The New York herald., 1878-09-13
Comptroller Kelly'S Reply to Commits
SiOner Campbell.
SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS.
Extravagance. Ineificlency and Fraud
Openly Charged.

NEw Yogx, Sept H. 1878. !
Hon. ALLAN CAMPBELL, Commissioners OF Public
sIR-Your letter of August %, published in the
daily press OF the 3d. In answer 70 mine OF August D.
relative 10 the incorrect designation Of aborers upon
the payroll OF repairs to pavements July 81 re-
ceived. My time is so much occupied with tho duties
answering personal attacks IL Is my habit 10 pass
them by silepce and should not now depart from
my usual custom but or the reason that your letter,
in the disguise OF departmental correspondence, isev
dently intended to blind the public TO your very
Public Works. care nothing personally Tor your
accusations OF unruthfulness. Your pondence
has before been ntersperssd with expressions not IN
use with gentlemen while have already had occa-
to Inform you that II was my habit TO conduct
official intercourse with courtesy and sobriety
LABoRERS OR INSPECTORS?
My letter to you stated that 'thsre number OF
men dcsignated laOorers upon the roll who 1t Is
learned, arc detailed by some authority unknown TO
this department duty olhcr than the labor spec
he'd AS an instance, gang No. "a, specified as at work
IN sixth street bet wccn avenues ana d. has an ad-
don OF twelve names to the regular force designated
as aborors, who, II Is ascertained did no labor in
this roll the dcparim mt (Finance) is informed
there are about tnty men designated AS aborers who
are detailed as as stants 10 Inspectors This depart
mont (Fnance) has no means OF judging OF The neces
sity for large employment OF inspectors in the
work of repairs TO pavemcnts but upon reference 10
the payroll OF july, 1876 (bcing during tho hrst sum
your adminstrationl Il is found that at that
period there twenty four gangs OF laborcrs work
the roll Of July 81, 1873 shows twenty Jour gangs OF
aborors, working IN twcnty-four places, with virtu
ally thirty-ei2ht inspectors y
In reply you say :"Y our assertion that these COM
mon laborers doing laborers work and receiving Ia
borers wages, are Inspectors Is SIMPLY bald msrcp-
resen,ation OF fact. The number OF inspectors s,
returned ON the roll, nine, instead Of thirty eight
magni1ed by you. y y have thus snown that
ns m nsys
the statements yourself or you would have paid
tho men as you aid without awaiting reply"
MISREPRESENTATION CHARGED
This department was III iormed by tue general in
spector III the Water Purveyor's Bureau, who. it Is
N n.fh huQ chn A vhn naPa
sariiy Is thoroughly IN ormed MS to their occupation
that those men wero en- oycd as assistants to inspec
tors, that they had performed duty such and were
entitled TO Their pay He also informed the paymas-
ter that the Other twenty-five mon ALLUDED to
also acted as ASSISTANTS 10 inspectors or as lamp.
lighters Upon has representation, having received
no reply 10 my letter, and, believing that tho men
we're not responsible for The misrepresentation upon
the roll they were, alter the lapse oil several days,
paid their wages, and, as a further acknowledgment
that there bad heretofore been Misrepresentation OF
occupation upon the roll, Ihe next and succeeding
roiis show these men employed elsewhere than with
gang No. "a. You state that uGder pretext Of in-
curry my letter merely the continuation oil syste-
matte attack, some time since commenced by me, to
embaTrass your department. ITS employees, contract
and agents, and, II possible. to bring discrcdit
upon It's mead. can assure you that you labor
Ing under great error IN attributng such purpose
TO me- Your department and It's head engages NO
OF my than is absolutely essential to
my duty tho financial oflcor OF the city. regard
with equal interest all tho departments OF the city
government As general rule. SO far as is known 10
me, the several departments conduct their business
In the interest oi economy; yours, IN my opinion, is
knowledge OF the affairs Of your dcpartmen. 1t is my
duty public officer TO try and cnoct CHANGE anu
caused ihis opinion II Is your duty 10 ''co-spcraie
with mo tremendously In the work OF tightening the
| pubic burden"
When discover Irregularities which have possibly
escaped your observation and INFORM you OF them II
| should be your cndeavor TO correct them, ana com
| mon courtesy would enilIlo me TO your personal
thanks for supplying you Win the Information; bui
your disposition Is 10 treat all such Information as
1 of or
OF tho fact that We, as public officers. have consc
en,ious duty TO perform 1 rssrst tnat the eer.,,ca
Works Is not at all times sufficient guarautsc OF tncif
correctness AS to warrant an audit by mus depart
mcnt withou. auxiliary information. so many IN
stances occurred wnere tho ceruncation OF the
Department ef Public Works IS at variance with the
iacs that 1t Is dicult to cnumcrato them, and In NO
instance when you have boen SO informed have you
snown any disposition 10 cooperate win mo In rom
TO these subjects remain uuanswcrcd others show, ~
Indicated by your reply that you consider my action
| as unwarrsntcd and as interfering with your iunc
| tions.
You havo certified In ono instance to the poriorm
! anco OF work and supply OF material which has nc
| foundation IN fact ana which was imaginary jot
put IN The bill OF the claimant to obtain money fraud
ulcntiy from the city 80 informed you the letter
remains red since May 5, and you have never
recalled the voucher transmitted by you to this dc
partment tor mcnt, with all the necessary certit
Gates to make IT vaiid Claim, ana which may II
some iims enable :ho claimant 10 collect tho money
Again aud again have Informed you tnat II has been
discovered mat biis were crroneously mado up as tc
| specifically pointed oat to you tue discrepancies ex
i5tiBg between tho bills and tho facts Your replies
ns,cna OF inc jos',co n o. my ossm,n
In many Instances, have acknowledged the correct
ness OF tue audit of their bills by tho Finance Depdrt
ment ana have accepted the payment at reduced
rates before your defensive reply has been received
| PAvi2G or LEXINGTON AVENUE
No later ihan the past week tue paving OF Lexing
| ton avenue. between Seventy -iourih aud Seventy
ninth streets, which was certified by you as bavinl
been .propcriy performed" was reported to mo al
n4yl INN ccl IA x n al
we're informcd Of tue matter and stated, IN reply
my ietcr, that the certihcatcs OF the Water Fur
vcyor, The Chicf Engineer aud the Comnissioner y
Public Works, attached 20 the nnal estimate, stat
that the work was properly done 10 the satisfaction
advised me tnat the ten cents per square yard re
tanned security that tho contr motor Will kocp IN
ample 10 compel thc contractor to repair any de
precision or irrcsuarty IN the surface that occu
IRON susare, aud that tho amoont certified Is justi,
due tho contfoctor aud should be paid.
Upon the receipt oil your letter. TO ascertain posi-
lively that the expert OF tots department was corree
| IN hrs examination employed nessrs. Ancrman a
Ford thc we'll known city surveyors, to examine tn
condiiioo OF the street. fhcy report
''rnving loosely laid, curb settled ana u portoi
does not con form the grade; tagging taten up u
straighcn grade has not bccn properly rciad nortl
oi Sovcnty-scyenth street curb IS low anu does no
conform TO Tue grade; nanhoie, Intersection o
seventy sixth street, Is Deiov the carrisge way pay
ins around tho rccoivinr yasns Is bsdiy graded
bridgcstoncs are very uneven, and We nDd the worI
| generally IN bad condition."
rho contractor mas been informed that paymen
|
| ton, and understand that ho Is now remcdying tn
detects.
The payroll, witch was tho origin OF my lctter,
Of the evidences OF the present oxtrnvaeant ad
mnistra,ions Of tho affairs OF tho department q
rubc Works. Repairs TO tue pavcments OF the city ar
much ueedcd. 1he health OF the cy anu safety 70 III
| ana limo demand that they shoud be expeditiousl
made, but ~ the same time thvy should be effected u
| tho mlnimam cost Tho largo number OF laDorer
! certified to 90 engaged, together with eighty -en
horses ana carts, sbould bo able to accomplish srcs
| deal OF work. Your last quarterly ropert givo
| ll0 900 square yards as the number repaired durin
that period. al cost, II Is asccrtaned, of s5l3s
| Tor labor alone | am informed Dy practical paw er
that the cost lubor should not exceed
| per square yata. Believing my Information TO DO cor
rect aud you can ascertain for yourself that u s .
BY consultation with any Of the contractors OF you
department. this Ito 600 square yards nave cost the
! ty3 IFS "a moro than II sDsuId have done. III
| au,ou uut OF money would have enabled you TO hav
| progressed these much nocded repairs more xtoi
tiyry aud also enabled you to more fully have estal
hshcd your reputation OF conducting your dcparmer
| on business and not political principles. ! am u
formed that these paving gangs 40 80 little tn,
they are constant source OF rdicule 20 the businc