    130,416.68       222,775.32        353,192.00

Bureau of Incumbrances ..........      7,548.44          11,396.41           18,944.85

Bureau of Sewers  ................    23,669.59          42,799.88          66,469.47

Bureau of Public Buildings and Of¬
fices   ......................... 212,309.72        232,656.27        444,965.99

Bureau of Buildings..............    74,290.62          34,868.72        109,159.34

Grand  Total   .......................................     $1,021,717.50
 

SUPPLIES.

Supplies for the various bureaus under the jurisdiction of
the borough president are purchased by the superintendent of
the bureau of public buildings and offices, which, before the
charter was revised, was a separate department entrusted with
the power to purchase supplies for all city departments. Several
departments continue to call upon the bureau to supply them
with various articles of necessity, such departments including
the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, the Board of Alder-

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