New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-05-27
OUR MUNICIPAL HERCULES.

OUR MUNICIPAL HERCULES.
The last report of the City Inspector Is a.
fairly gotten up volume of $40 pages, in tone
and purpose defense against past, and fore
stalling of future uniavorable criticism. The
Inspector himself has little to say, his most
earnest remarks being leveled at the " arrogant
and self-constitutcd organization called the
Citizens Association" The Superintendent oil
Sanitary Inspection confines himself to the
strcet-cleanng branch, the enormous proper
tons Of which, he says. seem to be very imper-
fectly understood. Ten different classes of
employees are attached to the Department
eight of whom report daily or tri'weekly;
No. ] reporting the work to be done, No. z
whether it has been done, No. whether No.
has done his reporting, and so on. ut would
be difficult" saws the report, "to conceive
more perfect system Of surveillance throughout
this great city, in all its ramiicatons, and a
more thorough search into every detail which
affects its cleanliness and sanitary condition,
than is achieved by the minuteness and regu-
lariiy of these reports of officials and cmployes
who personally inspect the city daily" In a
similar vein of elf-gratulation the whole report
is penncd, and the conclusion Is most trium-
phantly dcduced thercirom that the city Is
inspected. Suppose it is. Suppose that an in
spector personally examines every square rood
of it daily, and that an inspector OF inspectors
follows at his heels; suppose the system OF
surveillance To be the perfect system 1t IL
claimed to be-what then, so long os surveillance
is not the end in view, and the city is VIGOROUSLY
not cleani We want less time spent in seeing
about duty. and more time in doing it, clean
streets. and less mutual admiration in public
documents which the public pay for without
caring TO read. The surveillance may be most
perfect; the big machinery accurate and adj
mirable in its complex ramiGcations; ahundred
clerks may be constantly occupied in tranScrlb-
ing in as many huge folios the detailed reports
Of what the inspectors may have seen and
smelt, which records may be at the service Oh
ANYBODY who loves the alphabet more than
framed sentences and theory more than results;
but, in the name of good sense, what is it all
worth weighed against the fact that the city is
an abomination of filth! Mr.. B0ole aflirms
that it is clean, or that it might be dirtier. In
dry and windy times, tho vile dust goes
down our throats, into our eyes, upon
our persons aud our goods; in days like the first
Of this present week, it is impossible TO conceive
ANYTHING filthier, more inevitable, and more
evident, than the slime which bedaubs the whole
island. The surveillance is perfect, Mr. Boole.
Your inspectors saw it, for it was made their
duty to do 50; everybody else saw it, for il was
impossible not to see il; but when the cleaning
begins in surveillance and stops there as well,
what do we pay our million year fori
The Superintendent of Sanitary Inspection
echoes the words of his chief, the City Inspector,
concerning the Citizens Association, both
referring to Mr. Heckcr's injunction. After
abiding to the weekly preparation of maps show
ing the relative cleanlness--Or rather dirtiness
of various streets, this is the triumphant
conclusion:
"On referring TO the map FOR the last week Of Deem
Der. 1894 and first week Of January, 1855 there will
appear glaring difference between the appearance Of
those maps compared with the maps executed in pre-
dark blue. while the last two maps referred to are
covered with significant marks of dirty and filthy
streets which VIII convey rapid thought OF the effect
even for short time. Of the unjust Withholding Of
pay from the Woodworking lnbcrers who have until Of
iato kept the streets Of this city so clean"
What jesting is this, only that we know the
officials who write it to be really DESTROYS of
crammng it down the throats of the public
along with the dirt so perfectly removed on
paper! The report asserts that tho whole Of the
paved streets are swept once fortnight-a state.
meDt as credible as the statement would be that
the Sixth Ward is cleaned by Il broom and
mop every morning before breakfast.
But let us look little at the cxpenSveness
Of our circumlocution Office luxury and see
what we paid last year for Not having 1t Done.
The Superintendent informs us that the average
price per load paid for carting away dirt was 80
cents, amounting to an aggregate sum greater
than that appropriated by tho Legislature for
the whole cost of cleaning the streets, whereby
ws 900 that the Legislature must have bean