New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-04-07
CITY CORRUPTIONs.

| +. Stnstors MUNGER WHITE and HUMPHREYS.
| GENTLEMEN oPTHE SENATORIAL IygEsrIGAT-
ING COMMITTEE: The Bureau for the Collection
of Assessments, attached to the Street Depart
ment, deserves your prompt attention and report.
The nominal staff OF this Bureau is one Col
ector, four Deputy Collectors, and two or three
Clerks--one Of the Deputies and two Of the
Clerks doing the whole work of the Office; while
the Collector and three other Deputies hold per-
feet sinecures. On the evidence of Mr.. Storrs,
Deputy Controller Of our city, given before you,
there was paid to the Collector Of this Bureau
the sum of S33, last year, To be equally
divided between himself and his four subordi-
mates, As their per centsgc profit on the amount
of assessments which had been collected during
the twelve months preceding.
/ ont of tint, rum os t3a, 900 deduct s.. OOO-a
very liberal estimate forthe Office expenses or the
Bnreau-and We find remaining the sum Of SIS,
900 for last years net profts-a sum which should
have given 80, 500 each TO the Collector and his
four Deputies-two OF whom, of course, are
members zone Democratic, John Fox, and the
other Republican, Henry Smith, Of our omniyor-
Gus Board OF Supervisors. The fact, however, is
that not one of these Deputy Collectors received
even 80 much as one-haI the amount legally
due TO him-Street Commissioner Cornell hay
ing, indsregard oflaw, quartered on the Office, at
a rate equal to that of each Deputy Collector, an
OK senator, II. ID. Robertson of Westchester
County-tbis being assessed on the Bureau as
the cx-Senator's pay for having voted for and
carried an extension BY the Legislature OF our
present Democratic Street Commissioners term
OF Office.
| Even this illegal quarterng of a sixth parti-
toner. however, on fund which the City
Charter and ordinances provide shall only be
divided among five persons, will not account
for tie largo deficit in the actual receipts Of the
Deputy Collectors of this Bureau-S2S, 900 d.
vided among six giving to each $500 as bis
share; while, in fact, each of the four Deputies
has only received the sum of S2,5O0 during the
preceding year. How do you account for this,
Collector Il. G. Smith Is the fault with you,
or with Street Commissioner Cornell For the
money paid to the Westchestrian ex-senator
there is 10 pretcnse Of any return, either to the
city or to his associates, in work OF attendance
upon official duties. His pay was earned some
years ago by his vote in our State Senate. and
there that matter ends. Even including his
allowance, however, there is still a deficit
nnaccounted for of 81, 800 due to each of the
six making All aggregate Of thirteen thousand
eight hundred dollars Has this sum been
divided with other secret friends Of the Street
Commissioner or is it now up at Albany, en-
ployed in corrupting all the vonal element both
in our Senate and Assembly, In conclusion,
wo would add that The profits of this Bureau
last year were far less than the ayerage-the
collections being light; and that, taking one
year with another, for the past ten years, the
shares of the Collector and his four Deputies
would be much nearer $1,000 than 81, GOO
year each iif honestly divided and not reduced
by the legislative corruption assessments of tho
Chief Officer of the Street Department.
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