New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-05-09
A sHORT-SIGHTED POLICY.
,oop PROVISION FOR PUBLIC STORES.
.ro,ror OF CONGRESS TO PROCURE SUITABLE
BUILDING IN Nrw-lORK.

RUILDING IN NtW-lORk.
rpY TELEGRAPH TIE TRIBuSE.l
WASHINGTON, May S.-The Treasury Depart
man, has received the report o, committee appointed
% apnraise the property occupied for the Appraisers
oa,e and public stores IN New.York and arrangements
IRE beng perfected the lease for three years
Tho property has been appraised at Tolo'VVo "'" '
rent is liked at per cent OF that sum- lne yearly ie'
maid now is about the same. $3i 80 since tne Wv
eminent rented this building in 1874 1t mas eNpeh"ou
nearly a quarter OF million dollars III "'ora'io"s "u"
reatny In addition 10 the rent, and still the pudhe
declared by the Department to be who"y "aoeq"'~
for the proper transaction OF tho P"oio ous'ne'''
Early in the session Secretary Manning sent
letter to the House on the suoJcc' u's'ns '"0
great importance OF providing suitable accommoda
lions but while that body has found time 10 appropriate
ssvcra, million dollars for buildings in villages. IN some
Of which the Government now pays no rent Whatever
has wholly neglected TO give moments eohsidera'oh
"a tho secretarys letter. Last year merchandise or the
value of 1882 653 o16 was received examined and de-
uvered in New.York and Sl22635797 was collected In
n,I.a Referring to this matter the Secretary Of the
Treasury says:
any importing house. or any number OF importing ring
houses had received. handled ana soio suca az @ yerv
nous gu ,ntity OF most valuable merchlnusc VI sn,d
variety fabric ami form think can Te for the
Transaction of such busiDess would not have been IKE
those which this Government has used ana Is us"s "
In letter written TO tnc oecro'"i' " ,'f
Mullen. he says: - .s,
The building was originally sugar house. extending
from Washington Westst.. ana covering apou naiI
me square between Laight and Hubert SITS When II was
rented each alternate Nor Sa s.eanenIy an addition
was made the main building by ineoIpoa'Hg wi ii
another addition was but. Recently the owners OF IN
adjoining restaurant have added three STORES 10 ,h
iaSoratory 1t will thus be seen that the present
building is not the outcome OF any orgiha ia ,p pan
hu mas resulted from the joining together OF ola ouh
ings OF radically different construction ana the erection
OF parts as the necessities OK me service %
In otD
of patchwork. III contrived and faulty IN every parcu
lar me oI Ssr OF she brtween the up
per floors OF the original suSar-hoc buildings anu tne
Two new parts erected on the Hubert and West-st
fronts more consideration Is that the sugar
house building has been so weakened by the removal OF
the floors that great seams or gaps nave aue
ther appearance the walls under the strain caused
by the storage of heavy examination packages only re-
Gently the condition OF one floor was SO dangerous Una.
the deputy collector in charge was ooled 10 transfer
10 bonded warehouses large quantity OF
heavy packages awaiting appraisement Inc thlrd
floor OF what is known as tine new building nas SO sagpeu
with the great weight OF glassware ana other nercha
disc stored there that the pillars n'cnueu 10 snrpor
the roof have settled away from the giruers
sncienty strong bear the required strain there
not sufficient for the large number OF examination
nerkacrs constantly stored In It, There are on an aver
ace some l3 900 OF these examination packages Always
in the store and frequently the floors become SO
ar the weight so great already mentioned, that large
quantities these goods have 10 be transferred TO
Tie lack OF adaptation OF the building TO the purposes
for which 1t is used requires the employment OF areo
auount of extra labor that would not be needed In
suitable building and the arrangement OF the offices OF
the appraisers examiners etc. causes crowd
Office There few suitable examining rooms and the
number OF these rooms of any sort Is so small ah' t%
or three have to be crowded INTO one ol he
to the detrlment OF the WORK Oh all.
s,nce this ami like information was placed before
Congress at this session. 1t has appropriated over
s. oO0 900 for public buildings Taking these bile as
they come il found that the first thlry-four appro-
pria,e Sl.Ol5, 900 for buildings in places In which
the Government pays only Sil,292 rent
for the purposes for which the buildings are to be
erected This Is S2 292 less rent than is paid for the
public stores building in NewYork. In other words on
the sum appropriated by Congress for those buildings
will save "A per cent in rent while per cent-ahounl-
in. 10 much Larger In the aggregate-is paid for
this one building in New Orx But that is not all AS
Appraiser McMulen shows, the Government Is now put
TO much unnecessary expense owing to the inadequacy
and incon of the present building Bills have
been PASSED providing buildings Tor such places rs
Monroe La, which has population OF 200 ana the
total receipts OF tho post office OF which amount to the
MAGNIFICENT of II ,G6o. The Government pays
no rent whatever in this place, any merchant
being glad in corner or his store Tor inc
post office order to draw trade" Opeousas. La
is another specimen place which is to have public
bna,nc No rent is paid there. 1t has population OF
1876 and the annual revenue from the post Office ia
$500 The appropriation for Monroe Is 100000 ana
for Opclousas $4,000. Other instances might DO given
to show now the public money is wasted III this way
ye the Government obliged to handle $685., Ol6
worth OF goods annually In a rickety old building IN
New-Yora for which an enormous rent Is pad. Inc
metropolis Itself largely Co blan Tor this as II IS que
t. the OF representatives II SENDS mere Az least
OF the city members IS credited with opposing any
appropriation FOR new Ddlldlg lor Tue TupItc stoI,
pres umably In the interest OF prolerty-Owhefs VINO
profit from the present conition OF anars No one Oh
TO aid of the Treasury III TIL, matter nor
las any Of been heard lifting his voice In oppo'
stJn TO appropriations for buildings III country villages