74 Chicago Bureau of Public Efficiency 



The prices of such articles as nails have varied according 

 to whether they were purchased from manufacturers or jobbers. 



PURCHASE OF SOIL 



Sand, gravel, clay, and black dirt have usually been pur- 

 chased under contract by the Park Boards. Payments by the 

 West and Lincoln Park Boards have often been based on the 

 number of cubic yards as determined by the number of loads 

 delivered. The capacity of the wagons in cubic feet having been 

 determined, inspectors of the Park Boards have reported each 

 day the number of loads delivered by each size of wagon. This 

 method of payment has not sufficiently protected the interests of 

 the Park Boards or taxpayers, because — 



(1) When soil is loosened and shoveled into wagons it swells in 

 about the following proportions : 



Black dirt (loam) 20 per cent 



Clay 35 per cent 



It therefore follows that when payments are based on wagon 

 measurements larger quantities are paid for than are received 

 because the soil when in wagons is in a non-compacted condition. 

 Payments based upon such measurements exceed the payments which 

 should be made in about the same proportion that soil swells. 



(2) Experience has shown that utmost precautions are necessary 

 by municipal governments to insure fair and honest inspection. 

 Under this method abundant opportunity is afforded for collusion 

 between contractors and park inspectors. The latter may easily 

 report an excessive number of loads delivered. They may allow 

 contractors to count short loads as full loads or to dump a full 

 load in two places, half in each place, and thus give the appearance 

 of having delivered two loads. 



The method of computing deliveries on the basis of the 

 number of loads delivered was recently used by the West Park 

 Board in connection with the clay and black dirt purchased for 

 the improvement of Franklin boulevard. There were also some 

 other features of the black dirt and clay contracts for that im- 

 provement which are open to criticism. 



On March 28, 1911, a contract was awarded for furnish- 

 ing and spreading black soil for lawn spaces and trees on Frank- 

 lin boulevard (section VL of the improvement) and also a con- 

 tract for clay filling and grading the lawn spaces and excavating 

 tree holes, (section VIII.). The contractor found that there was 



