New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-22
THE NEGLECTED STREETS.
REPLY OF THR POLICE COMMISSIONERS.
THE ANSWER TO MAYOR GRACEs CHARGES FINALLY
srSr TO u1M.-coMNIsSIoNER NICHOLss DEFENCE

REPLY OF THR POLICE COMMISSIONERS
THE ANSWER TO MAYOR GRACEs CHARGES FINALLY
SENT TO HIM--CoMMissIoNER NICHoLSsDEFENcE
SUBSTANCE oE THE REPORT.
The Police Commissioners, after much delay sue
ceeded last evening in completing their answer W
Mayor Craces letter about street cleaning Inspector
Bvrnes TO whom the delivery of this answer was COM
mitted drove to the Mayors house at O'CLOCK anu
presented the document. The Mayor took me man
uscrpt and remarked that it was still early IN inc
evening although late in the day. 10 reporters
present he said he could not then express any opih
ion regarding tie answer. The report is long, aud
appended to it schedules to support the positions
taken by the commissioners. The document is
signed by S. r. Nichols, and the substance "a ~ 10 do
follows:
The Mayor is under q misapprehension as TO the
relative AMOUNT of work done 5 the , nImary Object
Bureau IN the years ds5y ana Bureau IS to Sc
cure pr0per confirmation and supervision IN eaoh
without seesn bureau was under different
management In the years 1879 and lS8Oana neao
tics Of the Department of which account must DC
in order to secure proper o, S9mp aTnes and
g gSrhoer reportei as removed IN 1872. sc
cordng 70 the Mayors letter. was i'GT i;sso
and the number OF loads reported as removed Ill looV
Il appears by examination Of the accounts Of as99
the loads known the Department as permit snu
al material rS% t oso! SdT the from the Depart
men OF Public Works are included 10 me agot9
10 ca az Ineuding these the statement OF LOADS
removed I'm 1880. es they we're incuueu IN VIC ,,a
OF az on loads Il also appears that during
the year 1879 there were 30 10 oals VI , on the
nosited ON the dumps owing to insufficient room on me
scows and subsequently removed second time 10 the
scows. These second removals We're cinueu r IN re, re
moved No such removals included In tue removals
for the wear 1880 The difference in the total expense o
NJ
haps 100 feet distant and collecting matefial o 'e
obvious Careful examination shows that tile carts
employed in these second removals wOuu remove lov
than five times many loads IN day as IN the case o
For the purposes of comparison therefore the Depart:
mept in $40 should be credited with only oueith OF
35Il3; or In other words 0ur-! tbs OF that number OF
loads or rs O9I loads, should be deducted from the
hgnres reported In that year. This correction REDUCES
the number NJ lca Is removed III 1879 tn lOl9O1O as
against 1O66O77 III 1880 showing excess Oi elective
work performed In 1880 equal 10 1907 loads
IL also should be remarked that the loads removed III
1880 represent greater amount Of effective WORK than
those removed 1879 for the reason hat greater pro
nnrtion Of the work was done by Police Department
carts 1880 than IN 1879 and the lOads carried o inc
Police Department carts are upon An AVERAGE ABOUT TWO
mint hs greater those carried In the hired carts
The increased service OF the Police department carts
in 1880 amounted 70 Az Gays or as hear ~ Gun %
42942 loads and these represent an increase
OF effective work In 1880 amounting TO 9'54O loads
This, added TO the 1907 loads-the increase aTSnn
aseertainsd Tor 1Ss0-gves increased servcen 1851
measured by 20, SAT loads ot material removed.
SecOqd-As tue number OF miles Ot street swept:
The Commissioner here states that the systems OF
sweeping and OF keeping account OF tue worA uone Weo
different in the two years that no parlson can Ds
made fairness and he gives many figures TO prove
statement In fact he says u rs almost npOssoio 10
fnd out how many miles were swept In 1872
Third-As 10 the expense Of the work; me WORK OF
the rcet-Ceanng Department has, IN iact Deen done
for less money $50 than IL was IN 1873 The Mayor
Is correct assuming that there was pd Ohl Ol me
ashes garbage aud street dirt 1890 aud S640652 90
I'M the year 1879 These figures DO not however cor
during he wear 1880 dump inspectors. forcmen ana
gangmen been employed for tho necessary work OF
supervision. anu have been paid ont OF ihe street, can
Ing Appropriation; while durng part OF inc year 1879
tine services were prtormrd by detailed p9hsem.n
the extent OF S7 s34 AZ THIS amount beng add 'd TO
the sum quoted constituting toe expense o 1879 iayes
total m S65S4S7 Al for tae expense Ot 1872 ALI excess
over the expense OF 1850 OF SlO.73O az.
Eo,,rJbAs 10 mems OF ex peuse which relates To the
renovafrom the city Of material after its collection
concerning this, the Commissioners Gays SUBSTANTIALLY
% The extraordinary trouble with the Shore Inspector.
and the interference Of the LeEssture and the
sty of going lar out 10 sea Win Tie sco"s are al 'na'
TGh-As 10 Increased expense for horse-,eed in 1850
over 1862 this is due 10 three Causes-ncfrase IN me
number of horses average number In 1850 being 50
against e2lo IN $40 increase the amount Of feed and
The increase ~ prices paid Inc Police Depar hr mem
hours out Of the iOrtyeIght. This was tho case ~
greater degree IN 1850 than III 1879 ASIDE from thi1
1880 the feed gradually Increased 70 point which
believed 10 lac much better economy as Wei as MI en-
better humanity than 10 have the horses vi ed anu soon
worn out The prices paid for horseieed nave been rs
tetIng system. which limits the expenditure TO ono
twelfth Of the appropriation In each month -
OF the snow IN the streets ihe report SAW
little consideration Of the circumstances VIII satisfy
any mind that the snow could not nave been frincEtL
There are 395 OF paved streets In the CITY OF New
York Careful estimate yer fled by experiment has shown
that during the past winter sDoW has ialcn am mas
remained amounting 10 CARLOAD for each linear loot
of streets making aggregate OF 2O32SOO Carloads
OF snow careful estimate al-o Vcrih d % eh
nerence as TO the cost of removing tins and dumping ~
into the river shows such cost To D not less ta 40
cents per Load requiring thus over 81 42O0O to remove
the snow and &c alone during the past winter TINS
is upon suppostOn that hOfscs and carts ana men
could be obtained 10 do the work I.e actaa appropT&
lion for the removal OF and c6 was $4,000 which
together With the transferred balance O
in Iii $4,000. has been expended. Tho utmost any
officer can do Is accomplish the spring cleaning with
the greatest dispatch possible Ths We are now Gu
deavorIng 70 do.