New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-02-01

lUdl CONSTITUTION cOiuu HOt stdliu n uh. un'"f-
ported by Federal bayonets.
The enormous Tax Levy for 1853 passed the
Board of COuncimen last week, and will be brought
up in the Board of Aldermen tonight As it came
from the hands of the Controller in December it
footed up S7,767,7i3 This embraced for various
street expenses, regulating, grading, paving, flag
gng,. sewers cleaning, and docks and piers, about
-, 800, 900 (incudiDg, of course, large amount
of what are called trust accounts, the money being
advanced from the Treasury, and returned BY as
sessments on the property benefted). The orig
nal levy has been overhauled by various Commit
tees, and the result now is that as adopted by the
Councilmen, the appropriation for Belgian pave
ment is increased from 100000 to 1922, 900; for
iron pavement, from S75, 900 to S125, ZOO; for
cleaning streets, from S25O,0O0 to 800, 900;
$40, 900 have been put in for tnkering the Russ
pavement, and $4,000 for macadamzing the
Second avenue-tbe entire increase in these items
over the Controllers figures being nearly quarter
of million. In adopting the levy, the Board OF
Councilmen attempt to show some important re-
auctions, and figure mp decrease of nearly
5000, 600 from the estimates made by the old Board
This is mere dodge, and they achieve it by de-
Quoting several large sums from the list and add
ing them in as appropriations. Putting these
in where they should GO, we find the footing about
s., $4,000.
In the present condition of the Street Depart
mont, and the frauds heretofore perpetrated in
tracts for work done through that department, il
would be well for the Board of Aldermen to re.
wise these appropriations carefully, and, if possible,
to dispense with great portion of them altogether,
for it is certainly proper that no more money
should be advanced upon contracts for opening
and regulating streets, until the people have
assurances that they are not TO be robbed outright
of thousands where hundreds would honestly pay
for the work. Many of the jobs recently under.
taken appear TO be tainted with fraud, either in
giving the contracts to some one by no means the
lowest bidder, or in oyer.estimating the work to
be done. or in the character of the work itself, or
in forgery of figures to increase the sum to be
drawn from the Treasury in the settlement.
Rather than these Outrages should be continued,
the street work should be suspended and so con-
tinue until the robberies of the past few years
shall have been thoroughly exposed and the whole
business reformed.
I'm the matter of cleaning streets, il seems of
very little Importance at present whether apprOpri-
atiOns are made or not. The City Inspector is de-
termned not to execute the contract directed to be
made BY the late Common Council, if he can pos
sibly avoid it. His purpose, of course is to keep
the work as much as possible in his own hands.
Under the terms Of the contract, we were to have
thorough system of Winter wOrk-cleaning the
cutters and the crossings and keeping the snow lev
eled or have il removed, if necessary, so that the
streets should be, at all times, in good travelling
condition. This, it appears, We are not to have,
and in case of heavy fall of snow, there will be
blockade for week or two, to the Inconvenience
CITY Inspector for 800 900 or so to heap up ice
and dirt mountains in Broadway after the style
adopted few Winters since. Nearly all street
cleaning has been suspended for the Winter, except
what business men in Broadway pay for out of their
own pockets; and as the appropriations have long
since run out there is no probability that the City
Inspector will trouble himself about the streets
until new tax levy shall have passed the Legisla-
ture and put money at his disposal
But the greatest SWlnule III the TAX levy Will De
iscoyered, if any one chooses TO search the dOcu-
ments, in the sweeping item of Arrears for 1857"
In 1852 this item was only about $4,000; this
YEAR the Controller himself is obliged to make it
S445, eco. and that figure the Councilmen have
raised to S596,OOO. These arrearages include sal.
aries dated back in defiance of the law, extra
clerks hired by anybody and everybody bills for
work done on engine houses, extra election eX.
penses. and deficiencies for police, street cleaning
FIRE department. and judgments on suits brought
against the Corporation. The law expressly pro-
vides that no expenses shall be incurred unless
there shall have been previous appropriation for
the object. There was a time when some little re-
gard was paid to this when, if the appropriation for
repairs and supplies had been exhausted the work
would stop; but for some years past there has
been growing disregard for the ordinances, and
whether there be q balance of appropriations or
not, all sorts of jobbers have been anHiously
seeking to do work for the CITY, making the fact
that they had to Wal. for their pay su excuse FOX
charging enormous prices. The bills for suca work