New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-23

But there can be no dispute that the swindling sys-
tenn which has made the Ring what it is is not only
still in force as has been seem but runs back through
q number of years. The tables given below are Sc
ected among other reasons for the purpose of show
ing that Fat the period Of their dates the system
of unbalanced bids was in as free and profitable
operation as it is now or has been at any
time since its rise Indeed the periods about which
these contracts center are known in the reminis-
cences of the canals as uncommonly good years Tor
the business, and it is altogether likely that OF late
the operations of contractors have been less extern
size and less remuneratiye. Still, it ought to be
said that there apparently great danger Of the
spread Of pauperism among contractors as class.
One fact ought to be borne constantly in mind
in reading these and all other official returns of the
work agreed TO be done and said to be done by canal
contractors-that in many cases a large proportion
Of the amounts of work done quantities of mate
rails claimed to have been furnished doubtless never
had any existence except on paper There are frauds
in every kind of measurement, frauds in weight,
frauds in returns of all kinds. The Quantities of
lumber furnished, and sometimes accepted without
question, have been found to contain less than half
the quantity for which the contractor claimed pay
ment. There are frauds in the thickness of the
walls they made three. four, and even six inches
less than the required figure There are frauds in
payments on items which are never furnished;
contractors call it the common law OF the
canals" that they shall be paid for pudding and
lining which they seldom make There are frauds
Of every conceivable variety, ard of the most mi
croscopc dishonesty. Contractors who have under
taken to tear down old wall will even throw the
stone into the canals, leaving the work of removal
to the canal officials to be paid for under ordinary
repairs out Of the of the canals. There are
frauds in the stone furnished to build walls; it is
Of insufficient size and inferior quality And 50 the
catalogue ght run on until every item of canal
expenditure was covered. So that an Official return
Of the payments to a contractor may not give even
an approximation to tho work really done, or the
materials actually furnished. The investigation of
this branch of the subject which Gov. Tilden
proposed in his message, might discover a
vast number of corrupt transactions, but it
could hardly gain than rough
idea of the extent Of these swindlcs Careful meas
urements and examinations by honest and compe-
tent engineers, however, would doubtless make some
astonishing revelations. In the main data of en-
cheering fal5ehood would seem to be impossible,
aud ID many Of the works that have been carried on
along the canals it would be easy to discover about
what fraction of the material paid for fur
nished. Certainly enough could be ascertaincd to
doubt on the subject that the whole system of canal
contracts is honeycornbed with fraud, and alto
gether corrupt and abomnable.
Responsibility for these thefts must be shared by