The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-11-27

ally paid for by taxation on the community at
iarge;n and 10 was insisted In that argument that
.the magnificent b0uieyards OF Paris, the Holborn
Viaduct and Thames Embankment IN London,
c0uld never have been constructed under the opera
ti0n OF law that imposed tneir entire OUTLAY upon
property Immediately adjoining, or by an extended
but arbitrary area OF assessment;n ana further on
izng the Construction Of the Pubic Drive or Bsule
vard extending from Fifty-ninth street TO Iubby
Hook provision was inserted 70 81 assess ,ss
total expense or acquiring the land and
It's subsequent grading regulating aud improvtna,n
and that In pursuance OF this authority, the work
was undertaken and that "the total oil the pro-
ceedings for land alone from Fify.ninth street 10
I55th street was s3,400,34s, OF winch amount the
county was assessed $3.50, 6Ss.p These and other
arguments prevailed upon Governor Hoffman 10
now law. Under it the directors TO the Comms-
s0ners' present report claim that the city OF New
York should also be assessed for the expense OF
widening Broadway under The act or May 20, 1860,
onehalf or the value Of the land taken, or
235 or al least under the act OF May II, 1869
onetnrd or the amounI-sy64 ,S2}-and that
the burden on individual owners OF property within
the 'area or assessment Should be lessened to
that extent. IL IS believed thar the arguments al
vanced have had their influence with the Commits
mlssi0ners and that the assessments the city win
, ne maze 70 sle amount probably OF one-tnird OF
provement stocko at twenty years,
MADISON AVENUE AND BROADWAY
un .he san OF June 1870 an act was passed by the
General Assembly, now known as chapter 500 OF The
Laws OF 1870, entitled "An oct inlrelaton certain
streets In the city OF New York; 1t reads as iol-
lows
hereby extended souhwardy follows The easerly l'ne
parallel with the westerly line Of Fourth avenue, extending
On s lo% s S ns ss a"r
The s.:ay line q srsaa~ay " and ,hs
the ss rs ss
line Of said avenue a. extended and shall continued
SEC Broadway n said city, Seventeenth and
line thereof snail be- as new a ID
and The easiery line thereof shall be
and Pons wSe sefn' o os
Of "s as s.
RE distance Of 100 feet from The said west
$50 The ground taken for the of Madison ave-
70 be- parts Of the streets Of s
city Of New York In Ike and with az
p %
Ss ad ohs out Of
Possi ,drs. April s and all act. and para Of acts
ns oa paving and inn
&C, in relation 10 the opening WIDENING e a sns
extending q streets and public places in the city
a procssdugs same can be ap
requires for and II behalf Of Mayor and Com
~ be Il as c an to ne auho
widening q Broadway for that purpose, within sixty
days ass the Of this ae; to apply the
Judicial district for me appointment three
widening broadway ana he shall perform ali
necessary legal services In the proceedings authorized by
salary and allowances now provided BY law. The Com
mssioners so appointed shall make their report Su
preme Court within six months after the time Of their APP
SIC 8. Ths act shall take effect Immediately
The language OF the above Is 80 precise thar IL
needs not the subtlety OF u "Philadeiphia lawyer,
10 explain, nor anything more than common sense
TO understand 1t. Any one In possession or u good
map OF the city, and adjusting an Inch rule 10 the
scale OF such map can himself make correct dia-
gram OF this proposed Improvement
lie Will then mud that the extended Madison ave-
nue. does not connect with the present avenue of
That name at the foot OF Madison square but begins
Its southwark course from Twenty third street some
what further to the west AS II Is to begin 425 eet
west from the west line OF Fourth avenue, ana Is
or the extended avenue will begin on the south
line OF Twenty third street, at point about $50 feet
and Twenty-third street. The new avenue breaks
through the block 10 Twenty street. the north
line or which is reached by the west line or Madison
avenue, nearly 200 feet east or the cast line or
Broadway. Continuing Its course through The ne xt
block the west line or the avenue touches norm
line OF Twenty first street, at point In the neigh
borhood or about 100 feet from Broadway, and on
twentieth street the west line Of the new avenue
win De about fifty feet east OF Broadway. Between
Twentieth and Nineteenth streets the whole pre-
ssau sase ahs front mo o. groaaWa WIN be
running here line removed from
Broadway eastward about nfty feet on twentieth
street and about twenty feet on Nineteenth street.
AT this point, somewhere near twenty leet east rom
the eastery line OF Broadway the east line OF Madl
son avenue as extended Will be met by the new
corner OF Broadway and Seventeenth street and
running north straight to the point mentioned cut
tween seventeenth and Nineteenth streets al vari-
Gus depths, ranging nom one foot to twenty or
strikes the east line OF Madison avenue on Nine
teenth street Broadway Will be 100 feet wide Is ut
from here to Twenty third street the Broadway VIII
not be disturbed. This extension OF Madison ave-
nue. and widening OF broadway promises TO be
VERY COSTLY AFFAIR,
considering that II affects only six blocks IN all from
seventeenth To Twenty third street. But every one
knows that not only ID the ground neld at Il very
high valuation In this neighbornood, put the side
streets east from Broadway covered with costly
private residences OF the first class, and wal have to
be paid for accordingly. The entire expense Will
S1,50O,00o oDe-haf or which. however, will ouIy be
assessed upon individual owners OF adjoining aud
contiguous property; the other naf Of The expendi-
lure II is intended to charge upon the city large
to be paid for ont OF the avalls or "city I'm.
provement stock'' to be issued for that purpose
the annual interest and the necessary accumulation
Tor sinking fund TO redeem them at maturity to
be provided for by yearly addition TO the tax roll
SINGULAR OFFICIAL RETIcEECE
II Will nave been perceived that the act quoted
above makes II the duty OF the Corporation Coun.
gel TO apply to the Supreme Court at Special Term,
ana assessments within sixty days alter the pas
sage OF the act. These sixty days expired on the
That nesl The ai linn sy were APPOINTED abent
20 10 MAKE their report to the Supreme Court
expires about the 18Th OF January next, within
about SIX weeks from this day, and yet no Inior-
nation could be obtained for publication OF
what the Commissioners have done until now
Ineir maps ana plans their assessments for benefits
and allowances for damages their RECORDS and
minutes OF proceeding were not to be had for IN
spectlon. In classical English, one persOn--not a
commssioner--0f whom inquiry was made, re-
pied These things are not movable yet;n and
announcer. adopting the pnraseology OF an Arkansas
constaDie IN return OF warrant SAID, "NOn come
atable" Whether this reticence is practsed for the
reason that, by giving the facts such publicity as
the HERALD only could give, the number OF obec-
tors 10 their intended report might be increased
and hence such publicity Is sought to be avoided
or whether there are other reasons moving the
powers mat De TO this conduct 1t is impossible to
say. A few weeks, however, viii bring the matter
out.