The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-01-25

Our wharves and Piers-The Report Of ths
SENATE COMMITTEES.
The Senate Committee appointed at the last
session Of the Legislature to examine the con-
dt;on Of the wharves and piers Of New York
have made their report through Senator Pier
son. They sell forth the deplorable condition
of the piers, wharvcs slips and balkheads Of
the city, state truly that they are disgrace to
great commercial emporium, and come to the
conclusion that certain reforms are impera-
lively demanded, to wit THE construction Of
canal basin, by the appropriation Of the exte-
rior water front Of the Battery, with proper
wharves for the accommodations of not lees than
eight hundred canal boats; the raising OF the
rates Of wharfage to an amount sufficient to
pay interest on the value Of the land and keep
the structure In repair; the widening Of the
streets bordering on the river, and the placing
Of the harbor under board, bureau or COM
mission, whose tenure of ONCE should be ssbe-
yond political caprice" and whose powers
should be ample and absolute. The committee
do not present any bills Of their own to accom-
plish these objects; but Senator Pierson reports
the bill already introduced by Mr.. Gibson and
understood to emanate from The Citizens Assoc
citation "lor the consideration Of the Senate"
which means that the committee do not adopt
md recommend that particular measure. bnt
leave the subject open for the action d the
Senate.
The bill in question has many Objectionable
features. II is complicated and fails to meet
directly and plainly the existing evils IF q
Board OF Public Works Is TO be created, tho
piers and wharves, as we'll as all other matters
properly belonging to such department, should
be placed under its control, and we should
not have a batch ofindepeudent commissions,
one for piers and wharves, another for markets,
another for city railroads, and so forth. Tho
rates OF wharfage should be fixed BY the
Legislature, by direct enactment, and not lett
TO any board. The Board Of Public Works
should have authority to widen the streets bor-
dering on the river and TO remove tho rail-
roads that obstruct them. While seeking
remedy for the evils that now exist care
should be especially taken that no jobs are
foisted upon the city and that no monopoly be
allowed 10 obtain possession Of any number
OF the piers and wharves under the pretended
cry Of reform.
The city needs above all other things
Board Of Public Works, with authority over all
streets, buildings, railroads, ferries, piers and
point subordinate bureaus, but they must all
act in harmony under one head, as all their
interests are too closely interviewer to be split
up into pieces and placed in half dozen diff
ferent and Independent bodies. The Board
should possess the power to open four or Eve
avenues to the Battery; to widen streets; 10 re-
move railroad tracks and remodel our city rail-
road system TO manage and regulate markets,
docks and all other city property. This would
meet the case Of the piers and wharves and
ensure their speedy rebuilding and their proper
management in the future.
The wharves and piers are the most valuable
property in possession Of the city. To make
them remunerative they should at once be put
into proper repair, should be kept In repair by
the city, and not by the lcssecs, should be
leased at the highest rents that might be bid
for them on those terms, and should be en-
titled by law'to such rates Of dockagc as would
paw fair interest on the value Of the land and
the structures This Is all that Is necessary to
ensure good docks TO commerce and n hand
some income to the city. As our present city
authorities--the Mayor and Council--are not
to be relied upon, Tho management Of this
properly aud the carrying out Of these reforms
should be placed IN The hands Of the Board Of
Public Works. All this Is simple enough II