The New York herald., 1869-08-24


th1n the smount dishnrsed under the contract fol
| sne privilege OF being 6thy. An
analysis OF THE CONTRACT
specimen Of o1ioia stupidity. Having provided for
| the daily removal Of ell ashes and garbage which
or other contract e
tons as to the dong OF the work Of sweepng-
5. s 20
4 The line q East SIDE tnoroughfare, from PARK
ginning OF Fourth avenue; Fifth avenue. from Wa
verlsy place to Fifty-nnth street, and Broadway,
scavengered three times Z week, viz:-Tuesdays
| Wednesdays and Saturdays.
3. Fourth avenue to rnirtysecond street, Eighth
avenue 70 Forty second street State street, White
hail street, Wall street, COrtlandt street, Maiden
street. west OF Broadway, are TO be swept once
week unless prevented by frost or snow.
c m paraae % or other pub
contractor 70 clean street Of the intended route
| thereof upon written order.
8. The vicinity Of ali public markets must be
cleaned daily 10 the forenoon.
M wses Ss Of the S 81 are to be
sil lanes alleys, cutters, wharves piers and heads
Leaving out the lower section IL will be seen that
the Idea OF the commission was to separate the city
| into first class thoroughfares second class
be cleaned three times the middle class twice and
| the latter once week. few other exceptional
sRoss ssv are e be &C cleaned DAILY division more
needs OF the metropolis was probably never Con-
ceived; and the analysis OF the contract made 10
demonstrate that tle contractor Is not altogether to
blame more salient specimen Of stupidity tna n
the contract itself having never been executed at
the CITY Hall. In streets like Baxter. Mulberry,
Mott and others-that H streets Of The lower class OF
tenant house population-dally cleaning forms an
only oncs on ana account TO o
the disturbance Of garbage, is worse than
nSs s t. he oesa heated them aer a. especially ss sons a
makes no determinations in their favor. In fact,
Mulberry street, OF any OF the preceding mentioned,
cleaned threc times and were the contractor faith
ful IN mis- work, portions OF the city must be pest
The fact remains however, that the contractor Is
superficial In the performance of his duty even at
strably true that the system that formeriy prevailed
In Paris OF sweeping the whole city daily with hand
brooms might be Introduced and carried out here
at an expense OF half million while the present
Paris system might be carried out for onehaf tnat
sum, leaving an ample margin to the contractor,
True, scavengers In Paris are paid only twenty-five
cents while here they demand seven times that
amount butagan IN Paris the contractor receives on
ly from three to fiye cents load tor the sweepings
while here he receives eight times the Paris average
1t must be remembered, however, that the Paris
scavanger In general only worked four hours a day,
at six cents an hour which would be equivalent to
sixty cents for every day OF ten hours, or nearly
two-fths Of the cost OF the same labor here Taxing
tractor New York can % be swept @ daily for s5eoooo
@ p Paris rS can be- swept daH
year, New YORK can be swept daily by the same pro-
dor e cos 81 ae @
labor In the two cities, and there Is no gainsaylng
their substantial Justice.
The cost OF single cleaning to the square yard
ID New York Is now seventy-eighr times that of
Paris and were Paris to be cleaned only once O
traton. the cost would be trne less than $50 900
per year. against s5oO 900, which Is the New York
figure. In other words, over 100000 OF square
where o,50000O square yards are cleaned In New
York at an expense Of about $4,000 These are
Startling deductions but they are facts nevertheless
as any one who will take the trouble to inform him.
self may ascertain, and tho inevitable conclusion to
which they point Is, that there Is shameful prOd,.
galty on the part OF somebody OF the pubic moneys
further inevitable conclusion being that there Is
sion IN permitting the contractor 10 draw his money
at all for work 80 fnehclently and superfcally DONE
Farsher specifications Of this curious document as
to the manner OF cleaning are as subj0ined:-
The streets shah be kept conveniently passabe vehi
ces during the winter and the crosswaks cutters
the cuvers Of the shall be kept free and clear so
that the water shall not be prevented from lowing through
The sree.a shall in all instances be sprInkled in
q May to .hs .t Of Eoys@ber q each The
they may from time to time, required By
ss S n Or oSs4 s. y S sI
moved from the CUTTERS ha, the same shall carried
may deem for the Performance: Of this conrac.
a. may Be BY msoTy q he eomm aaa
sioers to prevent waste of water.
ea Streets in IBIS city and protect lbs pubic hesS 30
years. A''' ''' W pe'''1 - ''A
This last declaration will probably strike the reader
as morsel OF grim official bunOr, but beng In the
bond 1t Is worth quotation; for most certainly had
not the purpose Of the contract been thus definitely
either from the specifications thereof or from the
manner In which they have 80 far been carried out.
81 the city a are hs is nothing but
Board Of Health must continue to be 80.
The Sanitary superintendent is permitted by stat
ana has been expeneine an average % so per er wee
since the middle OF June with greater advantage to
$4,000 week disbursed to the contractor. Under
the present contract the duty OF supervision seems
Health having formerly deyoivsd - upon is Hsfa s cSy U
Inspector, in whose stead the President occupies
seat In the commission and whose junction he other
wise exercises The specification under which this
power accrues to the President Of the Health Board
runs thus.-
1ss (: A , b pRssS sn &! h &
;ss:s ys ssyiA ss
% % ns shs aSG II s ns s sss Il bs
DELAY opy yh the Of The c
h s nG
pGs .ssns e. . Cone
70 eSnsde the same at time ahd place to be
1t woald SEEM therefore. that under this con:
tract the President OF the Health Board Is invested
with the immediate supervision OF this work; but IL
unfortunately 80 happens that any criticism Of his
must be referred to the meeting OF the commission,
and thus his powers are 80 curtailed as to be pro-
ductive Of no good reshlts. The Sanitary Supern-
tendent cannot, therefore. be held responsible for
the existing condition OF affairs Again, there Is
Sod guarded SS ana meetings of sse
commission amount TO nothing. Thus the con-
tractor Is left substantially TO himself In the per-
formance OF the wOrk-and who ever heard OF q
contractor having any conscience land thus he is
enabled TO save something more than half the
amount disbursed by the Comptroller at the least
calcuIation paying perhaps percentage OF his
gains TO members Of the ring. A moro dis
Graceful fraud, taken In all its bearings
was never perpetrated than this same street clean
ing contract, taken In connection with its indecent
administration and yet unless there is legislative
interference II fs likely to be continued six years or
30 longer. Verify there is some meaning In the
phrase '.OYlcial swindling" ana that meaning was
neYer Illustrated with more forcIbie and posiuYe