New-York tribune., 1876-02-02

Of completing work on outstanding contracts at that
time december, 1874 was sl72l ,27O IL. This last
would naturally be supposed 10 show approximately
the sum to be expended during the past year, but an eK
animation Of the report OF the Commissioners sent 10
Congress in December 1875 shows that instead Of 81
100000 they have spent upon the and avenues OF
the city S4,23G5Os So and the expenditure Of this Inn
mense sum is defended the ground that neces
either for the execution of contracts outstanding
and incomplete at the time the Commission created
or for the preservation Of improvements already made
An examination made recently Of the report OF the
| Engineer Of the District for the past year. ana
comparison OF 1t with the report for 1874 and with the
report made to the Committee Of Investigation by the
Governor OF the District in February 1874 shows that
there have been numerous instances in which, although
contracts had been completed and the work done under
them settled for before the District Commissioners came
into power, yet the present authorities OF the District
have since reopened them and made them apply TO WORK
not mentioned In them originally and which Is now re-
ported still to be incomplete The following IL single
instance OF u great number that might be ced Con
tract No. 403 made by the Board Of Public WorEs
July IL, 1872 with Hugh Murray. for certain grading
laying OF wood walks. parking and cobbestone pave
ments the estimated cost Of the work being Sl334 80
In February, 1874, shepherd reported see "Gov-
ernors answer page 1922 that this work had been com
pleted and page 34sl that the Auditors certificate
for the OF Siss73 II had been issued iu settlement
In December 1874. the District Commissioners reported
record Of extension reopcning OF IL subsequch
TO the date OF the Governors answer" and before tie
date Of the Corns report for that year. can be
found In the report 10 stated that by measure
ment made by the Commission after they came INTO
Office July l. Is7 the OF s15l33 27 was found to
lie due Mr. Murray for work done by the Board of Pupc
Works the contract, and that he had performed
work by authority OF the Commissioners themselves
amounting To 800 46 The estimated cost OF compile
on at that time S25. .752 81. All this after Gov
Shepherd had reported in the preceding February tha
the work complete and paid for
Referring ppw to Tie report OF the Commission
ers mide in December, 1873, Uages 374-75l II
II found that this contract Is siill IN year
Iaterl reported as incomplete, and that the Com
mis>oners had spent during the year In It's erccu-
on S5967s %, and estimates the cost OF completing
the under II at Si6,370 30 Opposite this last esti
mate the Commissioners insert note to the enect hat
this estimate II based upon the supposon that the
grading OF Tw At I. 10 be discontinued III TINS
grading should he completed the estimate would be In
creased by s34717 10 making the sum s,ll TO be ef
pended this $5i 0ss. To recapitulae here
WAS a contract which Gov. Shepherd In February. 1874
reported completed and paid for IN cerincaes Dur-
Ing the ak months which followed the appointment OF
the Commissioners a new measurement OF Work uone
by the Board OF Public Works was made ana
Mr. Murray allowed si5,l33 27 more. Work
at this time had been resumed, and Sl,927 40 had
already been spent by the Commissioners, and their es
innate of the cost Of completing the work was S2o,-
1852 81 year later II 10 discovered that the amount
expended since the last report was S59,67s 90, sum
greater than original est nate for the whole work.
and twice a. great the District Commissioners had re
ported a year before would lie sufficient TO complete H.
and now the s to he done is 10 cost more than
$4,000 This /. only single instance of the manner III
which contracts which completed before the Com
mi.soncrs came into power had been reopened and ex
tended Contract No. 80 made by the Board
OF Public Works with c. Z. Evans for laying wood
pavement The work was originally estimated 10 cost
S95 $50 60 II completed prior to February, 1874,
as IL shown by the Governors answer. at cost OF
sl3559s 81. The work measured and Auditors
certificates that amount issued. On the 2lst OF
May, and the Goth Of October 1873 eI
tensions Of this contract were made to the hrin OF Gran
ford Il Hoffman in other words, Crawford Hoffman
were authorized To repair the pavement laid by e. t.
Evans. and the amount paid 10 them for work done
during the Summer and Fall under this same contract
has been S2l937I O0. The absurdity Of "repairing
pavement at a cost ary tw ce grcnt as was orgi-
naly paid for H. and then expecting TO collect the
amount from the original contractor must he apparent
10 every one BY similar re,ivals and extensions ol
contracts In various paris of the clty
have beer during the past replaced by concrete
and vet the who were prohibited from
making new contracts, clam that they have not e1-
cceded the authority granted them by law. IL they are
right in the position they IL Is difficult TO discover
any limit which Congress placed upon thein