New-York tribune., 1883-12-10
HOW. aE CITY is PLUNDERED.
FRAUDS IN THE CONTRACT SYSTEM
THE RESULTS OF FALSE ESTIMATES AND
UNBALANCED BIDS.

FURTHER DETAILS SHOWING THE OUTRAGEOUS
ARISES IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PUDLio
WORKS.
TIE TR1susE of yesterday contained START
ling array of facts and figures proving CON-
clusiyely that the taxpayers OF new ioiA "'0
robbed Of immense sums by means OF q cor
r,,,+ svstom of contracts. Through false esu-
mates Oh the part of engineers and unbalanced
la. an tba mart of contractors, the city Is
forced to pay enormous prices for work which
roo,,v costs the contractors little. Not only this
brt these abuses lead to the vacation and reduc-
tion of assessments to the amount of millions OF
dollars, and these have to be paid out OF the
city treasury. The Public Works Department
l. chiefly responsible for this plunderlng OF
t,rst funds, but other departments are also
gravely in fault.
The exposures of yesterday were confined 10
contracts for street improvements, in which an
appalling state of affairs was revealed. Addl-
,;onal facts about these contracts are given
herewith, and the sewer contracts which are
also in the Department of Public Works, are
taken up. 1t was shown yesterday that III con-
tracts for exactly the same kind of street exca-
walton the prices varied from one cent to eight
dollars per cubic yard. In similar work for
sewers the prices vary from one cent TO h"ty
dollars per cubic yard. The rates on other
kinds of work vary in like manner. In all cases
the contractors are shown to profit enormously
bv reason of the misleading estimates prepared
by the Department of Public Works. In one
ease the estimate called for 10 cubic yards Of
rock excavation, and 121 cubic yards taken
out, for which the contractor was paid $50
cubic yard. Numbers of contracts of this kind
are now in force in this department..
FALSE ESTIMATES FOR SEWER CONTRACTS.
THy CITY SUFFERING HEAVILY FROM THE INCoM-
prTENCE OR DISHONESTY OF ITS AGENTS.
The contracts let out on unbalanced bids in the
public Works Department are not confined to regu-
1atnn and grading streets. The same system exists
in letting out contracts for building sewers. ms
work also is paid for by the issue of bonds, ana Is
entirely under the charge of Mr. Thompson, except
in the Twenty third and Twenty-fourth Wards. In
building sewers there is ea-th and rock excavation
TO be made as IN street regulating but there are
also such other items as culverts to be built and
timber and receiving basins to be furnished The
prices paid by the Public Works Department for
the same kind of work vary in an extraordinary
manner For building a brick sewer, 3x2 feet,
Hugh Duffy is paid SIC 80 per lneal foot and Tor
the same work on other contracts the following
prices are paid NJ. ]. Kane So 80; John McKim
& Son, S10 50; V. Clark, $l2 so; ii. Tone, Si
Mutt & Kearns $11 Al; and Denis McGrath, S3 90.
For rock excavation the prices vary from
cent per cubic yard to $50, the latter price having
been paid to John Slattery.
MIR. sLATTERY's PROHTABLE PIECE OF ROCK WORK
A specimen contract was that given out by Mt
Thompson for a sewer IN observation-disclosures first
st. between Seventh and Eighth ayes John
Slattery was the fortunate man on this occasion as
on many others. This contract was not large one
butt Noted Mr.. Slattcry sung little sum-JuSt llO
per cent more than his bid. The items in the con-
tract, (which was made October "a, 1881 a te"
days before the electonl With the estimates and re-
turns were as follow: