The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-04
Criminal Beet.


The beef purchased by the Commissioners
of Charities and Correction in 1878 cost the
city about one hundred and eighty thousand
dollars. The average price paid to the fortu-
nate contractor, or purchaser for the depart
ment, is six cents per pound; hence we have
3,000,0 900 pounds OF beef consumed in the
various institutions under the charge of the
Commissioners in one year. We are without
much information of the affairs OF the depart
ment during 1873, for the reason that no
report has been made since 1871, and there is
mystery about the Eleventh street building
which it is difficult to penetrate. But, taking
the report of 1871 as our basis of calculation,
we find that the average daily population of
all the institutions-hospitals, schools. nurse
ries, asylums and prisons-is set down at
$3.50. We have reason to believe this to be an
exaggeration, but taking it as correct, it
includes employees, children and patients,
as well as able-bodied prisoners and
paupers. There is, We believe, sort
Of legend in the department to the effect
that the employees subsist themselves,
and certainly the sick in hospital and
the infants and children in the nurse
ries are not supposed to eat as much beef
as sturdy prisoner or hungry pauper.
Taking the report of 1871 as authority, we
find that the inmates Of the hospitals and
nurseries on one day of that year December
81 numbered $500, and hence we calculate
one-third of the daily population, on an aver
nc RI 9t If nbi11rap and ;,x IL.
would leave only $500 able bodied inmates to
be fed, including employees.
The only clew we have to the quantity of
beef allowed by the department. to each
person is afforded by dietary table" OF the
Soldiers Retreat on Wards Island, which wo
find in the report. According to this table
the allowance is: Beef, fresh and corned, six
days in the week; half pound per day for
three days, and three-quarters of pound
per day for the other three days Surprising
the rations to be the same for prisoners and
paupers as well as for infants, children and
invalids, and supposing the whole daily pep
ulation Of $3.50 to be thus fed, we have a con-
sumption of 4, 125 pounds of beef per day for
three days in the week and of 6, 1877 pounds
per day for the remaining three
days. But reckoning six days to the week,
100000 pounds OF beef year give us
1854 pounds per day. Hence we have a
'leakage," as official peculation is cupho-
niously called, OF $3.50 pounds of criminal
beef on one day and of 1897 pounds on the
next day all the year round. This affords a
better margin than is possible on the dry
goods bills OF Commissioner Stera's son-in-
laws brother Mr.. Stern buys the dry goods
for the department. Commissioner Bowen in
sinuates that Mr.. Laimbeer buys the -four.
Now who buys the criminal beef?
MAYOR HAvEMEYEE yesterday addressed n
letter to the Governor stating that he had re-
moved from Office the three Commissioners Of
Armories, appointed under chapter 429 Of the
Laws of 1878, stating as his reasons that there
is nothing tor the Commissioners to do. The
removal does not take effect until approved in
writing by the Governor, ard Governor Dix
will 20 doubt satisfy himself that the Mayor 5
act is proper ard not the result Of caprice
or malice, before he gives it his official sane
ton.