The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-10-22

the report until the next evening the Board would
Alderman TWEED would Ike TO inquire from the gentle
man Of the Sixteenth what good would accrue from
postponemcnt of the subject.
Alderman DESMAS knew OF none.
The question on the amendment OF Alderman Denman
was then Pot and lost.
The question Of Alderman Temann was then put and
also lost
Alderman BARR vowed to strike out s. ooo and insert
$40 600. Lost.
The question on the adoption the report concurng
with the Board of Assistant Aldermen was then put ana
The Board then adjourned until Monday evening, at
o'clock.
Report OF the Commissioner Of Streets and
Lamps.
DEPARTMENT OF STREETS AND LAMPS,
October 20 1858.
To THR HONORABLE BOARD AIDKsMEy:--
GEaT0fN-l herewith transmit t, you report of the
amount of work done in the bureau of cleaning streets
January last past October TO- of the year 1853
and also the expenditures in performing said duty.
1t will be understood by honorable body that from
pense such the wages Of ward inspectors in
spectos helpers heaps ticket cartmen streets,
oadns Soa d ASH carmen making ana M DUMP
ration yards labor in corporation yards
thereof removing encumbrances on streets, sidewalks,
wharus, piers, and slips, ticket oaices, hard and tin
ware, &c, &e.
The paid for carting coal ashes for the
of months the previous year. and for feght
ing the same, exceeds fifteen thousand dollars ndepen
dent of the increase Of paid by resolution of the
Common Council, giving the inspectors two dollars per
ing the streets which is alone in these two ITEMS
increased expenditure to this tme twenty two
thousand dollars.
In making the est nate for the amount required for the
bureau of cleaning last November for the current
of lsthe previous year being nearly two hundred
and eighty nine thousand dOllars1 asked for Two hum
bred and eighty thousand dollars being from the
experience of the past year, that the expenses would
could be less than the year 1852 by which
could exercise control
The Finance Committee, to whom the matter
erre thought to reduce the amount asked to two
Ja1ar
to the Board of Supervisors who passed upon it
reported which made the appropriation for the Bureau
fifty thousand dollars From the condition of the city in
its streets under the present system Of cleaning hem
and in the absence Of cordial operation of the vari
heads forming the departments of the city including
the Police Department of which the Mayor is the head,
satisfied that less amount than the two hundred
and eighty thousand dollars would not be sufficient.
When say the condition of the streets of the city,
mean what is produced by the neglect total disregard
of all ordinances relative to individual right and public
convenience by builders contractors and those altering
and improving property in various ways-such add
stories to and extending buildings altering fronts dig
gng under cellars letting in Croon water and gas
meeting with sewers paving and patching streets laying
Croton mains, gas MAINS railroad tracks &C., &c-fals
with heavy weight, and must continue to fa until diff
eIfnt feeling prevails among citizens generally, and
the city government is conducted harmonious whole.
on the Department of Streets ard Lamps. While am
willing to any respor sbiity that is reasonable
and just equally DESTROYS to avoid responsibilities,
officer or a citizen, thu are not legitmately NINE
but rather the fault of systc n.
rer of 1849 in which their separate duties pre-
tcrbed, which in many important points is extremely
bad feeling the parts of heads of departments
bureaus against another there be thrown great
responsib tes the bureau of cleaning streets This
state OF things shoald not be allowed to exist The whole
matter to my mind, requires thorough radical but deli
beae REFORM which in this particular the charter Of
1853 has failed to reach.
In my report on cleaning streets for the year 1852 do
cument No 49, March l5 1853 to the Board of Aldermen
had occasion, and used the following language 8
nn
citizens who builders and contractors and is to be
permitted by the authorities taxation must necessarily
arise There is city in the Union, Europe where
such assumption as heapny up and encumbering
and sidewalks at will for Individual benefit would
be tolerated for day. to the sacrifice of public convent
and mutual right. Ordinances of the city, when
passed are supposed to be for the protection of all
90 ualy binding upon the ctzen-and which every mu
nicpa officer BY his oath is bound to see executed
There should be unity of action with the heads of de-
partments, including the Mayor orlip
general thing, will amount to nothing, and stand
dead letter for any safe practical purposes
Il is not my intention to enter into analysis of
the object Of this com muneaton bat Justice to ALL and
oesire to place matters in proper light, will prompt
to refer to this subject in the future conceive it
but proper here to state that ssued proposals to clean
the streets of the city BY contract the particulars of
which will be presented to honorable body in due
form accompanied by the original estimates made by the
parties bidding for the And also received cir
cuar from the finance department. signed by the Comp
rOer dated oct iS1h in which in Page find the fol-
cost for the IL months ending LIST August $500 0 can be
done for half that sum, shown BY the bids opened
on the 18th of September. Among the bidders per-
of undoubed responsibility who propose to clean
tie ST. eets for S45 000 and the lowest bids bring the
amount down to about sl2oo When these contracts
closed they will form the basis for estimate of the
cost Of cleaning the streets for 1884, This statement
on the part of the Comptroller is wholly gratuious,
speculative and not characterized by any experience
upon the subject. Besides wish it expressly under
stood, and your honorable body must be of the
fact that the current year not from August to August
from .Tanu n nd So "a
perhaps properly from October to October from the
fact when assumed the position of Commissioner of
and gas alone S42 00 from the quarter commencing
October l, 1851 this payment being made from the ap
preparation of 1852 The bids made for posals issued
cleaning sire cts and opened the 18th of September
cannot be made the basis of the appropriation of 1854
To that the contractors to whom the bids may be
awarded perform their duty properly according to the
issued at the time it will be necessary to
have inspectors at least for each ward What may be
necessary for the removal of membranes of streets
sidewalks wharves, piers and slips, for corporation
yards, labor in said yards &c. &C., the basis should be
upon what you expect to do or is to be iase what
the puDc convenience would seem 70 demand from the
circumstances the experience of the past judgmati
cally should prompt.
II did not appear to me, at the time of making the
estimate for the wants Of the bureau Of cleaning streets
the year 1853 the expense of coal ashes would have
increased it did Your honorable body aware that
in certain wards in this city there scarcely corner
grocery that oes not retail hard coal or family that
does not burn it. In expenses this is not all Where
there many tenement houses the ashes not placed
making rubbish Of that that should be and
ing labor and consequently to collect and
the same to the place of eepost and additional
pense Of freghtng frsm the city rubbish instead of
the corporation getting paid for it as manure. There
are many expenses as above expressed, that may APP
pear as trivial to the fault finder in his own locality
the casual observer; but your honorable body
that they prove expensive in the aggregate Respect
fully submitted HENRY ARCULARIUS JR.,
Commissioner Of Streets and lamps
REPORT EXPENDITURES BUREAU OF CLEANING STREETS
FIRST JANUARY FIRST OCTOBER, 1853
Sweeping and carting 10 wards. 1923 907 SO
Removing ashes, garbage, &c. do. ....... Tl,3os IS
Freight bills, ashes, rubbish &c. 2o,20l 81
Bills of hardware. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 1913 70
Building dumping boards, repairs, ticket OIL
ces, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. o,432 20
Bill for coal, &c NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. Is IS
Sundry bills. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 1852 Is
Watering pots and repairs. ............... IA 90
Removing dirt from Seventeenth and Eight
zenith wards. ......................... 523 SO
Removing rubbish from corporation yard. IS 80
Alidavts. : ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. % 81
Inspectors and ticket Observation-Disclosures. 1905 SO
aborers nd hplpers N MS 40 %