The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-12-30
Official Statement Of the Admins
traitor of Improvements Re-
specting Expenditures
for 1876.
DEPARTMENT OF IMPROVEMENTS,

Orleans: 90,
On the subject of reduction of the budge
allowance for the Department of Improve
ments, permit me to say that these recon-
mendations seem to be made without any
knowledge of the facts on the part OF the
oripinators, and are not caused by regard for
the public interests.
Let MS examine some of the facts bearing
upon the estimate for this department, and
see If any candid citizen could properly re-
duce the figures.
In the Administrators Office of the largest
department of the city government, s3ooo PEI
wear is asked for the clerical work, and Sl5oO
for stationery, blanks, ETC., for the entire de-
partment. The expenditures for these items
during the past four years averaged 5000 81
per year. a,ooo
An allowance is made here to shell and re-
pair the steamboat landings between Poydras
and Canal streets, and to provide decent Walk
WAYS to and from the levee. Will the steam.
boat interests, tradesmen on the levee ana
passengers who are compelled to Wade through
mud ankle deep from the wharves 10 the
streets. consent to have this item stricken
out?
BUREAU OF DRAINAGE.
The actual expenses OF the TOUR draining
machines for salaries and wages Tor the past
twelve months was $13, S44, and for fuel ana
supplies S28, 1853 "a a total OF S4l,OO2 Eacn
machine is supplied with one engineer ana
two f;remen. and all fuel and materials have
been purchased at the lowest cash price. The
amount allowed for the coming year is S40,-
500. Can you reduce it in the face of the
fact that at least $4,000 repairs will have to
be made to these machines before the year
expires, and millions of property would be
liable to damage if either OF the machines
were disabled
The expenditures of the Bureau Of Drainage
for the past four years averaged $256, U92 Is
per year from the budget, not including any
work done by the Mississippi and Mexican
Gulf Canal Company.
BUREAU OF STREETS.
The appropriations for this bureau allows
1888 per month for salaries OF officers, or
$4,000 per year for the supervision of 566
miles of streets, "a, 700 street crossings. wings
and bridges, and 1900 miles of banquettes.
The records of the department show that the
expenditures for like services during the past
four years averaged 81, 900 per year.
For keepers of the twelve bridges over the
New Canal and Bayou st. John, $4,000. 70
reduce this expense it would be necessary to
discontinue the use of some bridges, or place
a different bridge at Magnolia street, where
four keepers are required.
For cart service S63, 900 per year, which
barely admits Of the employment OF sufh-
Gent number of carts to remove the garbage
from residences and the filth from the streets,
say 140, 900 loads per year, and makes no pro-
yisi;n for raising streets, hauling ballast,
shells, etc. The number now employed is
sixty-four, at So 50 per day for horse, cart
and driver
For labor on streets S11S,0O0 per year, or
an allowance Of one man to keep each four
miles of streets and eight miles OF cutters
clean Do you and the public not know that
it is physically impossible for such force to
preserve the sanitary conditions 30 essential
in our climate? Four hundred and seventy
two miles of our streets are dirt streets, and
after every severe rain have to be regarded in
order to render them passable for vehicles.
TIE allowance made is upon the basis OF the
present force, who are active, diligent and
worthy men, yet they have not been abls to
reerade one-tenth of the dirt streets rendered
impossible by the heavy rains in the early
mart of this month, yet we see gentlemen
erayelv propose that the allowance of $2OG, GOO
for these four branches of service should be
reduced one-half.
For repairs of canal bridges $12,5
There are 1872 bridges over canals at the inter-
section of streets. They were built several
wears ago, and have been patched up for the
nast few years Natural decay has now rem
dered many of them dangerous, and major
ity of them1will have to be rebuilt during next
YEAR. or abandoned. We already have one
claim for damages to value OF property by
abandonment OF bridge across Claiborne
Canal, and others must follow. The CITY sur
veyor has made careful, detailed examlna-
ton of the condition OF each and every canal
bridge. and certifes that it will require $780,
-
For repairs of street bridges, wings and
crossings, $50, 956 The majority OF the
woodwork was constructed many years ago.
1t was formerly kept in repair at q cost to
the city of $85, 900 per year, not including
Alpiers, jefferson and Carrollton. During
the past few years the bridges, wings and
crossings have been patched by succeeding
administrations, until the natural decay Of
the wood will not admit of this course being
continued with majority of them. The
CITY Surveyor has caused careful examlna-
tion to be made of each and every
bridge wing or crossing IN the city. we
find 132S7 wings, 1881 bridges, ana IoIl
street crossings, containing over o,OOO,O0o
feet of lumber, and 1t will require o,IoO,ooo
feet of lumber to put this wood work In proper
repair. To do the work properly would re-
quire at least $50, 000 As to the general con-
dition of this wood work any citizen can verify
the facts here stated by his own observation,
in any ward Of the city where the structures
are of wood. The Council has provided for
about one-half of the work necessary as per
Surveyors report and do not see how the
amount could be lowered, unless many of the
principal thoroughfares are to be abandoned.
FOR SHELL ROADS AND STREETS $40. 600.
There are 32 miles of shell and ballast
streets. Admitting that the city cannot main
tain all of them as shell streets, it seems i'm
perative that Canal, Broad, Washington, Car
rollton Avenue and Lapeyrouse streets should
be kept in repair with shells, and that the
balance of the shell streets should hereafter
be kept up with ballast until more prosperous
times. The four streets named measure ten
miles; four inches of shells placed thereon
once during the year would require IS, 0Oo
bbls; cost, including carriage and labor OF
spreading would be $40 900. the present ap-
preparation requires the abandonment of one.
half the shell roads named, or Indifferent re-
pairs to them AZ.
The Surveyor reports that the twenty-five
miles of ballast streets will require 10000
tons of ballast, costing, including carts, labor,
a.