The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-02-07

Our STREET DEPARTMENT-The Street
missioner has transmitted to the Common G
Gil very full report as to the coDditio
which the business Of bis department was fl
on the termination Of the famous contest
tween Messra. Devlin and Conover, and the
which have been taken since that time for
ter organization of the important interests "
the care Of this officer
The report, though very moderate in
language, gives startling picture Of the
chinery under which the public treasury was
pleted previous to the appointment of Nh.
ward Cooper. In most of the bureaux-m
of them expanding from two hundred thous
to million of dollars annually-no pu
books, papers or any other Legitimate record
business, were to be found on the Termination
the controversy. A dozen different and B
sponsible men were allowed to draw against
same suffering appropriations; and when ass
ments were collected for street improvem(
the persons collecting seemed just to rev|
their legal rights, and to pay two and half
cent to the City Chamberlain, while keeping
balance for their own remuneration. !,
Under the present system, as seen in the ST.
Commissioners report, and still more plaipl}
The reports from the various bureaux UNDER
control, it will be found that full aud salts
tory records ore kept of all public tran(
lions, and that the business of contrac(
has been surrounded with such precauti|
as to make fraud extremely difficult, if not
possible. 1t will also be seen that for ev|
shilling expended by the bureaux under ii
present management detailed report is
nished; and with the system of payments
triplicate vouchers now in use, we think ed
cient guarantees are afforded that the interd
of the city will be faithfully administered.
One of the documents accompanying this
port of the Street Commissioner is a letter fl,
G. W. Smith, then Deputy Street Commission
to Mr.. Edward Cooper, proposing SYSTEM
accounts and payments similar to that now
lied upon in the Bureau of Construction uni
the Treasury Department of the United Sta|
This system Of triplicate vouchers and requ|
iiions was finally adopted by the Mayor, Cod
troller and heads Of departments Of the d
government, and forms the basis upon which
the business Of the Street Department is 81
conducted. We may congratulate ourselves
thus having transplanted into this city plan
financial checks and balances which has worl|
so advantageously in the best regulated depd
ment Of the general government.
The report asks that specific and definite
preparations be made for the Street DepartmeI
that they shall be made in advance, and put !
der the exclusive control Of the head of the
partment, 30 as not to be drawn out of the cI
treasury except for the purposes original
had in view, and on the requisition of 1
proper authority. This is undoubtedly right,
when half a dozen different Offices and Office
are allowed to draw against fund, in all prof
bility there will be deficiencies at the end of I
year, and 1t will not be possible to fix the respo
sibility on any particular individual. Each Z
ecutive officer is entitled to know what he Is 3
pected to do, and what means will be ALLOW
him to do it with; and against the money \
aside for specified purposes no other drai
should be allowed. If the Common Coun,
would in future attend exclusively to legislati
duties, and leave the executive business of ii
city where it properly belongs, in the hands
the Mayor and the executive departments, '
might expect to get along much better.
The detailed account of expenditure and o
jects of expenditure, accompanying tue repo1
is, we think, one Of the most explicit and sati
factory statements that has been furnished to Il
public by any executive department of the Gil
government for many years. The Street Con
missioner advocates change in the commenc
ment Of the financial year to the LIST of JulyiisI
place of the LIST Of January, and we comrneu
this portion Of the document to special consii
ration in Albany. =
ABOLITION OF THE FRAMING PRrvrrE0