New-York tribune., 1875-11-16
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
PVBIJC WORKS,

PUBLIC NOkkS,
SaoPRRTY-owNERS DENoUNCING TIiH PRESENT sfs-
TEN OF CITY NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. on
IpIK LABoRERs. POLITICAL ISIERFERENCE, AND
HIGH ASSESSMENTS.
The Senate Investigating Committee resumed
s noury YESTERDAY at the Fifth Avenue Hotel into the
manner In which public improvements have been con
Quoted in this oy. The testimony OF property
of the west side OF the Superintendent oil the Permit
Bureau was tsfer-
Dwight ii. Olmstesd propertyown ner, testified con
oerning the along Riverside and Morning
aide Parks said that in both cases the expense OF
onennr had been divided about half of the cost being
seyied on property and the other hah on te
city The total amount paid by the property owners up
70 March l. 1873. was about Si'1VOOoo' ior WHICH,
In his opinion. they had received no adequate
benefits The property had been taxed enormously
The work OF imI royea eat done was incohsid-
srbe Two M els only had been improved
ON Riverside Park, aud few paths only had oeeh
marked out in Mornngside Park. and the avenue nse
wss rapidly going to decay. 1t was his opinion tha'
She improvements had been pushed forward many SUD
sntia residences would have been built IN these Vicn
ties The propcrtyOwners would feel some rcIcI III INC
roads alone were properly laid out lie believed that
was a criminal waste OF money to do tho WorK py ua!
labor and thought third OF the money appropriated
had been wasted 1t would be better IL the Work were
taken out OF hands of the Board of Public WORKS ana
completed by the Department OF Public Parks, IN order
TO bring the avenues unity with tie general design
~ the marks Mr. Porter seemed ready 10 10 on Win
the work but Mr. bad refused to pay the lap"res
Charles C. Peck said the Improvement of EicVent-Sl
from University place 10 sixth-ave had continued hOm
May until the last OF october. lie told MI for'er i'll
June that tho men we're not doing the work properly
and were wasting their time. He thanked and was
asked report again u he saw no improvement Wlth
few days, but the , continued as le anI riy
ever. They TO their work late ana ieIt IL carry
The work done could have been Oettr ~ y
a ia tui OF labUrers in four wccAs The pavement
aoulI need
r. Church testified that he had taken pains to yls
the new works once twice week; he cuncuired WIN
others in dcnOuncing the manner I'm which political ma
chnery had done public work once be noticed loul
men raising II stone out OF an excavation they Muio
half an hour doing tais when two good men wOihls
with will could have accomplished II IN h'e MINUTES 5
they trequened beer saloons quarter oI h ic i,
their WORK and out Of twenty la6orers perhaps elgi
would appear TO he actively elnpoytd' ne IL Ia m
remedy that the Eight Hour aw D, tepel,'u - ~ NJ NJ
worked nothing bat in ury 10 ali trades anu tsl.ola"J
10 the labOrers, whom II was intended 10 O'henli IL
should he made mlsdclhedhOr Ioi any @ 80
nominate laiorer the department should employ the
were merely poIiticai capital kept in hand against
tion day by men who did not own ropcrly' DHs WeIe
simply cairer grocery and grOSshOp politicians ne rec
omnended the OF complaint books where tno com
plants of property-Owncrs concerning unworthy IA
borers might be properly enteed then maze IL RUE
to remove the foreman in charge II these cOmpahls
rcnewed certain number OF nes tng , i"lTv, ]
would in respects IN the power OF the op
ertyowucrs who have to pay for tne woIS 1tc @'ut m
these new park improvements if the WORK was honestly
eompet d. THEN value wOuld bc enhanced al list 1OO
each or in ALL there would be giiu Of over S6OOuQooo
to the taxable properly OF tie Guy. Instead of yielding
only reveuue of 81 100000 the West SIDE Nod IN tt
case Weld II 100000. The East side OF tne cy ht1
been pushed completion, while the Nest sue coud
show scarcey single competed ST. eet lie also gave
facts and flres to show wat he considered tie out
rageOus injustice OF Con roller Greens refusal 10 ao"
the worn 10 on 90 completion. ~, -,
James Earle said If tue recent system OF grazing te
stTee,s should br continued. the popert owners W9ad
do well to turn their and over 10 the city, Ihe ulatOy
action of The department and the heavy taxation were
proving ruinOus. -, ,,..,. ID,
seth C. Douglass. superintendent or the Permit Bu
raau testified to tDc employed IN securing th9 re-
mOval OF street ln,uinbnces. lit S,'" ~, & i d en- nv
an appropriation Of $1,000 for his Office" ana du 90" oly
were a,acned TO tue nu-r-nOyal Of ihcumbranccs he
yon soop lines there would be in his depart
iDent and much less cost 10 tue city.
Tue Committee adjourned until 1880 a. m toinOrrOW'
when testimony will be taken concerning the cOnstruc
tiOn OF docks