The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-14
B0SW0RTH'S BOARD.
Disgraceful Failure Of the Police
Cleaning Commission.
BEHOLD OUR STREETS!
$934,OOO a Year Literally
4 SQuandered. m
The Results Of the "Manurc
Season" for $3.50! -ao
Thousands of Dollars Kindly
Given Away.
IHE BELA.NlNWANUO WlUDIE.
Cartmen Turning an "Henest Penny" During
q Snow Working for the M
City and Themselves
THE DUMPING SCANDAL.
Pyramids Of Putrescent Filth Filed Up
in the Streets. ~.
Ignorance and Fraud Instead of
Efficiency and Honesty.
Cartmen Turning an "Henest Penny" During
Snow Sterm-W Working for the .
City and Themselves.
THE DUMPING SCANDAL.
Pyramids Of Putrescent Filth Filed Up
in the Streets. r..
Ignorance and Fraud Instead of
Efficiency and Honesty.
WHAT SHALL WE DO ABOUT IT?


The people have an interest in clean streets,
You will admit. That being granted, 1T must also
be admitted that the people have an interest in
seeing that those charged with the duty Of street
cleaning perform 1t faithfully. I propose to show
you, in this communication If you will allow me,
that this duty is now shamefully neglected, al
though hundreds OF thousands Of dollars are paid
to our "reform" Street Cleaning Commissioners.
Some time ago the street cleaning business was
placed under the complete control Of the Board Of
Police Commissioners. That Board was, by the act
committing to its the cleanliness Of the city,
clothed with plenary power in the discharge OF its
new and important duties. II was authorized to
call for all the money 1t needed, and was allowed
to employ the necessary number OF men, machines
and other appliances. In fact in this city at least,
no branch Of work was ever undertaken by any
public body under more favorable auspices. The
press and people had long cried out against
the inefficient system OF cleaning streets by con-
tract; and, while rejoicing over its death, they
were by specious promises induced to believe that
the Police Commissioners would accomplish all It
had so disgracefully failed to do. Browns working
force consisted Of the lame, the halt the rheumatic
and the partially blind and gently did they move
their implements over the surface Of the streets
that they presented the appearance Of hospital pa
tients enjoying little mild exercise. This decrepit
brigade was to be dsbanded and Its place sup
piled by strong, active, asle-bodied men. Browns
venerable, ring-bOned spawned, broken winded
and heavy horses were to be mustered out of SER
vice; his patched-up old harness and rickety
CARTS odOrous with the filth adhesions OF quarter
Of o century, were to disappear, and the street.
cleaning business was to be under the immediate
supervision OF honest and otherwise competent
officers. In fact, the millennium Of street cleaning
had come and the age Of dirt had gone.
With the tide Of pnblic opinion thus full In its
favor the Board OF Police Commissioners estimated
the cost of thoroughly cleaning the streets for the
first year at $9s4,oOo. The magnitude Of this
amount at first startled the Board of Apportion-
ment and the public; but when informed that it
was to pay for cleaning the entire paved area Of
the city daily they were satisfied, and one-haf OF
it ($467 1000 was allowed for the six his ending
December 10, 1872. The report of the Police Com.
miasioners' superintendent Of the Street Clean
ing Bureau, dated December 16, 1872, states that
this amount ($467, 0oo) was expended in cleaning
the streets during the six months referred to.
Now II 1t was 1t Will be shown that less work was
accomplished than was performed during any OF
the corresponding periods of the years Of the con-
tract system, and which really cost only $685. 500
per six months, for it must be remembered that
the additional appropriation of $500 900 not de-
voted to street cleaning. 1t will also appear that
what, comparatively speaking, little dirt has been
removed from the streets under the direction OF the
Police commissioners, has been disposed OF in
such manner as to create not only local but q
national calamity ior whatever INJURIES the harbor
try. The report above referred to embraces the
six months between June 10 and December TO-
1872, and contains, among other things, the follow
ing exceedingly noteworthy statements: First,
443,272 loads OF dirt were removed; second, 9,ss5
was paid for the Of this WORK IN
considering these statements 1t must be constantly
borne in mind that the amount mentioned therein
$467 ,000) was allowed upon the express condition
that the Police Commissioners would cause
the daily cleaning Of the the entire paved
to a5ea do In sct was their neS own as oer
Now then, as there are 1865 working days in the
six months specified in the report and as there are
300 miles Of paved streets liz the city, in order to
have daily cleaned its entire paved area during
that time 800 miles of paved streets should have
Commissioners superintendent of the Street
Cleaning Bureau, only 1856 miles Of paved streets
or less than one quarter Of the number OF miles
these Commissioners failed to do the work they
had contracted to do-f. e., cause the entire paved
for s467, o0O and spent that amount in sweeping
only 1855 miles of paved streets during that time.
TINS being the case, they also caused to be done
less than three-Quarters Of the work for which they
drew the money.
Another interesting feature OF this report Isl
II says that OF the whole amount spent $685. 600 was
for sweeping alone. Now. as there were only
1855 miles OF streets swept the sweeping cost as
little calculation Will show the extraordinary
amount OF $14 per mile. Under the contract sys.
TEN OF cleaning streets, when the wages OF carts
and men were as high as they are now, neither
Whiting nor Brown ever paid more than SO per
mile for sweeping and, according to their sworn
reports, they collected more dirt during any OF the
six months OF the existence OF the contract sys.
TEN than was collected under the Police Commits
soners at the rate OF $14 per mile during the six
months specified in the report. Again, the Com
missIoners were allowed 700 men to do this daily ~
sweeping with, and they were furnished with
money to pay them at the rate OF 81 rs per
day. The reasonable inference, then, Is that they
should have employed that number OF sweepers,
but they did not, and for the following reason -
They asked for and were allowed only one foreman,
with no assistant foreman, TO each ward, and yet
they had in each ward one, and generally two as
sistant foremen. AS there was in their estimate,
no appropriation asked for them their salaries had
70 De provided Tor in some way. This was done by
sweepers, and using the money thus gained to pay
the assistant foremen, who were mere sinecursts,
and VINO obtained their position through political
influence after the Street Cleaning Bureau became,
which IL did soon after It's organization mere
political machine. The salaries of these assistant
foremen during the six months amounted In the
aggregate, to at least ten thousand dollars and
had the money been burned It could not have been
more completely lost to the city, because had the
foremen ordinarily exerted themselves there
would have been nothing left for these assistants
to do; and, in fact, they did nothing except draw
their money and pull poticaf wires II is the duty
hours but the foremen employed BY the Police |
commissioners, and who were, as general thing |
va, 4 politicians. were accustomed to attend only