The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-08-02

Ooannaasasonexs or EmSav~saOn.
The Board met 1t 4 O'Clock p. n. Prsssst-Ccnmis'
sonsrs vsrpianck I'm ths chair, Csrrsan cumninss
hsaiy, Morgan, Purdy, Gsrigue and Keansdy.
REFORMS At wARDs ISLAND.
special meeting Of the Board WAS held ia the morn
Ing, to take iats consdsrauon thu manifold deficiencies
In the government Of Wards leland. Strange to say,
although the subject Il Of the utmost Importance to
the public, showing how the business affairs Of the
Commissioners have been managed. the meeting vas
held At time when the reporters could know nothing
about it, and when Commissioner GArrigus moved last
evening, that the minutes Of the special meeting bs
read for public information the motion overrued
with evident desire TO kssp the matter secret Our
reporter learns that complete change In the medical
depaxtEeat resolved upon, bat VIVA. it was hs Ia
unable to sAy.
Last evening the following interesting report WIS read
the subject of retrsnching the expenses Of the Com
ssen. ard was ordered to BE- priatsd The resolutions
appended adopted By the adoption of the rsp,et
one hundred and fifteen persons discharged from the
employ Of he Commissioners, WHICH will make saving
OF nearly 81 900 psr month. Here is the report
NEW YORK, Auguat l, 1856,
Your special committee to whom Has referred the
confederation Of the expenditures Board with the
view Of sscertainng II said expenditures could by any
proper be esfened 30 as to cause them to fai
within the Limits Of the revenue. would respectfully re-
port
That they have given to the subject 90 referred to
them that consideration and attention which It's i'm
Portance Demands and report In part the folio wing
mittse assumed that all expenditures were reerabs to
sne Or other Of the following classes, viz food labor
and medicine Their deliberations have therefore been
directed TO the investigation answer of the follow
ing Question Can any plan be devised and carried iuts
IN sS'e s TIM saca win tend to
And After thorough and patient investigation Of the
question 80 propounded, your COMMITTEES feel fully
that proper reforms In these different items Of expen
ture would not only accomplish such a result. bat
e a. q thu Sos:
placed under our charge. while at the time II
would effect all in . financial point Of view, that pro-
promises.
In presenting to you these plars Of reform and our
the object Contemplated, would treat then In tbs
following Flrst-What be done In the labor
department. to make it contribute in accomplishing the
In reply to this inquiry, your committee believe much
very much, can be done and first, they would recon
condy, the substitution of the labor of the inmstes
where labor is required and where they capsule Of
caa6 outlay which Is At present paid for such Ia
Dor. It may ssem strange that their should b any
snecure Offices under board constituted this but,
strange AZ 1t may appear your committee satisfied
that it 10 nevertheless true. For instxoce-many Of
the Offices for which salaries psd OF such kind
or could DO performed just well those holding OFF,
ces which are actually necessary. And your committee
are CLEARLY OF the opinion that the interests Of the
board would not in the least be jeopardzed by such
combination.
In refsrsacs to employing the labor of the inmates
ittes think the following would among the practical
results Of such course
l. The inmates would receive practices know Wedge OF
many things OF great Importance to Thorn, OF which
there Ia much reason to presume they almost entrs
ly ignorant and such knowledge would undoubtedly
mn "a IN I'M uni0
employ them, and result in great benefits 10
q Labor itsef would, perhaps, above All other means
tend t. strengthen and deveope the physical powers
and enable them to use superior TO those diseases which
age render them SO liable to-
3 Employ ment would tend to prevent the formation
o. nootnt o,nts N those Who are disposed 70 ,naa.
OF industry such disposed to be indolent The
attainment Of these objects is Of vast importance to
both us and them otherwise they wout continue to
be burtheY to the whole of the period for which
legally bound for their support and afterwards
the counties Of the State
The mention OF tho above reasons, without any
illustration t is believed s sufficient to carry convc
ton to the mn6s Of al In regard to the importance Of
o sei ss
by using thor labor in cooking and other household
duties would be Of the utmost value Tho kinds Of food
and the proper msnner Of preparing them for the table,
should Be subject of immediate TO that class
Of immigrants, also habits Of order and cleanliness, in
which they sie generally deficient would also b.
quired And jast in proportion TO the amount OF infor
nation that Can be communicated to the immigrant
IesseDed. Too much cannot be said, TOO much
be done in order to have them employed, whether II is
viewed % sanitary, moral or financial reform. Idle
the prolific parent OF both bodily and moral DIS
The voice of nature 10 ~ loud and explicit ~
that Of God in promuisatng the lav that those that
the Inevitable consequences OF its transsrsAson
While the above observations tras general Of all
the human family they Are 20 In regard to
They const generally, OF that class OF persons
who have enjoyed opportunities Of mental, or,
conduct matter OF course will b controlled BY
habit Lot habits Of ideness be once formed and thsr
S:,siSr. b. Better TO hsye them no.
advantage would result from their labor, than TO
allow them to form habits OF incidence. they 6nd
that they obtain al the required Of subsis
tenoe without any effort labor their part but BY
simply claiming il from us IL psctsd that
present subsssncs i Al that this el.as Ok persons
usually desire; and II that Ia ataisabls to high de-
gree BY mode without their own Effort - By one With
t. Il 10 reasonable to suppose that the former method
win be adopted. Our present plan Of svisa them q
living without requiring anything from them ~ an
to soth and idsaess inducing such habits OF
indelencs will naturally tena to the graduates
abo%ss q sSos. Who WIN neither wors nor v.as"
labor ID Of the immigrants condition fer sup
porting then, II will operate az one OF the most power
ful motives to provide for themselves BY their
efforts and will be Of the most efectual barriers
in preventing thsir return when dsmIssed from
many return to be . heavy burthen upon US Who had
they bsen aware OF the fact that they would be Obliged
to work for their support their return, would
for ons moment entertain the idea Of returning II
the knowledge that they san live Just as wei and per
hapa better without work than with it. that renders
them careless in their efforts 70 support themselves BY
mesns OF thsr own labor and presents irresistible in
ducements TO = return.
Az the island at present managed, may Justly bs
regarded great institution, in which the Industrious
are converted INTO the INDECENT and toe ndolsn into
the irreciaimabiy lazy.
Your committee would further call your attention 10
the fact that the employees la the habit Of ha
their washing dene 1T the expense o. ths initiation
and trAing ~ this may seem TO persons II never
thslsss forms very important IL in aggregate
We found or examination that toe OF 81 900 hsd
becn expended in doing the washing OF ths splo,es
alone We also found that OF the smployes we're
in the habit Of having their chi drsn boarded 81 the
psnse Of the commission, which prac cs Ia tss forms
another very import ant item o. Unnecessary expeodf-
ture, inasmuch ~ the commission aivs more Eoersi
renunefAou to the employees for their services than
what they could get elsewhere and usny thers
10 not the sembiance Of reason why the commission
should be casd 10 pay either Of the above named
.Hl- 49,