New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-10-20
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
THE DOCK DEPARTMENT ARRAIGNED.
rrsr1r OF THE INVESTIGATION DY THE COMMITS
EEoOLI VI TIT ~
sIlNERs OF ACCOUNTS.


sI1NERs OF ACCOUNTS.
y,o ro,o,t Of the Commissioners of Accounts on
the working Of the Dock Department anu i' 8ay
CENTS and expenditures from its iOrinatlon ~ r.
1870 until April 80, 1881, has been transl'ho ats
tbe Moyor The Commissioners find that the uooAs
are not free from mistakes, out; WIZ. en- IN cover
of those made by defanting oo1sreptIy clerical
mp his embeZzlements, they are "PP"i'"'
and do not affect the result 49,, -, find No rent
The Commissioners say that they can can mn l U End
rolls of earlier date than May l, loIl. mt m
that for fhe 1ss parcels Of city property IN wharHSs
and bukheads now let Tor term oI yodtH' o,,A ny
about twenty-nine leases have been eAecuson' anu
IN " cannot find any satisfactory reason Tor thls
great delay in their execution. Ii is the uuIy oi
The treasurer to deposit the rents and other c0iec
tions i'm behalf of the city with the Chamberlain;
An examination shows that the amounts deposited
with the Chamberlain, as shown by the ShalhpeeI
lains receipts. agree with the amounts s1owh t ny
the Departments books, up to ana lhciuGlnS d Sn
deposit of July s. 1876 24S 2o, which Is lnc,9Ie e
by the Department Ill the cash o. JuGe, 80
After that date and until April, iSrn, hnr 90
1877 the deposits shown by The ChampeTiiallto tbe
ceipts are less than those shown by the DOCKS " ''
From Nav i. 1877. until April 80, 1881, the en-
tries on the books for the deposits agree III o'0S
instance with the Chamberalns receipts Tho date
In the journal of the Department unuer ihe uate
of April 80 1878, the Commissioners OF AGtVu w
find details of certain embezzlemchts Dy w, w
purnham n former boOkkeepeT The entTe amount
,yas ss42 292 So There was recovered by collec-
tiOns from debtors of the deiaulter @olO Oi or VIZ
remainder Commissioner Westervelt palG Pm 80
Vanderpoel $3.50 81, making t1tai C;t ~
SI5,396 81. The ascertaiaed loss to the Olty
Treasury is $263S5 80. When Burlhalh usaP-
peared from the Office the books had not been WIlt-
zen up for fourteen months Burunam dleU ~ hVI-
tresl last June. lie was bookkeeper OF thc depart
meft from The beginning up TO ine uhl9 % ~ ~
flight in June 1878. There nothing OH the DOCKS
to show that any examination OF inc casn % tcr
counts has been made by the treasurer oT otnoi
Commissioner since that time -. oo,r,,o5
The gross rents for wharfage Whch nav az ~
in the eleven years are sc 9O1 ,113 80 increasing
from S4O4 $40 80 IN the fiscal year ehdlhg AIIiiI
80 1871 TO 1864 22o 20 III the year s5ced IN
go 1881 The claims Tor overdue rents placeu ~
the hands of the Counsel TO the Corporation arc
Si75. 400 9S on which he has obtained Judgment u
favor of the city for the pnncipad Oh 20 To- Hdc
none of which, according to the books OIL the DOCS 2y
DEPARTMENT. appears TO have been satlsu9u' TIC
Comm ssionerS are OF the opinion thIb ne hou
Steamboat Company has no righg To collect I p
rion fees 10 its building on Per No. l, Norm River
At one time large sums of money Wre alOWeo 10
accumulate from time TO time IN the DOCK Depart
,pent before being deposited with the Clty CaoGI-
lain For instances ON May z 1873 these aecninul;-
tons amounted o upwards OF T2J,OoO; on J1he 20,
S32 coo; on August to Sol 900; on NoVemoer Ia
To SOS 600; on May 30 1880, 81 on No!ehiII
q sos 600 ON February 4, 1851, $64, 900; on Apnl
8, $4,000.
The report concludes as follows:
From the knowledge gained by during our examin-
alton of tie business and management OF the Depart
lnen we feel warranted making the following gen
eral recommendations namely: .,, 49,, ,, T.,
charge OF a single Commissioner who shall act under the
direction of the Commissioners OF the Slhklg i una
Thai IFS duties be restricted the construction and
Ienar of doegs slips piers and bulkhead walls. and
theItproper InaQhe renting OF an
OF tie Sinking Fund That the collection OF rents and
wharfage made 10y The Controller That the money
needed for carrying the work OF the Department ne
estimated for by the Department OF Docks, ana aDpro-
priated by the Board Of Estimate and Apporuonmeht'
That commission OF disinteresed and otherwise coui,
petent engineers be appointed by the Commissioners OF
the Sinking Fund examine into and report upon tue
safety, stability and economy OF Tue "orA uOhe, anu
Of the WORKS now unuef cohsIuctlou'