Poor law Frauds.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 8, 4 October 1907, Page 5

Poor law Frauds.

CONTRACTORS' OVERCHARGES.

By Telegraph—Association—Copyright, London, October 2.

An official enquiry has revealed the fact that the contractors made gross systematic overcharges for work done for tho Mile-End Guardians, and that, moreover, ropairs which had been scamped were passed by tho surveyor.

The inquiry was opened on July 22 by Mr. P. , J. Willi's, ■■ Inspector of tho Lical Government Board. .'ln outlining i'.s scope the Inspector said: In the notices were matters' dealing' with certain disallowances and surcharges made by, the district auditor. The first matter in connection with those Rurcharges was as to a; payment of ,£'l97 os. Gd., made by the guardians for whitewashing, painting, and cleaning, which was alleged to be an'excessive expenditure.'Tho second concerned aii item of i£ll6 7s. (!d., which represented alleged oxcessivo expenditure for coal, supplied, under a contract, to the guardians by Mr. Joseph Cade. In connection with the first matter, 11 guardians had been surcharged to the amount of ,£197. os. Gd., which was the sum paid to Mr. Calcutt, the' contractor. The auditor had adopted that course because the guardians had paid Is. 6d.. per square yard, when the architect'had certified it could be done at Is. per yard. With , regard to tho coaU-fivo guardians had been surcharged with the sum of .£ll6 7s.- 2d., as they signed a cheque authorising tho payment of iliat sum to Mr. Cade, who had contracted to supply, coal at 18s. Gd. a ton when it could -have beeu obtained from responsible firms at 16s. Gd. per ton. In the casn of each disallowance the guardians had appealed against the auditor's decision, and that inquiry was. partly held to consider whether .the disallowances should bo remitted. The third matter into which he was going to inquire related to, the houses in which pauper children were boarded; In nino cases the houses had been purchased, whilo the remainder were on lease. The Local Government Board had been that the rents paid 'for these houses wore considerably higher than rents paid for houses' of a similar character iii tho sanio neighbourhoods. Another fact' in connection .with these houses was that the leases wore held by the (guardians or their relations, and the sums spent on them for repairs came to .£B6 per i house. 'With regard to. the work done by Mr. Calcutt, that gentleman had been paid since March, 1893, about i 521,000, the bulk of which work had been done without being contracted for.