The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-09-09
THE KINGsBRIDGE ROAD.

THE WORK TO BE DONE BY CONTRACT AND
WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THE BOARD OF
ALDERMEN-THE PROPERTY OWNERS POSI-
TIoN
The Committee Roads of the Board Of Aldermen
yesterday afternoon gave hearing TO the property
owners along the route OF the Kingsbridge Road for
the purpose Of allowing them to decide for them
selves whether the work should be done by contract or
by days work The members Of the committee pres
ent were Messrs Mccarthy and Reilly the third mem
Der, Mr. slean being in Saratoga at the Republican Con-
yention. Mr.. Mccarthy opened the proceedings by
reading the three ordinances which the files Of
the Board of Aldermen The first had been offered, he
said, by Mr. Reilly at the very first meeting Of the
Board in January the second had been introduced at
the instance Of Commissioner Porter the sth ofJuy,
and the third on the 18th Of the month. At the
last meeting of the committee petition had been sub
mitted asking that the road should be regulated,
graded, curbed and macadamized in the way that
Tenth graded, &C. north of 155th street.
and that the work be done by days work Mr. Reilly
then stated that the committee anxious hear
the views of the property owners they to
press them, and were DESTROYS of complying with all
their wishes.
Mr.. John Ravens said he sorry that tho petition
10 have the work done by days work was before
sec for themselves who the sgners WERE especially as
they knew that some OF the names attached to it had
been attached without authority He said that the
work ought TO be done by The property hold
ers were not in favor of making the road "a sort of
GIMsnoUsE
where oilers from the lower wards could go get So
az day for couple of hours work, while there
were hundreds of honest worlingmen up town who
were willing to work and give hours day it. He
added that the property would have to pay
have the work done they wanted it done expedi-
tiously as possible. They knew that the system Of
days work a simple way Of show not to do IT'D
that would last for years instead of months The work
should be given out by public letting and done in Sec
tions which important feature, and if so done
no believed it would be we'll done at a remuneratve
price the property holders and good profit to the
contractors.
Mr.. Mccarthy asked what length each section ought
to be.
Mr. Ravens replied that there might three or four
sections-say about mile each-as the road to be con-
struced about four miles IN length; but the desire
of the property holders to have the work done in
tons did necessarily imply that they opposed
to having it done a whole
Mr.. Mccarthy inquired If tho work would not cost
more if done by sections than as piece of work
Mr. Ravens did not think 1t would MORE and that
there were many men who could take a section by
tract and furnish security for the work who would be
unable TO take contract for
Mr.. Mccarthy remarked that II would be discretionary
with the Commissioner of Public Works whether the
work should be done in sections not
Mr.. Reilly stated that the ordinance which he had
introduced in January last at the request of the then
Commissioner, Van Mort provided that the work should
be done by days work Mr.. Van Mort contended that
the work could be done at less cost by work than
by contract as he had some OF the material hand
for the work at the time.
Mr. Ravens said he was at loss to see how the work
could be done at less cost by days work than by
tract He conended that men employed by the day,
general rule, fooled their time away. He knew
this TO be fact, he had instances OF 1t when
the sewers were being constructed on ST. Nicholas
avenue.
Mr. W. H. Hayes remarked that if the property own
had to pay for the work why not let them do it
themselves.
Mr.. Reilly replied that the committee would be only
too glad TO let them do 1t themselves If they decided
Mr.. Hays said he would prefer TO have the work
be employed by himself rather than have it done by
days work
Mr. Mccarthy suggested that Mr. Hays idea was an
excellent and should be adopted by the other prop
erty owners then IL would be plain sailing all round
THE ESTATES INTERESTED.
Mr. George LespinasSe at this point presented two
petitions each being signed by large property owners
in which they declared themselves opposed to the day
work system and asked that the work~shoud be done
by contract He stated that the sgners OF the petitions
represented about 80 900 of the "a of prop
erty facing the road both sides of the street, The
names the petitions and the number Of feet Of prop
nrfN QAH r