New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-05-12
scribed therein, shall be issued by the city


course of legitimate expenditures. The |
work or supplies must have been ordered to
be done or purchased by a resolution OF Inc |
Council empowering the Controller to aoJu-
dictate the contract; the Controller shou'd
have reported his action hereunder 70 tne
Council tor approval or rejection, ana the
Council, if content with the adjudication.
should have EN- powered the Mayor to sign the
contract. This order of business had out one
exception, which arose when the workto be
done was less than five hundred dollars III
costs. Then, in order to AVOID the expense,
instead Of publishing proposals and adJudl-
eating the contract, the Councis could order
the contract without an adjudication: put IN
other res poets the whole Of the above form
ali,ies had to be complied with. and after
the work was certified as complete by the
proper committees. a resolution should pass
the Council to authorize warrant to Issue
from the Controllers Office.
have now examined some three hundred
claims, amounting 70 upward OF 3Oo,oOO,
embracing every variety of accounts.
1t has been sargued that no warrant
or registered bill, outstanding at this date,
is legal obligation of the city. warrant
being permitted to issue only when there Is
money in the treasury, and all other oblga-
tons being absolutely denounced and TOR
hidden. The authority to register certih-
Gates Is found in act oil, Revised Laws and
Ordinances, which directs that the Control
Ter shall register AID number al approved
certificates and shall issue his trdTTQ!lts Jor
the same in The order Of tier registry. These
certificates are the property OF the city; no
where is there municipal ordinance per
hitting the delivery of these ceruncates to
the contrac Or; on the contrary, any sucn
ordinance would conravene the act OF 1907,
and the absence of the mass of these cer;h-
Gates from the City Hall, inasmuch as there
is no record of their details, makes IL iin-
possible to ascertain, at this moment,
whether a bill for the work represented by
item has been paid once or twice. or paid
TO the proper contrac ;or; ior, if the contractor
should have lost his certificate he may YET
reinstate his claim against the city and, II
proved, it can not be req cted.
The requirement that 10 payment shall De
made without resolution or the .Couucl,
seems to have been dead letter these many
wears. And the same may b. said of the act
recurring al work to be placed under con-
tract For example. resolution l346, new
series ordered some twenty three t25) streets
to be repaired. Work has been done upon
these streets at great cost, yet none OF IL
under contract, Or with any further cognlz-
auce of the Council than thai implied IN
the order to make the repairs.
The Finance Committee, III some instances
| by direction of the Council, and in other in.
| stances without such authority, has granted
| increased compensation to contractors and
| others though It is obvious that section III
| OF the charter fCrbiGs the increase of eaarles
| during the incumbent's term OF ofhce, and
| the act OF the Legislature previously quoted
depTives ihe Council OF the power to release
| contractors from the terms OF tfeir cont act.
! Il is found that some claims have been al
| lowed by committee s gaihst the city, which
should be paid by other persons or institu.
| tious. The clerk of the Charity Hospital
| has sent large numbers OF smallpox pa
| ,jents to a private hospital, which seeks to
charge the city with the expense, some
! $40 geo. since November last.
| In reference to city notes it is found that
many have been issued without the author
| ity of a resolution OF the Council. All are
| without authority of a State law. Few of the
obligations of Jefferson City have fallen IN
| der examination; some OF Its warrants are
found 10 be issued to bearers, without re-
! ceiDt being taken from any one, although
purporting to be issued against pay roll.
To sum up, it Is clear that neariy the Whoe
floating de BIT is founded in irregularity, and
| in strict construction of law much of 1t Is OF
doubtful validity. Some of tia great fraud on
| the people of New Orleans. But in the
| 81 900 600 of bills made by our city govern
| mtut 8 large part IS represented by VOTE
done. and merits consideration. The funding
act couttmplafes q remedy for past errors
It is to be considered whether the city may
| not be bound by the acts OF It's official repre-
| sentatives, as it doubtless is. when the obi
| caticns are in the hands of innocent holders
The minor bills for small amounts, thougt
fortified by no authority Of the Council aut
| n t made under contract. WILL unless some
palpable Injustice dishgure them. be recon-
mended for payment. Large amounts VII
be carefully scrutin zad-tO be cepted onl'
on the c!earest evidence of value received
bv the city; in case of doubt the contracso
will be called on TO make good his claim.
| A question has arisen as to the date Whlc
shall limit the class Of claims to enter tn
Floating Debt statement. 1t has been held
so far, that all bills registered Ia the Con
troller's Office after the sixteenth OF March
1870. do not belong to the Floating Deb
provided for by the new charter.
The statement of the matured oblga
tons found to be perfectly correct an
valid, will soon be laid before you, and tina
part upon which / may require turtle
authorlz alton or instructions will be mad
the subject of report to the Council.
Respectfully submitted,
ALFRED SHAW,
Administrator OF Pubic Accounts.
All these reports were received and lai
over to be printed.
Election OF IN a ssistant to the Cit
| OsneY.
The Council proceeded to the election {
an Assistant to the City Attorney.
Mr.. Administrator Shaw nominated Nj
Rufus NAPLES, who Was unanimous
elected, no other candidates being proposed
r Petitions. etc.
4 communication from Adam Boussiol
| farmer of the Port Market, YVES referred I
the Department Of Waterworks.
f A petition from certain fire cornpanit
asking the city for $1,000 to pay their excul
sion expenses to the North, was referred
the Department of Commerce.
A petition Of Messrs. A. Hitzde} d Go
to light the outskirts of the city CT New Q
leans. IVES referred to the Administrator
Police.
| Administrator Pierce moved g. reconsld
l Grafton of the resolution referring to I'll
supply Of beef to the city fer the purpose
striking out the Insane AsJ lum, as that IN
stitution was in charge of another Depar
clent.
: The reconsideration and amendment wer
, agreed to.
A petition from Coroner Avila was refer
red to the Administrator OF Public Bull
ings.
A petition from property-owners on Err
ret street was referred to the Administered
of Improvements.
A petition from e. Hacker, for reimours
ment of licenses paid in error, was referre