New-York daily tribune., 1856-09-04

crhwn Ter aireoIsg's s3i CCOj itf 1850 the
- s225 tOo ana TIL. som bas been txpsniec shoSa
by The stafeu cI q 'he CoDud sonrr in i,ti. NOR,
thsn hslf the year ls5o.
Let Us ther put these figures together, and -as
wi AZ propusiy he c Commissioner All on the Com
mou Council ard tie Finance Department to plsSs
auoh,r bundled thoossnd collars a, Biz dsr5ssl ~
81. nj in violation OF the Charter Of 1853 snd ~S.
must be borrowed ard paid Dy the Como cousoS
and the Contu'ler in violation OF the l9u '-"0 NJ
the CHARTER OF 1880.
The appropriation for arrearages for c'esa
for 1855:
.s, s5, De- 81 AS p'si ,r II, ed
Accordil g TO Mr. Ehlps'. statement the whole Of
tis erorr ou- sum of sio5 l19 20 has bee expended
since TIE Offers we're made To him in July SIS by re-
s,ousite bddtrt, cleaning the streets, r' ear.
ior hhuu, $50 OoO.
But il is sad, in ex.enus'icu, tbot the u 4, q,
without any ',quhiOn from the Cou missioner o.
Streets ara Lamps has oTswn on the appropriations
fr street cleAn 9. Ttis il true 10 iuated txt.nt.
Utder a resolution Of the Common Couuci refenin,g
the settlement of all the previous contr vets 70 b'm,
with full power the Controller has paio stree tne bids
fer new 90, tracts opened in July 1855. the sum
of sbout 81 OO0 lot differing essentially rom he sum
which he supposes might at that dse have been o.
hard of the regular appropriation for 1888. .
There WAS hlso paid to Alderman Baird on hN
contract with the iyor for removing ice from broad
way, tie sum Of 8, 800. Ia any event, there must
have been p,nd.d by the Commissioner after
making every rta.orable allowance, at lest ESQ ooo
btirg more than double the which tho bidders
rtquiiec for cleaning the stseets-Sl52 OCo.
The Commissioner of Streets and Lamps IN his
| communication of the i'h of August, aludes to tho
payment Of 1000 gu. Of the appropriation Of 1855.
for siTeNages of 1875. This fum was paid by the
Controller ID settling Tor the arearsee, of 1885. bot
! these psymt Dts wcie made on the rolls ". Ebing
| for exptr rditures rot Included in the amt sirear-
| ages rttuued to the Controller by Mr.. ~ ths
| estimate ot November last. This matt sined
| in report fiom the Finance Departmei - .oard
| o Councmen, July II, 1856 page sl5. preced-
irg ement, showing the expenditures for the con
tact year, from July 1867 to July, 1856. covers the
period curing bich this expenditure of s3i 600 waS
| made by sr Eblrg. There was put in the appro-
prafiOn for siesrages as reported to the CONTROLLER
| ty Mr. Ebling, $4,000 When the accounts of MI.
Ebing in for payment, they exceeded this sun,
by s34 oOO shown in the report Of Aug II, beicre
referred to- aud there Was 10 alternative but tn pay
the difference from tie Appropriation for lSD But,
rs before stated. ~ the year embraced IN this re-
pert s om July. ls5j, to July, 1880, II has no bearing
whatever, ard cannot eMenua'e the heavy draft trcn
the Treasury heyobd the amount for which the work
was TO nave been Performed by the contractors.
The lretense that the streets cannot be cleaned by
contract has found stOn 10 common sense
ia rest on. The Croton Aqueduct Department has no
difficulty in constructing sewers by contracts msde on
seaed BIDS. Their works are much more intrica'e aud
| difficult than those for cleaning the streets H. was
sad 10 1853, that the oil lamps Of the city could no.
| be lighted by contrsct, and yet Mr. Below An up
right and thorough busress msn, agreed o furnish tue
oil. employ the lsmpligbters and do for the city for
1
lie hos faithfully done the work for two years in yey
satisfactory manner, at saving of about SO 600 per
snnum TO the city. When this work was done by the
Commissioner Of Streets and Lamps, IN 1888, II re-
auired eighty men TO light the lamps. The contractor
performed the work with forty. This is the only
asignable for not doing the work by ntIsc.
II der the street contracts of July, 1884, Mr. Bush
cleaned the Fifteenth Ward for the whole ysar in a
satisfseoiy Manner and WAS not loser by the CON-
tract. Mr.. Dy kes completed his contract for the
| Tenth Ware, aud has made no claim for any ALLOW
anCe beyond his contract price. Dir. Dy kes Wa Oae
# tie tersors employ ed by Mr. Genin, who, ~ for
tuI ay for tie generation, and for pOsterity,
mace tie discovery tlst Broadway could be cleaned
etftctuay duug certain portion OF the t"sny foar
hours when the living thropg which seems ainort 10
block up that grcst tborougbiae during the cay end
bal the night, were withdrawn for few hours repo.e
Dir. Vsieotine, the pro'ert Alderman from the
Eighee nth Ward, surety for the person who had
contracts fer the Third Fifth and Sixteenth w srds.
| Mr.. Valentine wss compe led to complete che con-
| trao.s unoer peculiar embarrassment, and yet he
went through tb IA in satisfactory msnnrr and
probatl, with SON los. This is which shows
that with substantial sure,ies the contract system Is
| rot a failure, even where the contractor fsils.
There are some other Incidents connected with the
effort of the DE- paitmeit of Streets and LsmDs 10 get
smother hundred thousand dol ans from the Treasury tn
sperd without contract and in violation OF the posi-
tive mUDctions of The charter to which reference will
be made.
The 7th sectisn Of TIE charter OF ls49, provides
| follows, viz:
"sEc l. No money shs be drawn hom the City Treasury.
pwIOs Or uhih is d,a,n and ALL APPROPRIATIONS 'hs1
sd - % % rd .r.,S S,o5 5D as
| CO,rRoILER"
The Head Of the Department of Streets and Lamps
Cdsregsrc3 the nunctions Of the charter IN contract
for the work and the Controllers fl ots to induce bin
to do 90 ~ shown in tte letter Of the 2lt Of July,
1859 expended from July. 1855, TO july 1856, more
than double the cost of cleaning the streets as the
charter tqures and when this done, he does not
| make bis application for the needed appropriation
Through the Controller" sccOrding 20 the term, Of
'se charter. In this way 70 opportunity Is afforded
to the Controller of showing that the Treasury could
net be legal drawn upon without act of the Legis
ature Int application is mace TO the Board Of Coun-
ciImen for the money; the Board Of Health i, con-
| vered, and Wy appropriately have no doubt-be-
the all for SlOO coo to clean the streets was
deferred until only 81 100 remaned-and this and the
yellow fever at Quarantine made Indispensable thst
The 500 900 should be placed at the disposal of Mr..
EbliDg, the Board Of Health, without any delay,
and without much time TO consi fer ~bat bad become
Of The siOO 600 which has been drawn from the Treas
nry Ia about one year preceding the midce OF July.
| 1856.
Instead of having the opportunity which the charter
of 1919 evidently Intended to give the Controller, "
explaining bis views IN regard 10 every appropriation
from the Departments, be ia summoned before Com
mtee of the Board Of Health 10 nterrogato-
to Whist bis course Of action would be in
| tie Common Council or the Board Of Health should
pass resolutions directing him to pay 500 600 70 Mr.
Ebrg. To the question: whether he would psy o"
resolution from either Of the bodies named, ne an
swered in the negative To this the Chairman had the
fairness to reply 81 knew this must be your answer.
| for such is tbe law q,
And here it nav be proper 10 call attention OF all
who nsy desire to look at the fscs to te report Of
the Law Conn iifee of the Board of Aldermen, Of
which Alderman Ely was nenpe', mae on Tue 2ltn
If s. p.enher 1855 and Of the Law Committee OF tse
C,unt men on the 6th Of October, of the year.
These oit ons with his report the sane cub
iect which called them forth, were all printed by the
Controller at the commencement of the present 6scL
wear end copies were tent 10 all the department..
There would have been, therefore, no doubt on the
mird of sny one vho had examined tpese opinions
what the Controllers answer must be TO the questions
PIT to hun. hile the Controller ayowet bis fxed