The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-11-13
inesSss Communication froIa thu
Street Com missioner.

trustees against the opening OF Seventy fourth secs
through their grounds Referred.
Alderman BRADY presented the following
Whereas, since the appointments Of City Chamoer-
lain vice " Stout, the city deposits have been trans
ferred from banking house 70 another and whereas
Sesos Ss srs s ssS' %
which The city money u now or has been very recently
msnt Of . new custodian OF tho deposits OF
the city, nterest would be paid on such deposits;
made thereon 70 tho knowledge Of his Board DO u,
therefore,
Resolved, That . special committee Of three be sp-
pointed 10 investigate and report 10 this Board At an
carly day all necessary information connected with the
custody and @ .eepg 81 ns S v the o. na
which such city funds are Deposited together Win sucn
other information in the opinion OF such committee u
interests Of tho city or the public may Beam 70 require
Adopted.
A communication was received from Street Commls-
soner smith, announcing the expiration Of his term Of
Office and giving statement Of the condition Of his do
partment, as follows
OFFICE OF TIE srRrnr CommssosKR,
NEw York, Nov. H. 1860
To HoSoRAms TIE BoARR OF ALpERxN;-
CEsILgMlS-rhe two years for which appointed
Street Commissioner On the li,h OF November s6s hav
ing expired under the charter, only hold the oce
until the appointment Of my sue Sssor.
Ny last report TO the a0,h Of September and was
given in detail purpose In this communication 10 state
the present condition Of tho department, and briefly to
refer 10 Of The notifications changes made in
Office since my nr,t connection there with
There have been drawn upon the Comptroller
from January 10 date, regulations 10 the amount
There remain Of the appropriations under ths control Of
this department balances amounting to-. $t54l7s 20
Department includipE the time that Edward Cooper was
Street Commissioner tv'z:-from April 10, 1859, TO this
date there have been expe incurred requi
lions upon the Comptroller by the Street Commits
soner Tor the paymen. thereof 70 coz
Since the Iast quarterly report OF the Collector OF
ha-
lection assessment lists amounting to... $10I4T 20
| He has collected and deposited with the City
| Returned uncoIlectei TO the Clerk Of Arrears
assessment lsts mounting to ........... 3,6a9 90
| And has In his hands uncolecsed assessments
From The lad Of April, 1858. to date there
have been collected and deposited with the
In various quarterly and annual reports have had
occasion TO fully difcfs the requirements and condition
Of the Street Department / would only advert
the fact that this varied and important business At the
time Mayor Temann came into Office in 1858, was In an
extremely dfordeTed condition, the result part OF
ignorance neglect and desgnpg FRAUD and in part Of do
fectve laws increased doubt By the fact that for
time previous there had been two claimants for the oce
Of Street Comm ssoner both tram need by rjaictions
preventing The regular and stsmaic transaction Of the
Previous 10 1858 was customary for the Street Com.
missioner from time to time To draw the Comptroller
for OF or more hun dred thousand dollars though.
proper Upon these general requstons the pablo money
received into his possession and accounted for by
vouchers receipts OF persons TO whom be 1.-THE Street
refused receive the money ana insisted that the a.
nance Department should MAKE payments upon The pro
per requston from this department This, IN my judg
rnent the most in portant change made In the
Of conducting the public business siLce my connection
1be system adopted for the transaction Of business
the keeping Of accom- Is and making syments, similar
10 that Of the Bureau Of Construction under the Treasury
Department Of the general government at Washington
and was described in my fret quarterly report 10 your
honorable body under date January 81, lst9 follows
The tenden OF haviog charge par
Street Comm write toi. sets fgIh he fast, IN
sGee missioner Deputy . ne nsessy o Tie
sn. r. .ss h s. h s9d hes he s
dent Alter the eIecon Of he wori delivery q he sricis
h has peae vouchers made out regular printed
s,e !; M Ss
ee sed ss ,hr Street or d.paV 4 The
G % % Sc ard $ o s1 ssSo as q he he
voucher Tho qsaios wh tplea,s vouchers sppen.ed
whom warrant drawn upon the IIe,saTy favor Of re
perry TO whom he money ere aud MS warrant given g
The pae v5ueb.rs lie tompt o'ler retains o. he
q which ded here and e elher r.ssmied . tho oal,s
Thsie ,ipe.e vouchers form re basis d <. whole
ps mshts ard aecons md y ,heI.yss are roo d
Sd, % OF ,ns ~, Pss s = ne o ss p sa
AMER more than two years trial OF this system, am
perfectly satisfied viii lis operation In this connection
take great pleasure In referring 10 the manner In which
the boos ard cords Of this Oce kept Pre-.
yous TO tho 18th Of April is when Mr. Edward Cooper
appointed street Commissioner, journal bad
been kept and difcpli impossible TO ASCERTAIN
what the transactions Of The department had BEEN The
books funfh the no,t exact informal on, and IN
every form which pos,bly be requred and in
connection with the monthly reports from the differ mt
bureaus enable ths head o. hm department 70 usnssSs
| two years ago SEEMED "a impossionty. This
result has rot been accomplished without close
ATTENTION ard dfent enceayor the part OF many my
| subcrdinstee, and TO them owe my wMnitss thanks
The busnass records Of the whole department have
brought from state Of confson bordering chaos 10
degree Of cearnsss, regularity ard accuracy tina, vii
compare avoraby with unat Of any other es'ablahmens
euion 81 wcrs whist has pot always been what was
desired, stu think that IN the main the city has
eeivsd an squsaeni Tor VIC mossy pd "a nearly every
| have been, snoe the commencement 81 Mr.. Edward
Coorers term q Once almos, entirely unknown in this
department have before th ndvered 10 the defective
aws ard charter Of The city and will tere repeat that
they fearful irsmmes upon law abidng officer ard
give every excuse for EVASION aud open violation 70 those
Who chCcse TO disregard them Prominent Amongst my
former neommcBastioEs TO tho Commoo coIacli, ani
perhaps The most important, that Of change Ia the
| FISCAL year. Establi,hed prtccdeht ard ordinary
| Judgment would seem 10 have male the ne
e sd, Ct douSi NdvsrIaeis.., " IA. been b,isriS
opposed IN MS city and, Notwithstanding the recommen
cation q ,he Ccmucn Council hSs never been even dis
ctEscd IL tfc Legislature Is y matter OF vital I'm.
porance, ard tho financial ars o. this city, rewards
appropriations and expenditufts q money, cannot be
properly regulated until this char is made fmpor tant
i,cemmsudsions have been mace BY myself and Mr. Ed
ward Even regard 10 tie tu,insEs q The Bureau ~
provemtnis change IN The mode Of appointing inspectors
Of eouirasi work, changing grade especially the
side q the city 10 conform to the line tstab-
lshtd ~ the Harbor Comm tuers, and change o. ord
relative to street numbers, 80 they not al
ways met with the attsLtlo 10 which hey entitled
n ny Gfsi report hwas recor, udCd TIA, rome plan be
acopec ard have ceased 70 urge the necessity
fer raki1g the wharves Of durable materials Nothing
has yet been dcnc Recommendations have also Been
made the ether bure aus tot necessary %
| tion IN this commuul cation. In call5g a.
( teniion 70 my previous reports and rccofnmen.
datiots, take this occasion 70 say that, had fully
known Tho lsmcntabe condition q the business and
corcs 81 the department the confession disorder and trou
bic pcoed With past Unfinished transactions and tho
inadq uae authority conferred By the charter and laws
would not have accepted tioa IN the department Hav.
irg Undertaken II, bovevtr, have en5cavored 70 dis.
charge the cutts properly Mhsiever may have
resulted ,bcrefrum II due msuy 10 the iaens. zeal,
dusry and integrity &C Tic oners associated with
the department NJ thsnkt ard thoee - the community
epe % the gentlemen who have s,Tenuorsy exert
Cd ufwfsvsA "a tie great work q establishing every
ve' . .Ss varied complicated and extensive business