New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-03-22

Old SIOE1 - IOLIliCAl- INfLIEN'E AM
CORRrPTI0N-JACksON ;. SCHULTZ OK TIE
SITUATION.
! ALBANY March 21.-Thc Committee on Public
Health this morning capitol 10 inquire into
the present system Of cleansing the pDbc streets OF the
city. under the presidency ~ Dr. Laughran. The first
witness called Jackson Schultz. tanner and leather
dealer No 200 Madisonavc and President Of the late
Board f Health. This gentleman asserts that the amount
OF the present contract Si98 per and
for years allow contractors provide horses carts,
&c. The purposes of the to clean
streets and To protect The public health; and, To
do that, the contractor agreed that all streets,
alleys cutters. wharves, and piers, shall be well
aud Thoroughly cleansed once n week. The market
place must be cleansed every day before II o'clock That
work had never been done properly. according to the
spirit of the contract ne could be- compelled 20 do
The whole thing was managed by political nrigues and
II he, as President OF the Board, called the
to execute bis contract The other members, from pO-
htical reasons, would excuse him. and Mr.. O'GOrmLn
city Counsel, invariably Endorsed such decisions In fact
he always went the way they wanted him. when the
cholera was raging the Board Of Health did call on the
contractor 10 do some part his work properly, but
was never done, though paid for.
The system in for the contractor 10 gather the
garbage In one street and dump II In another along with
ashes and then if complaints made reply is given
that it is done order To iii up lots When this dump
ing is not done in the city it taken 10 Jersey City
be thoroughly cleaned under the contract, and yet
profit OF s2OoO00 he made fact that proves this Is
that the contractor can se his contract any time for
$lOO0OO s25OO0O moment he may choose TO
sell it. The contractors now refuse ~ cleanse the
streets because of the frost Under the contract ne
cannot he compelled To do and the picIheads and
slips have not been cleaned for months
subinspecor for each district apponted ny ne CON
tractor " Is ii itct eIceeis certain sum he
shall discharged once, and he II not expected 10
grunble al not receiving sufficient salary TINS sub
inspector employs BIS men, ana naS the Work Iohe IN
aud
tratiun Board Of Health 1t was OF no use for c
police 10 send IN complaints oi hihy .trert Tor no a.
tcniou was paid TO item one suconTdctor made an
dayit that he did TIE bet he couid IN any section
und er controversy the removal of Ofia and hiet'Oh
contract. were perfect swudlcs because nineeeutW"n-
tthS Of the drained mo the sewers, and
Ram thence into the river and il would pay city bet
ter 10 drain the r'naindcr-c 81 houses ia the
hWcr part of the cty-thdn 10 allow hc contractor l"
remove il a ne does the detriment OF the health
Of city, carng the stuH through the streets, ana
Mr. schultz asserted that the contractor receives
100000 per aum for reinnvng This soil then, as to re-"
moving dead animals n wrong 10 paw - FOR every
Vort Who S"uJ dive s. for each dead animal: all this
was the result Of political aud other influences one man
having received $1,000 When the contract was procured;
Nh BrOw the present contractor had told witness that
he Brown dd not get the whole Of the money mcu-
TONED IN the contract ana uh'H ar. b g"I MT" ue
hands of these bad ihtn he whs an honest man. MI.
srhutz knew some party Was receiving $4,000 per an
mum OI the contract.
The better way wouli be make the police Tins
contract carried out properly as there would be emua-
zion Among the cinerrh precincts u Keep hell slfct
cleaned; al any rate the plan would be fca'ihc' AID
fh,sp con
II The police would not attend 20 seeing the ""rA done
then. indeed all lost. Judge EUSTOUh when pa
Office used his best c"dcvors 20 perform ms duty, u
hc stood alone the Board Of Health, aud a. fast
gave an order for Work TO be done,
the next meeting Of the Board would IcsCiud IT,.
The work Wa, worth $4,000 annually 10 DO II we'll II
was done Lan i've years ago, and constantly
GLOWING worse The present improved mode Of paving
the streets made the task OF cleaning them much easirr
aud expensive, sweeping machines can bc used.
The present system all q fraud, ana residents Of the
best parts OF the city were Disguised with the Whole
thing and preferred 10 have tie WORK done by private
contractors.
Dr Elisha Harris said the streets were positively
GhN aud The contractor had excuse for nctcCtiug
To ccaIs HEM a. the Winter had been unusually open.
II WAS due the unusually mcleau condition of the
that there had been ~ much sickness, and New
York never could he made healthy until contract for
The removal of nth enforced thoroughly. The pro
visions oi the present contract sufficient all
PURPOSES II only properly carried out but, under Mayor
Halls government, the work neglected,
Al the time uf the cholera the then existing Board of
Health procured four TINS of chloride Of lime and fifty
barrels Of coal tar which dsnfectants were thoroughly
used and the clean-ed At aneAtra cost Of $1,000
aud vet last year, additional S20OtVO voted for
that Identical work. and the streets were not cleaned al
ALL Things had been growing worse from day to day. Ii
was not matter OF surprise TO MN that sickness pre-
vailed TO an alarming extent In New York, as the whole
of those districts where carriage had been thrown I'LL
uD and which houses had been erected, were hot beds
OF disease aud enough To poison whole neigh
bOrbood. Although II had been asserted on theory
that year sufficient TO destroy the eiiuvia and
dect4iOis effects of that dccaying vegetable matter
periencc had Taught hun that lapse OF 40 years woulc
not be sufficient 10 insure any person living III those
the ground IL was asserted that Mr.. Brown received
s1OOVO Annually from private individuals for removing
their ashes and attending To work lie was bound TO at
tend 10 under contract.
me committee then adiouI ned with the understanding
thai they would report the shape OF bill 10
these abuses.