The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-08
and Macadamized. the roadways OF which cover


an area OF ?2s. $40 square Yards.
PARK APPROACHES AND BOULEvARDs.
provement connects by lateral streets, with all
the carriage entrances 70 the central Park on the
east side; with the Boulevard oy 10th street ana
with the Sixth avenue drive by 10th street and
l24th street. without It the population on the
east side would have no proper Inc ans OF access
10 the Central Pars, and the vest side drives. IL
forms the connecting Ink IN network OF pleasure
drives twenty-eight miles IN extent, making
tween Filty-sevenlh ana 155th streets and end
ing nortnward To l94th street, planned and exc
cuted with careful study OF inc topography ana
natural advantages OF the terri or, 1t embraced.
The works above described have been treated
separately from other street Improvements. oe.
cause they form distinct class and have been
prosecuted on Uniform and harmonious sys-
tenn, and are more or less ultimately con-
case with ordinary contract work. car
rled on under ordinances OF the Common
provement OF more Than one or two blocks OF any
street or avenue. whether 1t be regulating and
or sewerng; they are in roduced anu adopted
without anv general plan and without much ref
1t my DUTY to execute them with ali possible des.
patch. but vexatious delays due TO the regularity
OF our contract system are often unavoldabe.
especially when the cooperation OF the Finance
Department Is entirely wanting.
COMPTROLLER GREEN'S ACTION
During my administration the Comptroller has
repeatedly nuiiihed the ordinances OF rne Com
mon Council and he approval OF tire Mayor by
Withholding MIS- approval OF the suretes on cun.
tracts Tor reasons Otner than those affecting the
sufnciepcy OF the sureties. thus assuming aud cX.
vested in the Mayor. When measure is vetocd
by the Mayor 1t goes back to the Common Council
FOR reconsideration anu may be passed over the
veto. But tue Common Council mas 20 onicial
cognizance OF this arbitrary action OF the Comp
troller. The law certainly never intended to give
the comptroller such power, and It's assumption
Is IN violation of the principles OF democratic gov
eminent. lmerely mention TINS as an evidence of
the hlndrances 10 the prosecution OF public I'M.
provements which we have been compelled to ell.
counter.
SUMMARY OF WORK EXECUTED.
The following Is summary OF TINS class OF
work executed under ordinances OF the Common
Councl during the years 1872, 1873 ana 1874
Nineteen mics OF streets regulated and graded; Is
miles of streets curDed. guitered and 1ap gcu; s4
miles OF streets paved with stone block pavement;
80 miles ol sewers built; 10 miles OF underground
drains constructed; Clio miles OF culverts Quilt
34l receiving basins Quilt.
NPROv EMENTS IMMEDIATELY REQUIRED
For your consideration submit herewith a brief
statement Of the improvements which, VI my opin-
ION, are most Immediately required TO supplement-
the work ali eady accomplished and to olen TO our
pepuiatlon the now unocclpied and inaccessible
well as afford adequate tac.iites OF comm uncaton
Tor the present population -Flrst-ln the west
avenue, l55th street and Hudson River. The i'm
provement OF the Riverside Drive, from Seven
ty-second TO l2stn streets. and OF the avenues
TO be done on the same plan as the Improvement
OF the Boulevard ana other uptown drives: the
grading, curtlng anu tagging OIL Eleventh avenue,
from Fty.nintn street TO It's intersection with me
Boulevard at l0Sth street. TO atOru cOmmuniCa-
JlOn, more especially LOT DuSlncsS purposes, be-
tween the sectiOus east aud west OF the Central
PARK the following streets connecting with the
transverse roads across rho Park should be i'm.
proved sixty SIKH street to pc graded from
Eightn avenue TO the Boulevard. ana paved rom
Eighth avenue TO he Hudson River; Seventy-nlntn
street to be graded rom the Boulevard TO tue hud-
son River anu paved from Eighth avenue to the
river; Elgntyslxtn street to DC carried across the
Riverside Park by sunHpn roadway or tunnel
and to be paved IRON Eighth avenue 10 Twelfth
avenue; Ninety-SiXtn street 10 be graded and
paved from Eighth avenue to the HUDSON River.
cnnuactinn var "A
The Riversiue drive with the carriage entrances
and drives OF the Central Park and with the
constructed on Manhattan square, seventy.
seventh street. Egnty-nrst street and
orlve should be gladed where not already done
and finished Win reliOrd-Macadam Roadway. The
new diagonal street running irom the Boulevard
at l36th street 10 Tenth avenue, at l45th street
should be graded ana macadauzsd to connect
these two great drives. The Improvement Of
l45tn street, now nearly complete rom sixth ave-
nue. to tile bOuiev0 d, ShOuldbe continued from the
Boulevard to the Hudson River, III order to give
access TO the river III that vicinity.
Second-ln the east side District. east OIL Eighth
avenue ana north Of Fit, -nintn street, the street
improvements are ell advanced. especially since
the prosecution OF the eastern Boulevard I'M
: Th,ru-ln the district north OF 156th street, the
Ktngsorldee road Is tue main avenue VI access TO
the lower part OF she city. The legal proceedings
Tor widening and Strengthening ii, in accordance
the Central i ark. have lately been aflirmed by
Legislative enactment II should be at once i'm.
pTONcu anu CuHNcTtcu HUN IL TOuKU anu wv
roadway into u broad and smooth ave-
nue.. AS I5stn street is me only
accessible grades Tor heavy traflc to aud from the
HudsOn River, iI should be Immediately graded
ana paved from Kingsorldae road to the aver
Eleventh avenue, from l55th street to Its lntersec
tmn with kingsbrioge load, should De improved,
anu the improvement OF Tenth avenue should be
continued from Its present Termination at 194th
street around Fort George Hill to It's intersection
Win Eleven, n avenue. WOOD street, from Kings.
bridge road to the Hudson River; Dyckman street,
4 ON klngSbrldge road to TENN avenue; 1880
road to ientn avenue snOu,d also be improved.
BY chapter 512, Laws OIL 1872, authority was gwen
to improve 155tn street east from avenus st.
Nicholas. THIS eXpeu diture VIII be large Que,
greatly needed aud the adjacent properly owners
are anxious jOr the prosecution OF the same, still
Oh account oil the expense and the troubled and
unsettled CONDITION VI our city finances. have
hesltatel to commence tie work.
AS before remarked the moneys expended BY
this department uaOn street improvements are
not chargeape 10 the funded debt OF the city, but
the city reimbursed Tor these Oulays by the col.
lection OF assessments. TIE
CURRENT EXPENDITURES OF THE DEPARTMENT
Tor ma ntcnance OF streets, sewers Cr0ton pipes.
reservoirs, pubic buildings and
Offices ior llghtlng the city with gas, LOT he
OF all other puoIic works and properly under ITS
charge ana IUr saiarles Of employees are provided
lOr Out OF the amounts annually raiseo by lax.
The only class OF expenditures that are charge
on the iunued Ocbt OF the city are those Tor Inc
the alterations of the aquedIct, the CONSTRUCTION
Ol storage reservoirs and the reconstruction Of
old sewers. me following are the expenditures
under this head during The last three years.
IN 1917 ........................ $l69o,62
~ iS.3 ''.''......'..'. i'o0a'Sdi