New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-03-03
QUESTIONS BETHEEN THE PARK CON-
MISSION AND THE DEPARTMENT or
PUBLIC WORkS.
CARD FROM coannssloNKR yAS SoAr.

CARD FROM cosDIssIoNER VAN soar
To me EdiIor OF The TrtbuHe.
SIR: Permit me, by the statement Of few
facts in relation scope and intent OF the bal TO
authorize the prosecution OF the Improvement OF the
Riverside and other reported by the senate
Committee on Cities to correct some serious errors
which in editorial IN to-day's TRIBUNE. Refer
ring to this bill, the article says:
IL substantially provides that the work on streets
through aud around the Riverside and other paThs IN
Department OF Public Parks. 10 be let by public con
tract 10 the lowest responsible bidder but snail h. man
aged by the Commissioner Of Public Works nc pleases
On the authority Of the legal opinion OF the Counsel
to the Corporation and OF a of his Honor the
Mayor To the Common Council, yetOinR An ordinance
directing the Improvement Of the Riverside and Morn
nxside ayes it may be stated that the existing lave IA
relation TO the jurisdiction these
obscure and ambiguous that neither the Common Coun
ell nor the Park Department nor the Depagtm o:
Public Works is clearly authorized TO order undertake
the prosecution OF these works, and both of these
officials suggested the propriety aud necessity or
further legislation this subject by the legislature,
which then about 10 convene. The Proposed law
does not therefore. take from the Park Depart
mcnt any powers which II now possesses bat merely
reairns the authority conferred the Department Of
Puble Works by Chapter s72 of the Laws OF l72, and
which, IN my opinion, only partially abroga,ed by
the uended charter. by giving the Common Counsel
the pass ordinances directing the Department
Of Public Works to execute the work Furthermore,
during the whole history OF the Central Park Comu-
sion and the Department OF Public Parks no work on
streets bordering upon parks ever done
by either OF them, aud such street Improvements
were carried Dy them under special lawsthe B0ulc
ward. the sixth aud sey nth-aves.. aud Avenue ST.
Nicholas-were invariably done by days work On by
special contract, and BY contract pubcy et TO to
lowest bidder.
Y0urartieie further says:
Counting the avenues aad roads established. or re.
ana aveuues herein bodily made over to Commission
81 PdDc Work,siX mites around the Central PARK,
three mules around the Riverside Park, hali "a miio
around Maana Tan silaEr, threS larters -, q 1i XIV,
around NJ motifs Sgt one ana three pAar', inies
around Mornlng-'dc Park, dnd hat nile dIOuhh IlFh
Bridge Park.
Ills statement is greatly exaggerated The 80 miles
~ streets and avenue arorud the Central Park with
the exception Oh One-hundredanl feminist. from Fifth
% E.glthIves., and Fiith-dve froa Ninety shth to
observation-disclosures. already. regulated and
graded 30 are the streets aud avenues AROUND Manhattan
SQUARE and Vt Morris square Onehundred andtenth-
u. g., now being improved under the Eastern BonieVah
act Under chapter So Of the laws Of 1871 above re-
f-gred 20, this Department commenced work npon The
Nogun.slde and Ryersleaves in june 1877, and pros
ecuted IL until the pa. sage Of the charter which, a.
already stated, reeglted these works TO the control OF
the Common Council. Al that tine two thrds Of III"
regulating and grading OF the Morningsde-aye. had
been done aud considerable progress had been made on
Rvcr,iieaye. at the different points. The wors To ..
done the proposed Dill - therefore, Iot on" ti
a. large a. would appear from your article.
In Of the fact that this Department ever slnce ~
before H. charged by each succeeding charter
witA tue management aud control Of al the s,reeir'
sure AS in length there seems 10 be no around Tor
apprehension that IL will b. oyerpoTered or er-heh oy
the responsibility which the proposed O lntehds 10 IN
pose upgn IT, a. Of t t weg side who are most deeply
fr,.t.
cost will ultimately be assessed, whether TINS D'pait
eut pos,ese, the will and the ability TO carry ON lher
Win reSl ,o IN h to refer 10 the address OF the
tae W % W. s S.ocatoH 10 hIs HGnor tho
Mayor which appears iu fU IN one OF this iGoTrbsh
plpcrs. Yours very respectfully, =, 80, ,,,..
Commissioner OF Public Works.
pcDrrfreltOf Public TOri;s, March ,. 1874.
We gladly give space to Commissioner Van
Norts explanations, and only wish they might baVo
removed the most serious objections TO the measure
now before the senate, which still think remain
untouched.
l. We have not concerned ourselves with tho
question whether the Park Department now clearly
possesses powers which this bill makes over tn the
of Public Works. We have sand that,
in the interest of a single and not divided respon-
sibilitv. we believed il ought 10 possess them.
,. We have not said how much, or how httlc,
work was to be done on the various avenues and
roads established or referred to in the bDl. We
have only said that they are herein made over
bodily to the Commissioner of Public Works.
whereas we believe they ought to be under tho
control Of the Department of Parks.
The Commissioner of Public Works certainly has
all rhe work now legitimately within hs control
which any one public officer need care 10 undertakes
and we are glad to bear testimony TO the fact that
complaints about the manner in which II ~ Dis
charged are comparatively infrequent. But we be-
lieve in having single, not divided responsibility;
and for the work in and about the Parks, We should
Ike 10 be able to hold the Park Commission and tho
Park Commission exclusively, responsible.-EdI