The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-14

sit per ............. f21OOM o.
MHiuru 81 AZ %
BcyArs, machinery, ana Experimentation. is9jj %
Total expenses. ...................... $3.50 32i %
Rcccii ts....... ..................... i2e.iOi %
Pront ,55,osO 90
II will be seen that thorough collection OF
thc wat II revenue aft'r m 'kIng a u erai allow,
ance Tor waste. ought To pay all expenses, ana
leav, hnul 'omc sum tn NJ ,ce ia tho sinking
fund TO redeem tbs water debt of which ny
ward OF Sl5OD,0O IL yet to be paid. Largo
sum. have been spent to Increase oar water
supply, which in dry seasons has occasionally
been insufficient, while the dep irtmcnt has been
maintaining these expensive water bugs. 1t Is
apparent That there are other leaks to be stopped
but thsrc can benn DOUBT that at least one
fourth Of tho deficit In New Yorks Croton
water revenue Is caused by this improvidcnt
and now forfeited contract with Clulneld. The
department could not md better beginning
point for a salutary system OF reform.
AN rSrEnvIEw wrru THE COMMISSIONERS.
Ex-Commissoner Van Norts name Is not in
the Now YORK Directory, and dligent search
failed to discover him.
Commissioner Campbell. MIR. Van Nort's sue
cessor, makes the following state ment on this
soetsse,; -. ,........,,,i.
know anything about this contract aud aid not
oven know Cauneld. Comptroller Green and
Jackson $. schultz came to me about the matter.
| told them that 1t did not by any means follow
That because 1t was contract II must be against
the intere-t; OF tho city. ! carry on tho busi-
ness OF the department by contracts wherever
II IL practicable: and | think II Is the best sys-
EN-, provided IT Is honestly done, made an
was mode the city has got more net revenue
from water furnished to shipping than ever IL
did before. | was then aud | am now entirely
impartial In tire matter. II Is my duty AZ pub
tc oihCer To be 80. j furnished to the District
Attorney - statement of the revenue derived
from water flr the shipping from 1880 down to
the time Caulneld took the contract, excepting
for the years 1881. lsr, and 1859. the books for
which are missing. They are reported to have
been lost in ch angling from the CrOtOn Alucduct
Board. Here are the figures
.uono, oo,,.,,o, , Iseo iss.., lscss;;
Cost OF collection. .........l 4OJO 400 1000
Net revenue ............ ssi.so. SEQ s5l .e5 ia
" You will observe that when Caul1cd first
took the contract from the Croton Aquejuct
Board, in 1868, he paid $4,000 "A year, which Is
more IMAM theit net revenue ever was before 4;
ana he now pays $500 year.
Commissioner Campbell admitted that ac-
corning TO the extent OF the water front the
business, and the population, IL would seem
that New York ought to get ten times as much
revenue a JERSEY city from water furnished TO
shipping, builders. *. THIS would pay about
s3,5,OO "a year into her treasury. iiut he did
not see how II could run up to this enormous
amount when the net revenue in tho year tie.
fore Clulteld took the contract only $2j1 10.
lie did not, probably. take into account the fact
that Hustled then supplied the shipping other
than steam vessels: that II was during the war,
when there was very little shipping in the port |;
that tho supply Of water for building purposes
was not included In his calculation, out Is in
cluded In Caulneld's present contract; aud
nnally that business on the New York water
front had grown ia the Ave wears between the
date of Caulnelds first contract, 1864, and n at
OF MS las. 49,, anu mas grown since. lie said,
moreover, tha0fron the year lsti, shortly after
the creation OF the Croton Aqueduct, down to
the present time. the supply of the shipping has
been fArnsu out 10 similar manner; 50 that
his comparison on the basis Of net receipts IN
| former wears amounts To nothing.
Commissioner Campbell added that after in
vestigating the prior receipts ne felt that IL did
not become him to upset contract that had
been in existence 80 long. lie had not investi-
gated the amount OF Clulneld's receipts, nor did
he see that It would make any difference II their
profits amounted to million. 1t mad been de.
| 81 aFAh hA ntafT issf Az III
contract, ana he was bound by II as long as
Caulneld did not violate II. Hs admitted that
he nad made no inquiries relative to the docu-
tract which The SUS has described, aud has
told tne department. howto obtain.
WHAT THE COMMISSIONER SAYS.
" These gentlemen say" he added, that It Is
an Invalid contract; that il a legal question.
am not a lawyer, aud the Corporation Counsel
must decide the question. understand that "a
former CORPORATION Counsel decided IL to be A
legal cen,Idct." He i'd further that the con-
tract Il bungingy drawn in the statement Of
the rates 70 be paid and Caulheld aud his SUD
1t while the agents OF tho steamships place an
other. u IS his intention. he says, either To adj
vertse FOR proposals for the service at the close
OF Caulhelds contract a wear hence, or TO expcr.
iment with 1t for one year under the control of
the department itself. lie felt hurt at the refec-
tions made upon him in the course OF the en-
doayor OF the steamship companies TO get water
at lower rates, and said that when he first took
once he mad Interested himself TO secure that
benefit for them.
When asked II he could recount for the great
discrepancy between the relative water reve-
nues of New YORK as compared With those of
Brooklyn and Jersey city, the Commission
was hstonisned 10 know that II Is so large. Du.
he said that there Il enormous waste OF water in
New Y DIX In the fountains In fushing sewers,
In the horse car stables, &c; that he had done
what no could to lessen the waste, out 1t Is still
very great; that 1t would be u hardship To put IA
meter IN every house and make the land ora pay
a sum which he would Immediately tack on To
the rent OF hts tenants; and that II seems very
desirable to givo the people pure water free. Ho
could not comprehend, he said, why 1t Is that
IN London an Paris the consumption of water
Is only about forty gallons a day to each lnhab-
liant, while IN New York II Is 100 gallons, or
why New York. with about one third Of the IN
habtants, consumes more water annually than
London. Tin Brooklyn, which Is equally free
from Caulheld, the daily consumption per g 4pila
Is only 1fty-hye gallonsl
lhe Commissioner repe 1ted that the amount
OF money Cauih-ld receives - not TO he Tor
moment considered that II the contract Is a
legal one the city Is bound TO maintain II long
as tho contractor does not violate II.
The Commissioner did not like The SUNS re.
mark that the department ought to clear its
own skirts" by investigating this matter. And
yet both Com missioner Van Mort aud he had
their attention called 10 this N after months ago
by ComptI Oller Green as PROBABLY involving an
enormous swindle under an invalid contract (;
and neither OF them over found out either the
waste by Caulteld or the OYerCharges by his
sub contractor. lie has had in his desk for ten
days past the slip cut from IHE sun setting
forth these charges, and telling HIM where he
could hnd written proof OF the VIC alton Of the
contract. Ho can hnd In the estimates here
with presented to Is notice some further liz hit
on the question Of the desirablIty OF Riding
the city OF a contract under which a great de i
OF this enormous waste Of croton must occur,
and he may, peThapy, md In IL some 1ustlhca.
tion Of the opinion to the expression OF which