The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-18
FIFTEEN MILES OF STREETS.
Letter from Mayor Havemeyer to Gov
ernor Dix on the Construction OF Streets
Above Fifty.ninth street.

as to construction OF streets by the Department OF
Parks:-
Hon JOHN D MY " ysss spa
DEAR siR-The legacy Of debt LEFT to this city BY the
ana the BY them sill in calling an
Gr he CITY a full
safeguard that be provided by statute against waste
One q the most rata sources of wastefulness is the
duct
he s. s
az
are done be- under ss. as ess' s those Cost "ns
ssfss the city e ad asdS
sufficient laxy in this respect to respond to their share
most economical and udicous manner, and no system
r. =
as must be the case when the work is inn
Another source Of corruption and wastenlness Is that
" ss clay
interest Of the public at large and the taxpayers 1t
m 70 sns
ment that is willing to subserve private and partisan
Senate bill No. go entitled, IAN act alter the map or
q certain streets. roads and avenues and public places
Fiy ninth street are in effect Il properly treated.
Sar%onzs plan and eon.tTuetion with The parks and
ss ana
adopted year in the charter and BY section 7s
clause, the Department Of Public Works, that
nues in the city Is excluded from these Dor
dering streets, amounting in length, in all, 70 fifteen
miles and these streets by section 81 OF the
@ 1s
Then by section OF the charter all work for the
city above 1000 required to be given out BY contract
& Cd ss t OF K. nss hGasa
given the power 20 plan, though not to construct
Now, senate bill NO w purposes TO destroy these wise
and safe provisions of law established last year
By section II takes away from the Department Of
Parks the power to construct the fifteen miles OF streets
Public Works-a department That Is already over
loaded having IN IT'S control over SO miles OF streets,
roads and avenues and forty miles Of Croon aqueduct
all reservoirs hundreds OF miles of Croon water
pipes and sewers ana besides, sites not engaged In
namenta decorative work such as Is required the
and avenues bordering the parks and such the
Department OF Parks is doing.
This transfer Is in my judgment wrong In principle
and against the interests not only OF the city, but oil the
whole public that come to the city.
section in the third fourth eighth and ninth lines,
breaks the contract system wisely established in
section OF the charter and authorizing all the works
thus whole fifteen miles OF streets and avenues and on
30 abung pieces OF streets aud avenues each 80 feet
in length. making twenty-five miles In ALL 10 be done in
any manner the head of the Department of Public
Work may deem expedient This work in all amounts
This is simply re-establistsg the old ring powers and
the ring doing public work, and the only rea-
doing II tclse the City treasury and the prop
of the taxpayers tor the purpose OF private specua
ton partisan aggrandizement
The property OF the city forbids IN my JuuRment the
return to that system system fraught only with corrup
JThe Department OF Parks except for a short time,
when under ring rule, has given and Is now giving,
BY the three words "or referred to- in line two
ton OF the BILL twelve miles OF streets and avenues
transferred from the Department VI Psrks 70 that VI the