The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-03-21
STREET CLEANING.

INTERVIEW OF HERALD CORRESPONDENT
WITH GENERAL "BALDY" SMITH, OF THE
POLICE BoARD-THE RECENT BID-LEoAL
DIFFIcULTIEs-NEw PLANS.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.1,
ALBANY, March 90 1878.
Hearing that some members OF the Municipal Re.
form Club OF New York would probably appear
tomorrow before tho Assembly Committee on
Cities TO advocate tho plan OF. street cleaning
submitted in q bill prepared at The instance
OF that organization and now before the
Legislature, General Smith, Of tho New York
Police Board, has decided TO stay bore and
attend tho meeting. perhaps with an intcn.
.tion OF giving his own Vows upon this important
matter In conversation tonight tho General said the
subject, much It had been publicly DIS
cusscd Is not popularity understood. "wo
arc now" said he. 'ac,ing under tho law,
belivc OF 1873, which put the business Of street
cleaning in Now York in the hands of tho Police b.
rcau and mado 1t responsible. the Bureau
Carried on tho business with It's own en-.
ployes at day labor until The Corporation Counsel
gave his opinion no ina, n os r'Ths TO make
labor tho cleaning mas cost about 500 600
year. and not to pot 100 nno point Il, II has
badly done.
''Some time ago. therefore, We advertised for bids
Arm OF Ripley. Coleman & Co.. who offer 10 do the
work for $4390oo for tho nine months ensuing
OF year. and would save the city $iO5 600 OF
the present yearly expenditure. But there
doubt In tho nrst place whether this single bid could
be legally accepted without competition. and
Ing laws VIII nave TO DO amended In
other respects before can be assured Of tho right
expectancy OF letting the Job Of cleaning all tho
streets Of the city In single contract The statutes
provide that contracts shall DO entered
actually appropriated and paid into the city treasury
ahouId the Board OF Estimate aud Apportion m ent
Ahprn rtnfa fnr n In
| $500. 600. and the lowest bid for the con
tract should exceed that sum, the legal ques.
have TO DO rejected whether portion OF tho city
| should 20 unclaimed. This question would also be
for which should aggregate more than tho $780, 900
| appropriated by tho Board"
PLANS FOR DOING THE WORK.
In answer to the question, what other plans OF
street cleaning arc now proposed and what one
among them Is Ia hts opinion the most promising,
.Thero arc, think, three or four street cleaning
| bills now before the Legislature. One Is the bill
introduced by Mr. DAILY, which authorizes the work
70 DO by contract under the supervision Of tho
Chief OF tho Department of Poci 10 msn omer by the
way) required 10 certify regularly to the clean
illness OF the streets or o,herwsc and whose false or
| mistaken certificate 10 defined as cause for bis
| movnl by the Mayor. Obviously no one man can OK.
! amino the streets with sufficient frequency aud
thoroughncss TO enable him to certify understand
insly. as he Is required to do, nor
S oan the basis Of his subors,ns,es "'' psnor;
The bill advocated by jackson :. Schultz. Dormsn u.
Municipal Reform Club u designed TO create street
! cleaning board bureau, consisting OF the Com.
missioner OF Public Works. tho President Of the
! Board OF Health the President OF tho Board
of Police. ! havo not examined the bill carefully
enough TO be ablo to say whether provides that the
work shall bo dono by contract leaves the Board 10
! employ day laborcrs, may most expedient
Commissioner campbelis most noteworthy achieve
| ments have boon with the contract system.
Next como to tho Two alternative bills prepared
| At tho request oil the Assembly by the Mayor tho
Commisstoncr OF Public Works ana tho President OF
tho Boarc OF Health Tho FIRST recon ends tho block
system OF street cleaning under tho direction OF the
city authorities aud provides Tor an organized body of
uniformed mon, forcmcn. superb tendcns, &c. giving
man so many yards OF pavement to clean, but
making lar as am aware, no explicit and sum-
cicnt provision Tor the removal and deposit OF tho
dirt.
"rhe second, Commissioner Campbelps BILL divides
the city INTO wentyone districts and proposes to lot
the cleaning OF each district by contract by itself
am not sure IN regard 20 this bill. either that
II provides Tor tho disposal OF tho dirt that very
important almost paramount, con dton, which has
uay embarrassed the city, and tho difficulties
In connection with IL have hardly been by
contractors"
"Wnbout at present discussing these measures"
said General Smith In conclusion, ~ Will say, in
sponsc 10 your inquiry. that II we could arrange
system by which tho city could be dvided
into small districts, and by which the street Cleaning
Bureau would DO provided with a proper place 10
deposit the nccum uated dirt, and under which,
also, II would be lcgal Tor the Bureau 4,
the lowest BIDS or not should certainly favor
IT, But with the present legal obstacles In The way
u IL difficult 70 how the contract system some
form DO dispensed wttn."