The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-03-30
Pecu1iarities Attending the
Board Of Works Garbage
and Ash Contracts.
WHERE ARE THESE WORKMEN ?
The City Clerk Pays Their Money
to a Usurer, and No One knows
Where They Live or Who They
Are.

|
The street cleaning methods counten-
anced and permitted by the Board of
! Works, to which Commissioner Van Keu-
ren's remarks last Monday have drawn
attention afresh, prove on examination to
be so full of mystery and tersgiversation,
that it is difficult to determine at what
point to begin criticism.
| have made some purely cursory exam
nations into the subject for the benefit of
the readers of THE JERSEY CITY NEWS,
and have discovered that the investiga-
tion branches out into countless direc-
| tions
Casually it was observed that it does
not seem to be bad point for the prospec-
tive contractor to delay the awarding of
the yearly contracts, both for the re-
moval of garbage and for the cleaning of
the streets, as much as possible Take
this year, and the garbage and ash contract
alone, for an example. 1t seemed to be in
the wind before the contract was awarded
by the Board that, whoever was the lowest
bidder, Henry Burns was to receive it.
AS a matter of fact, William Van Keuren,
who for all that can be learned to the
contrary, is a perfectly responsible bidder,
offered to do the work for the smallest
price.
THE PROFIT OF DELAY.
A due regard for the public interest
would have prompted the awarding of the
contract to him and at once Instead of
that the committee having the matter in
charge did not enter into contract until
eight weeks after the new fiscal year had
begun, and then Henry Burns was its
lucky recipient.
This delay may seem nnimportant with
out explanation, and so the explanation
is made. The amount of money at the
disposal of the department for garbage re-
moval for year is about $4,000. This is
at the rate of about 81 $50 month. Dur
ing the two months of delay in signing
the contract with Burns, Joseph Maille,
or "Joe Victor" as he is called among his
intimates, who did the work temporarily.
presented claims against the city amount
ing to $4,000, which, of course, is
about $1,000 o month. He therefore
drew from the city $3.50 more month
than he would have received for one
twelfth OF the years work at $4,000, and
consumed in less than two months the
money that should have paid for the re-
moyal of the garbage for more than three
months. Of course, If there is any money
in removing garbage at 81 $50 per month,
there is more in removing it at $1,000 per
month, and one of the results of the dis
proportionate use OF the money is that the
balance of the $4,000 left is not enough to
pay for decently effective service during
the remaining ten months of the fiscal
year.
MAILLE GIVES BURNS GOOD PAY.
Nor did it escape attention that Maille.
during this temporary service, availed
himself very largely of the aid which Mr.
Burns, who has since received the con-
tract, could give him. Mr.. Burns, it is
said. refused to do the work pending the
making of the contract, and 'Victor'f was
hired by the Boards committee as fore
man to supervise it at $25 week. He was
authorized to employ the labor and secure
the carts he needed. His bills against the
Board of Works are very largely for carts
hired from Mr.. Burns. He allowed Burns
to charge the city $3.50 day for small
carts and charged the city himself 50 a
day for each helper whom he hired Those
who are in position to know say that So
per day is an outside figure for small
carts.
The contract has since been given to
Burns and Maille.
Two months ago Maille was Burns EN-
ployer, now Burns has Maille in his ser
vice as foreman 1t may not be uninter-
esting to know that while Mr.. Maille as an
employee OF the city was not able to
secure the aid Of helpers for less than 50
day, he has nevertheless succeeded in in
ducing gang of men to perform the same
service for Mr.. Burns ut 81 so per day
The men at Burns stable told me, when
inquired of them, that that was all they
had been getting from Burns, but that at
oh ba Mr ai,
matter in the Board of Works their boss
had voluntarily raised the ante to $1.75
per day.
WARRANTS 10 THE MEMS ORDER.
Mr.. Van Keuren was not exactly right,
if he was right at all, in saying that the
city had been charged 81 a day by Maille
for labor for which he had paid only ST. so
per day. Clerk Finck, of the Board of
Works, showed me last week Maille' S bills
for the service of helpers The bills are
certified by Mr.. Maille, and show that GER
tain men, whose names are given, are enti-
tied to stated sums of money for given
number of days work at 81 per day If the
money shown to be due for these bills
were paid by the city to Mr.. Maille for dis
tribution among his men, he might have
opportunity. if he had the inclination to
put the difference between $l.50 and 50
into his own pocket. But that is not the
method of procedure followed in making
the payments. Clerk Finck, upon the
bills being ordered paid, draw warrants to
the order of the men themselves for the
several amounts Mr.. Maille certifies they
have earned, and, of course, no one can
collect the money without their consent
A SPECIMEN PAY ROLL.
Here, for instance, is one of Mr. Mail
les certificates for laborers he employed
while acting as foreman for the city,
Frank stukey ......... 9 3days............... SO
Edward Heath ....... ................ G
John McDowan. ........ .......-........ IL
Frank Reily............ ................ 10
John Lepine. ............ !" ................ IL
Martin Johnson. .......12 ................ "a
Frank Shannon.... ....l2 ................ "a
John Black. -. .........12 ................ "a