New-York tribune., 1867-09-20

Cleaning Offices ---'-'-------' -,
S2O4,Sl3 l2
Salaries Commissioners Of Health, 1923 q
Salaries Board Of Health. .....-..-j
,,.,,,,. ,oto, ov,,onso Of .S22l, ,os6 80
oaiIst $2 5s7 o spcnt by the Board OF Health. If IL
be said that the Cy Inspectors Department also had
under this Department the sFeei-ccahlhk COS - o.H'
81 o0oCO per annum nd the streets were not ceah3i i
whereas under the commission system II costs DuI
$JOO,OOO and the streets are cleanedl.
TIE PAID FIRE DEPARTMENT.
With the Paid Fire Department a system no one can
justly find fault for there can he no more probrley III
having Volunteer Fire Department than a Volunteer
Police force. Ii very long indeed before the people
of this community would abandon the old Department
for the new they felt reluctant 10 abandon system
which its day had done good service and because asO
portion of them were inundated 10y the hue and cry
raised by the politicians who feared the loss of power If
the Volunteer system winch had become tho.0uGbiy cor
day like other landmarks of previous generations the
Volunteer Fire Department was swept away, ana sys-
tenn inau clIrated equal to the advanced position of our
age II seems extraordinary that the greatest CONNER
cIa metropolis of this continent, with ltS vast interests
lis wealth It's pOpuaton its spirit progress in the arts
and sciences its nte gence s use in other respects OF
the of nature to control the forces OF nature should
been the last of the great cities OF the world to I
aiZe that in vast community of persons where lndYd
uas of the and lower classes congrecate 10 prey
upOn the lives and property of Others where there Is not
only great amount of good but equal If not greater
amount of evil Affairs which concern the common IN
terest of ALL must be made matter of business and not
left to the voluntary and spas0dlc eHOrtS OF uhoea
The insurance companies who insure 81 OOO0O0OOO OF
property in the Metropolitan DstTctOwncd in every part
If tbe Staeas we understand have taken steps to
tain this Commission and would on account recon-
mend return TO the old system or 10 system by which
the Mayor Of the city would have the power To appoint
the state senate that the Volunteer Department cost
directly and indirectly million Of d0Fa'S per
anRun. Thousands of young men in this department
were ruined yearly and their suffering wives mothers
and sisters prayed for the abolition OF department III
which their husbands, sons and brothers met WIN so
Of the amount expended for this Department in 1866
10000 was for the pay OF The force.
Under the old system. the number about 300 The
Metropolitan Department has already turned over to the
city authorities ennchOuses &c, worth at least $4,000
If there be any extravaganza, or fraud or improper eX
pendture in tins Department, let its opponents call
public attention TO the fact Under the present Commits
sions the public have every guaranty that the manage
ment of this Department VIII give entire satisfaction as
regards economy, honesty, and efficiency
THE EXCISE BOARD.
This Board, so unpopular with the liquor dealers and
criminal classes and popular and dearly cherished by
every good citizen, is composed OF the same able men
who compose the Board Of Health The Excise law last
wear brought about s1OO0OOO into the treasury OF the
city, and the amount this year, upon the sound
principle that those who by Their occupation ana HaDs
add so largely To the burdens Of taxation must them
selves bear their full proportion OF that tax The neces
sty of an Excise law has always been admitted Is not
lessly fully and efficiently enforced the law Under the
Old system less than s2O0o per year Was coGcteG from ron
the Commissioners have the control Of the expenditures
OF large sums of mOney-ns complaints have, yet,
been made Of their spending this money improperly
which is the main point unless some specific complaint
Should @ not be- departed from unless the Cy or local aa
Orties show that they do better in the expenditure
To show with what economy the Common Council and
the Board of Supervisors husband the money and other
property under their control we refer TO the following
TIE COMMON COUNCIL.
On the 14th day Of June, 1866 resolution rushed
through both branches giving away IN fact 70 the llar
lem Railroad Company, the whole of one-hundIedand-
twenty nfth-st IL pushed through with such inde
cent haste (passng both Boards the same day that
Mayor Hoffman, in his Veto If not III form, yet in sub
stance strongly reDukcd the common COuc IOr me cX-
traOrnaTy rapidty with which was ready to sacrifice
the interests OF our people Oi course no puDc hOlce
was gwen, Tor those VINO had the management Oi the
little affair, wished to keep it quiet possible.
olutiOn passed the Common Council directing the Street
Commissioner to make contract for 20 years for lighting
our streets with cOalgas. Mayor Hoffman vetoed this
scheme but it was only efecualy stopped by an injunc
ton; had the Common Council been able TO deliver our
people bound hand and foot to the eXtOrtOnate mo-
S2,OO@VO per year ior very poor nght Inc common
Council, in violation Of the City charter leased 10 the
Sisters Of Mercy about threequarers OF block Of ground
between Fourth and LeXingtOnaves III the neighbQr-
hood OF Eighty hrds for the term Of 81 years, al the
This is only specimen of how the Common Council
deals with It's trust property with property pledged to
whereas the charter prohibits leases for longer term
than 10 years And similar have been made to other
charities.
The matter OF the Corporation Manual shows how the
Common Council spends the public money. In the early
to prepare and cause to be published 10000 copies Of this
volume.
The Mayor vetoed this resolution because he tboupbt
first that there was no proprey in publishing 10000 cop
les, and secondly because there was limitation upon
in 1866 amounted to sSG2 30 The Mayor stated in his
veto that upon inquiry made OF responsible publishers
he had asceTained that 10000 copies could be prepared
for $4,000 The Common Council refused TO be guided
by the Mayor and TO give out the work to the lowest bid
der, but passed the resolution his veto; and.
matter Of CO & tae m SS & TOR P9bsang @ @ the Manual
put through in 1867, but 1t was prevented.
The leasing of few rooms OF Fernando Wood, in his
Of $s when they were not worth more than ~ 200
In 1865 the Legislature appropriated 900 for printing
apde AZ however
year. the Common Council spent some $4,000 for those
items. This is one instance OF the many III which the
Common Council has exceeded the appropriations.
ANNsT. MATTER.
resolution was passed in the Common Council on the
last day Of its official existence in 1865 directing the Cor
pOratOn Counsel 10 take proceedings 10 widen Ann and
FutOn-sts This alteration would have destroyed over
400 places Of business aud thrown over 5000 persons out
Of employment, and have cost millions OF dollars Four
fiths Of the surprised owners Of property on
the line OF the proposed alteration used every argument
and presented every TemOnstrance, but without avail
The Common Council however, forced to rescnd its
action.
the insecurity OF the tenure Of property in this
city, that may to bed at night believing himself
safe in the enjoyment Of private property for many years.
and making plans for its future Improvement, but wake
the and read in tho morning papers that ii has
been secretly cOnscaed by the Common Council TO fur
nh Jobs for its dependents and the cOTupty interested
railroad corporations which desire 10 have wider
The weliknown Fort Gansevoort swndle by which the
city paid some S50O00 for its property The above
are few instances only In which the Common Council
has OF late abused its trust
The Association has observed with pleasure the effort
Of Mayor Hoffman to check reckless legislation the
part Of the Common Council. although regrets that
those efforts have been Intellectual
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
inc Board OF Supervisors has OF late abused its trusts
III the Following instances among many others:
WHAT WAS PAID FOR ENROLLING MILITIA OF THE CITY
In 1854, on the plea OF correcting the enrolment of this
ety. so as 10 reduce its quota under the National drafts
or conserpnons, the Volunteering Committee of the
Board OF Supervisors about making mn new LIST of
persons liable 70 military duty When 1t done. peace
was declared, ana was utterly useless: $500 O0 had
been wrnng from the Taxpayers and thrown 10 horde
Of hungry seekers. But this was not ali Tho Com
initee Of the Board Of Supervisors resolved thot NJ
Orison Blunt had efficiently served the tax hot
they must pay him something SO they voied him
service Of plate worth $1,000 and they voted him a n,
Of &5O.OOn The service OF plate given III -.