The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-08-14
CITY COUNCIE OFFICIAL.
NEG uJLAR MEETING.
Cry HALL. NEW ORLEANS. /
Tuesday, August 10, 1878.

in regular session.
Present: Hon. Ed. Pisbury, Mayor, pre-
siding: and Administrators Brown, Cavanac,
Denis. Diamond, Edwards, Mccartney and
Rengstorff.
The reading OF the minutes of the previous
meeting WAS dispensed WITH and they were
approved as printed.
Communications from the Mayor and AID"
nlnSstrat0rs.
The Mayor submitted the following mes
sage which was received and ordered spread
on the minutes:
MAYoRALTY OF New ORLEANS.
August 49, 1878. J
To the City Council:
In accordance with the power conferred
anon me- AFT your last meeting I have ap-
pointed Miss Ball and Mrs. A. Saucer to
overhaul and arrange the records OF the Dis
trict Courts, each at q salary OF $50 q month.
ED. PILsBURY, Mayor.
The Mayors action WAS approved unanl-
mously.
The following communication, from the Ad-
ministrator of improvements, was received
and ordered spread on the minutes:
DEPARTMENT OF IMPROVEMENTS. Cry HALL.
New Orleans, August 10. 1878.
To the City Council:
In view of the present general discomfort
with the working OF the CONTRACT system, L
think 1t advisable to make the following sug-
aestions to your honorable body.
There can be no doubt that cleanliness OF
the streets, and particularly Of the cutters, is
OF O great sanitary Importance at oil times,
and especially now that yellow FEVER has OBJ
tanned q footing In our city. And certainly, it
must be admitted that the desirable conditions
in this regard have been lamentably wanting:
What propose Is to satisfy the Council
that, under the control OF ny department,
streets and public places would, within a very
short time, be put In O. satisfactory condition
OF cleanliness. while such O result cannot pos
siby be anticipated under the present system.
In the first place, it would be next to i'm
possible to get contractors to comply, with
their obligations, even though those obliga-
tions were clearly defined and entirely UNI
questionable MY department. IS charged e q
utterly impossible, with the small force at
my command for that purpose, consisting Of
only sixteen men, to scrutinize at short inter-
walls all the streets, alleys, crossings, bridges,
highways, shell-roads and public places Of q
city like this. To do SO with efficiency the
entire police force. consisting OF hundreds OF
men, ought to be made agents OF this depart
ment, and required to report for their respec-
tive beats each day, and with strict exact
ness, all Irregularities and deficiencies OF con-
tractors. It might be suggested that they
would not do it, which is very probable, but
In default of some assistance OF this kind it
has to remain for the most part undone.
In this connection, too we must remember
that the personal interests OF the contractor
come into violent and direct conflict with his
obligations. He gets SO much money for
doing certain definite work. it would cost him
say hundred dollars to have 1t well DONE
he Sights it and pays fifty; OF course there Is
fifty dollars saved, and yet it is not called
theft. In fact, it is hardly rated as disreputa-
BILE by considerable number of our fellow
citizens. But the consequence of it all Is an
active, incessant tendency to slight the work
s MAINLY visible to-day,
Now, ali this is said on the supposition that
the contractors are clearly, definitely, exactly
is not really tenable when their obligations
are uncertain and ambiguous, when, what Is
still worse, those obligations clearly omit
some Of the most important portions OF the
work which Is necessary for cleanliness, your
honorable body will perceive at once how
much more unsatisfactory the predicament
of my department becomes.
In ordinance No. 1852, reciting the kinds Of
Z work to be given out by contract, you will
i. lad the following passage:
Lmer esThe work to be under the direct control of
aay.4 Department of Improvements, assisted
s sm the Cty Surveyor s4ect to s,seh IT. ,t les
axSThose e'rules and regulations" have never
3een enacted, and consequently both Ad-
ministrator and contractor are left greatly in
1J fsThe contractor shall be bound daily, If so
reqni,ed, to clean ;, out thoroughly all the gut
eff SO required" And by whom? By the
trator Of I fm apr By the counoii2
1T Is not said. But supposing it to be con.
coded that my department. may $50 require, y
the very important question remains: Can
the order be general or must it be specific?
Can say, clean oil the cutters and under all
the bridges, or must specifically point; out on
need it? This latter Is the construction given
by the contractors, especially as they con-
slider their view sustained by the following
passage in the same specifications, to wit:
"The contractors shall be bound to call at
the office of the Administrator Of Improve
ments once on each and every day at II O'Clock
m. to receive orders relative to the work to be
book shall be considered equivalent to writ
ten orders served on the contractors in person
at the dates thereof.
This is an ambiguity which gives rise to a
vast amount of ready-made excuses for work
undone and evasion OF fines therefor.
But these antiquities are not as bad In their
effect as is the total omission of certain i'm
portant works. Thus the greatest source OF
In the cross cutters. Many OF these CUTTERS
have not, and never had either stane or plank
bottoms, even in portions of important thor
oughfares like st. Charles Avenue. In process
OF time, and with an occasional cleaning, the
bottom Is eXcayated all along the central por-
ton OF the square, until it's general level Is
lower than at the two ends. Consequently
water stands there perpetually, stagnating
and fostering In the sun. But no provision ie
made In the specifications for remedying this
evil. 1t is an omission, which the Depart,
ment Of improvements, Il in charge, would
Immediately remedy by filling the depression
with dust or earth until the level would be
such as to run off all water.
Gentlemen of the Council will remembel
that / always and most strenuously opposed
the inauguration OF the contract system.
rfIOta from the proceedings of the Council O.
June 5, 1877:
"The ordinance being before the Council
for debate Mr.. Mccartney said:
"tAs the Council persists in it's determine
ton to consider the matter to-day, which
regret, I beg to call the attention of the
members to the fact that up to 1869 those who
are acquainted with the contract system, as
lit was then worked, must be aware that the