New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-26
DOCK DETACHMENT uIS4GL4EyE

REPLY OF PRESIDENT WALES To TIE REPORT
OF THE SPECIAL COMMERCIAL COMMITTEE On
DOCKS.
The views Of Salem II. Wales, President of
the Dock Department. sought on saturday in rela
ton to the report the city dock system made TO the
conference OF Commercial Committees at the meeting on
Friday at the Chamber of Commerce. Mr.. Wales said
that MI schwab and majority of the members OF the
committee intended to deal fairly and justly with the
ouesiop and he was glad to notice that while not ac-
ceptie the exact figure, OF the Commissioners about the
cost Of the bulk WALL the committee had abandoned Its
own The committee would naturally feel IN unwilling
ness to admit an error OF nearly $500 nea foot in its
ORIGINAL calculations The committee started wrong,
and having gone so far tie track, it needs
some time TO get back The committees views as 10
legislation requiring the department to be sustained
fran the taxeyy were sound. In his remarks at the
MAYORS conference two weeks ago. Mr.. Wales said he
urged this proposition, and bill OF that kind was now
before the Legslaure. IL ought TO pass, ana lie was
clad to have the inuenCe'ot Mr.. schwab and his COM
mirtec in support of the In answer to qucs
ton in regard to the alleged extravaganza in the admins
trat,on OF the department, Mr. Wales said:
without Intending to cast reproach upon any 81 my
predecessors viii repeat what have before SAID on
TIN, point. the dcpal tmeut was o:gtniz"d upon
scale unnec' army tAtlaN"EAhl: II Iau; noMCNSs 20
deal with a most important questioning Improvement
OF ire waterfront, which had been sadly neglected.
understand that The department had expended previous
To my connection with II, NOR than %lOoouOO III r.
In the editorial OF THE TRIBUNE commenting upon the
report sorry 20 see II stated tit tuc
Dock r. p.rtmtut il administered m Just about the same
hal-naZIri, p,udhrt way tnat las grown 10 be chai
pcirlsi!c vi most OF cur Departmental Now | don
mean to offend any when say that the cllclSs oi
the committee relate 10 work done before my connection
with tue department, and cannot justly adch 10 TINS
board am aware that the public SthClalty uoht care
ANYTHING about his bat do care. Al the SAME UWo
am 3illu to answer for every act Tor Wheh may Dc
hgtly h d account able. VIII quote from my remarks
1.-THE commissioners, responding
tn fine General depression III business. ana itcOS-
,iZir,l- the have
rrtrcnclcd expenditures in many ways. For example
tIr ,ro,s rNprnuIrs Wtrc in round numbers, as lO-
lows: IN 1874. Si7U0OOO; 1879, 9SOOOOo; 1876,
.lGOOCO II Is intended to convey the impression
n, Inc same IMUuat Of work done m each - these
yrnr Durn. the years 1906 the work OF the depart
mn, b1s u,d, rgUur considerable modification, anu
,,ly s,rous emDaiIassuens have come III Tue Way OI
~ nos" o. course IL VIII be understood ,ha; hnd
nv nu with aqv mans opll ions, but have right TO
~iri.e incorrect statements ad to object 20 UNJUST re-
hcctionH.
Iii Mr. Wales had read more carefully the editorial
in THE TRIBUNE he would have seen that the state
mcnt OF which he complains was not ITS own but
that of the Committee.-fdl