Butter, cheese and eggs purchased under contract, inspected and accepted at the place of business of the lowest bidder during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1919 Comparative statement of monthly average June_quotations for a period of years on butter graded as "Fresh Creamery Extras," and monthly average quotations on "Fresh Creamery Firsts" the following November to March, inclusive, 1906-1919 REPORT OF PURCHASING COMMITTEE FOR STATE HOSPITALS To the State Hospital Commission: The Purchasing Committee for State hospitals respectfully submits its report for the year ending June 30, 1919. The committee has held 15 meetings during the year; 535 bids have been received and 269 contracts awarded. Details of this portion of the committee's work are shown by the tables appended. Happily the cessation of hostilities in November, 1918, enabled your honorable Commission to discontinue meatless days at the hospitals, which had been ordered during the early days of the previous year, upon the recommendation of the Purchasing Committee, as a measure of war economy; and at the same time food substitutes such as lower for higher grades of flour were regarded as no longer necessary. In common with other purchasing agencies, your committee has found the past year the most difficult in its experience. The impossibility of forecasting even for 60 days the course of supply markets led the committee for a time to shorten still further the life of the contracts, with the result, in some cases, that with unexpected increases the greatest advantage has not been secured. The stabilization of markets which it was confidently expected would follow the signing of the armistice in November, 1918, has not occurred; and at this writing the labor situation, so far as it affects transportation lines, has become so threatening that your committee may decide to return to the former practice of long contracts to insure adequate storage of hospitals staples against any considerable interruption of freight deliveries. This would have the additional advantage of anticipating further increases in prices. The committee resumed during the year the plan of contracting for cotton goods, limiting the life of the contracts to three months. The results have been satisfactory in every respect. SURPLUS SALES OF ARMY AND NAVY SUPPLIES The Purchasing Committee at a meeting held March 25, 1919, considered carefully the many offers which had been made by the Federal Government of surplus army and navy supplies, and Chairman Howard appointed Steward Mosher a committee to visit storehouses in New York and elsewhere, to examine the goods offered and to confer with government officials as to the possibility of securing supplies or articles of equipment at satisfactory prices. After a careful view of the subject and conferences with department heads, Mr. Mosher reported that the government had not sufficiently systematized its plan of surplus sales to make it possible to acquire any of the goods mentioned before the close of our fiscal year. Nevertheless, as soon as certain details have been adjusted, it seems altogether probable that your committee will be able to purchase articles of equipment for hospital buildings now approaching completion, as well as for those for which plans are progressing. So far as food supplies are concerned, the government lists have not thus far, shown prices sufficiently low to attract the committee's consideration. RENEWAL OF INTEREST IN HOSPITAL CONTRACTS A general restoration of interest in the committee's joint contract offerings has been noticed since the signing of the armistice. This has resulted in the committee's securing comparatively low prices on fresh meat supplies, although no reductions have been noticed in the prices of provisions or other supplies. The following table of comparative prices of representative hospital commodities contracted for in the hospital years 1913-1914 and 1918-1919 is offered as showing the sharp advances occurring during the past five years: |