The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-04-12

present CnaDBe' pioPoSeu III our ely govern
ment are ike all former changes-tbere is no
principle or consistency in them; aud when the
botched Job, now being done, is completed, 1t
will be Ike an old tinkered kettle with three ad-
ditonal leaks in it for every one that is stopped.
What is wanted is not patching up OF the old
-ystem, bu a complete new one, upon some
principle Of unity that will make the wheels of
our city government 60 in harmony aud subordi-
nation, like the movements of cl cS or
watch-all controlled by one main spring or one
weight. Let us see what are the provisions of
"the new charter" as 1t is called
l. The ten Almshouse Governors are to be
abolished, and six Commissioners" to be sub
stituted, who are to be nominated by the MAYOR
and confirmed by the Board of Supervisors. The
transfer of the appointment to the Mayor is oil
right, but the confirmation ought not to be left
to the Board of Supervisors but to the Boacd OF
Aldermen. There is no necessity for any Board
of Supervisors. We have certainly too many
boards and bureaus aud commissioners The d.
intuition of the number of officers from ten to SIX
and calling them commissioners, appears to be
u IlVOlOuo CuuuScj Wltuous ACouiuSs
2. The City Inapectorship is to be abolished
and Board of Health established, of which the
May is TO be the head, and the members to be
the Presidents of the two Boards of the Comm m
Council, the President of the Board Of Superv.
sors, the Comptroller, the Health Officer of the
port of New York, the Health Commissioner, the
Resident Physician and the President of
the Croton Aqueduct Board-the meet
ings to be convened only by the Mayor
There is to be under this Board "a Bureau of
Sanitary Inspection, the chief of which is to be
called "a Sanitary Inspector" and he is to be
physician, with a salary of s3,0OO; and three
clerks in the Office, to have a salary of $1,000
each. The appointment and removal are vested
in the Mayor. This part Of the new bill is an
improvement on the old.
3. There is change in the Finance Depart
ment, consisting of the creation of new officer,
called deputy Comptroller" and there is
transfer of the Bureau of the Collection of As
sessments from the Street Department to the
Department of Finance, and it is to consist of
collector and four deputies. To this depart
ment is also added "a Bureau of Markets." the
chief of which is to be called "the Superinten-
dent of Markets" What the markets have par
ticularly to do with the Finance Department it
is rather difficult to see. The Mayor is to have
little or no power over this department.. The
COMPREHENSIVE is to be, as heretofore, an cleo
tive Office, Independent of him, aud he cannot
NEEDLE with the collection of assessments for
four years. Even then "the Comptroller shall
have power to prescribe the manner of keeping
the books and accounts of this bureau, and to
make all rules and regulations respecting the
manner of transacting the business thereof"
The Comptroller, in future, may obstruct the
whole city government, as the late Comptroller
used to do. There is no necessity for Comp
troller-all necessary duties of his Office could
be performed by an auditor appointed by the
Mayor. The Comptroller's duties ought to be
strictly confined to the supervision of the ac-
counts, and be ought to be appointed by the
Mayor. The collection of the assessments ought
not to be connected with the Comptroller's Office,
but be placed directly under the authority Of
the Mayor, unless the Mayor have the appoint
ment of the Comptroller. All the persons now
appointed to collect assessments are legislated
out of Office before their terms expire. This
is decidedly unconstitutional. The Chief
Engineer of the Fire Department is to be
elected and hold Office as formerly,
though the act expressly says that 'each head
of the executive departments in the municipal
government of the city of New York, except the
To- oil hall ho ospfo nd
removed at the pleasure of the Mayor of the
city of New York" There is, therefore con-
tradiction in this bungling act. The head of the
Fire Department ought to be subject to the same
rule as the other heads OF departments.
4. The cleaning of the streets is to devolve
in future on the Croton Aeueduct Department.
This, we think, is change for the better. 1t
could hardly be for the worse. The streets have
been long kept in a state of abominable filth.
A deputy Street Inspector is to be appointed in
each ward. But the direction Of the work in the
Street Bureau is to be divided between the Mayor
and the Comptroller. This is an error The
sole control ought to be in the President of the
Board, who ought to be subject to the Mayor.
The Comptroller ought to have nothing to do
with it. The Mayor, till 1868, cannot remove
the head of the Croton Aqueduct Department,
nor fill up any vacancies in the Board. The
vacancies are to be filled up by the members
themselves. This is blunder, for the same rule
ought to apply to this Board as to the Aims
house Department
8. No bureau or clerksbip can be abolished
or changed by the Common Council without the
written request of the head of the department.
This is absurd, for it makes the head of de-
partment the Judge of what is a proper subject
of legislation, which belongs not to him, nor to
the executive but to the legislative body-the
Common Council-subject to the veto Of the
Mayor.
6. The heads of all executive departments,
except the Comptroller, are to be appointed and
removed by the Mayor. This is downright
humbug, for in the next sentence the Mayors