New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-05-08

thousand dollars was paid for cleaning and
repairing proper, in addition to $Sl5,s43 IL.
After July last, and up to the present time,
all the clesning contracts have ceased, anu
only one ward tor repairing is in force.
The family refuse, which is placed on the
sidewalk in boxes and barrels, instead 81
being thrown into the river, KS formerly
has in many places been used 10 I'll up
streets with; aud when we'll rotted makes
much better road than the ordinary mud
streets, being dryer and harder. In inc
second district more than mile OF good
road has been made out of 3 swamp. the
same also in the third district.
When the rate at which the Guy
is extending in the rear IS consld,
cred, aud the large number OF smaI
houses which have been erected since 1873,
| 1t must be obvious that the work is to-day
| performed at much more economical rate
| than formerly. TO perform the work OF
cleaning the city properly, situated as Lnls
| city is, without any sewers or underground
| drains to carry off any portions OF the rel
USE, not less than twenty thousand dollars
| per month is sufficient for the purpose o.
! cleaning alone, exclusive ofthe repairs 10 me
| paved streets
Since June last, by virtue Of ordinance
| No. 6l5, about fourteen hundred oil lamps
| have Ugen erected in the rear OF the several
wards where the mains OF the gas company
| do not extend.
The fences Of many Of the public squares
| have been reported many months Sgo as
needing repairs. The came remark Is true
| of Locust Grove Cemetery No. z, aud Of I.s,
fayette Cam terry No 2. In the Il 81 named
| the fence is broken 4 JWn in seVel al places,
so that cattle and hogs fud easy entrance.
| The cemetery itself is much neglected, pelng
| overgrOwn with weeds. | must say u ls
anything but creditIble to q city like New
| Orleans, who buasts of her kinuness to tue
| sick stranger within her gates that
| the last earthly resting place OF the
| frendless should be tramping GROUND Tor
hogs and broken cutfins should b. allowed
TO lie scattered around on the ground.
Common respect for the remains ut the
! dead ought TO prevent any such thing. The
rear part of the feuce of Lafayette Cemetery
No, is entirely rotten, and at present
proBped up BY sticks.
Ordinance No BAT, new series, known IS
the pound ordinance, Is detective, aud
sh Iuld be entirely reDodeled. q street en-
forcement of its provisions will occasion =
loss OF four or i've thousand dollars per
year to the city.
gems during the summer, shOsld be i'm,
proved. Something sh Iuld be done; and
while do not propose to say lafGt, l am
sure that it is duty the city owes to Its
citizens to take some steps To improve and
heautify it. If nothing else, let small sum
entirely neglected; beyond keeper aud
policeman to preserve order, not one cent
has been appropriated.
Some uniform aud systematic plan of i'm
prOvemeut shOuld be- adopted, so that every
improvement made would form part of the
general plan. By this means the money
expended would b. obviously seen by all.
Now, as all our improvements are soon
nected, we do not derive the full amount of
good from them that we ought to.
Rmong the necessary reforms which have
been allowed to slumber for many mouths
is the building of the nuisance bO2s
required to be built by the last Legislature.
No considerations of economy should be-
longer allowed 10 prevent their construction.
Without desiring 10 touch upon matters
not belonging to this department, desire
to Say that the drainage OF tais city up 20
the present time is 4 farce, q miserable
failure. The only idea that seems to have
been uppermost in the mind of the origin
4tor, was that of getting rid Of the super.
iuOus rain water, when the canals got full,
and were in danger of overapwiDg, Then
the REALIZED machines were set To work to
reduce the water few inches, and then TO
wait till they flied up again, and so on, in.
stead Ofkeeping them empty, thereby giving
the opportunity to portion of the water
with which the soil issaturated to drain of,
which in u short time would allow the AMI
to rise. They might with almost equal
propriety be called saturating machines, for
by working them by fits aud starts they
help to Ike p the ground well Saturated,
rather than drained; and make no doubt
that Il STRANGER, if the name was changed,
would rs readily believe they We're designed
for the one purpose AS the her
The many railroad companies that the
city has given charters to tor travel on the
public streets during the last two years,
permeatlng the city in almost every d.
reclioH, will exert Il great influence IN caus
ing building up Of the city in the rear
One thing, hOWev, r, | notice is that in all
cases where the track gues through an IN.
paved street, the street is hardly ever
ln order. ! think great mistake has been
made in giving such valuable franchises rs
the charters of these Companies are, with
out requiring them to pave in some manner
the uupaVed streets through which their |
tracks go. Ia some Cases the streets are
practically abandoned tn the railroad oOm.
pauy, for no private citizen with a vehicle
can pass the cars OF get out Of the way
This ought not to have been. 1t certain
~ was never contemplated or intend
ed to be so. Ia all Cases the companies
should be required to pave or otherwise
fix the street SO that citizens may use it rs
well rs themselves. Ifthis eau not be done,
then the city ought to ret apart the amount
received from these companies for the special
purpose Of making such improvements on
the streets referred to, more especially as
the proceeds result from the use of the
streets. 1t is next TO impossible to keep
the mud streets where there is any amount
Of travel. in good order; but more especially
Is this true where car track runs through
the middle.
During the time l have been in office
nearly all the streets paved with square \
blocks have been swept regularly twice u
week, and some of them three times. The
cutters have been washed aud Cleaned in
the same manner. Many of the new streets
were in very bad condition, but by re-
peatedly working on them, keeping the gut
ters clear, and grading the street so as to
allow the water TO run uff, they have been
much improved. / might refer TO st
CHARLES, jackson, and Coliseum streets as
~ illustration
In the organization OF the department
each subordinate Is held to strict account
ability. Proper records are now kept and |
properly fled 80 that Il will not be dftficult |
At any iuLure time to trace the history Of
anything required.
Among the necessary improvements which |
had nearly forgotten, and which daring |
the next year At least, Il great deal must be |
dune, fer toihe making of new and re-
placing Won out wood guiIers. They are
absolutely Necessary IN many places Not
one foot has Deen laid down during the time
| have been in Office. At present more than
half Of what is down Is SO rotten as to be
USELESS.
With many thanks for your uniform Kind.
ness, aud your readiness 10 listen 10 gay
matter ! found necessary TO lay before YOU,
have the hunar 10 be,
Your Oh ah NJ -trVent,
WILLIAM BAKER,
Street Commissioner,
sURERYok's REPORT.
49,. svavEEoR's oyEIot.