The sun., 1895-05-19
WARNINGS EXPLANATIONS.
THREE LETTERS ON THE NEEDS
lyD COST OF HIS DEPARTMENT.


s,..r,rr Straight for - nencit or $780,
900 Comptroller Fitch Blamed for the
p.,.huuty Boat Decision. which the
commissioner Says Prevents Saving
or s7oOoo-ws.te Worth eg,aoo.OoO.
street Cleaning Commissioner werinG pre-
sented three type-written statements at the
m.etlng of the Board OF Estimate and Appor-
,ionmcnt yesterday, setting forth tho state Of
sfTsirs In his department and explaining the
rcforms that he has inaugursted. The FIRST
statement was:
.Bor WiHidn, L. Strong, Mayor. chdtrnd~ Board
.o rsff,nafe and hpportionmert
"sIR: The financial questions incidental 70
the work of the Department Of Street Cleaning
rrouire early attention. Two things have been
demonstrated. Tho first is that the streets Of
New York can be cleaned. I completed at mid
night last night an inspection covering all parts
Of tho city With the exception Of the push-cart
market, portions OF Mott, Mulberry, Bayard,
Hester, Ridge. and Norfolk streets, and few
other isolated small sections-the whole con-
stjtuting less than per cent OF the length Of
payed thoroughfares of the city-the streets of
New York clean. pretty nearly as clean as
tbey can be made with tho pavements they now
have.
THE second is that this state of cleanliness
cannot be maintained within the appropriation
made for the purpose by the Board of Estimate
and Apportionment Of the previous admins
tration. As result. ono of three things must
be done. Either the streets must be allowed to
relapse into less cleanly condition. for which
the appropriation will still suffice without Great
ing q deficit at the end OF the year, or moro
money mnst be provided for tho work. tho
amount paid for labor must be reduced. Should
1t be decided that the first alternative is not
advisable. and that the second is impossible, the
third is possible: that Is. the number of work
men can be reduced tho rate OF wages
can be reduced. The law of 1892 fixed
the wages rgdly at 5000 per annum.
This rate was adopted by Mayor Gilroy and his
associates as a considerable and sufficient In
crease on the rates originally in the bill. Tho
amendment of 1894 left it to the Board of
Estimate and dApportionment to fix the wages at
whatever rate it pleased. not exceeding $72O. It
might have reduced the rate. In effect 1t in
creased 1t to the full limit. which, with extra
pay for Sundays, earned by a large proportion Of
the force. makes the annual payment about
1924. practically for common labor" No ma
terial diminution of cost can be secured in any
other items Of the appropriation than sweeping
and cartng.
"lf the operations of the department were to
90 on as at present, tho deficit at the end OF the
year would be about $500, 900, reaching every
item in the appropriation except administration,
in which there would be a slight saving.
I'm reducing the cost of labor we may either
select certain number of mon who are now re-
ceiving $3.50 per day, turn them out and de-
prve them Of all income with their families to
DO provided for, or reduce tho rate OF wages
paid 10 tho whole force.
THE latter course would allow tho streets to
be maintained in their present state of clesnii.
ness; the former would return them to some-
thing like their previous state of uncleaniness.
| afnta the facts and make m nd Att inn
For the Information Of the Board beg to say
that as the work of the department becomes
private ash carts and their private sweepers,
which is increasing our expenses day by day.
Another thing 10 to DO taken into con.idera-
ton. The influential consolidation Of tho real
estate interest Of the west side has led to the
seventh street and l20th street on the North
the city to The foot OF Eishtesh street on
great. s.ili more recently. q similar influence
and absolutely sa}eJ Conditions. anywhere in the
rot causing The ashes from the Whole area ats to
avenue. on the Harlem Rve-. i've Sc Some Da'Ia Of the
carts now engaged in this work have to haul
sy shs es
load Is certainly not less than 3D..
MY predecessor estimated the cost Of the
R!sn 10 be- be for the Year 1885 sssSs ss4 HsS SO.
a n St awn of H E
!await your Instructions.
"Respeettuly pGtn sWybmi,tedi ,miHa comu,..on.,,
The other statement related specifically to
the problem Of dumping at sea, and to the
Walton a. Co. for the removal and disposition
SStrubbsh. AS to dumping at sea Commissioner
More than the work now done could be done
~ SIX Deiahunty boats. costing for all accounts.
an annual saving Of s2s0.Oo0. Having satisfied
Ip myself Of the accuracy Of this estimate and of
S%s Sn BeaS at s sesson ot
iso5. for authority to build an experimental
ly hs ts
iI,g Of March g. 1895. In pursuance of this au-
hs ba BY the
Lewis Nixon.
-, The proposal, with notice of the awarding of
March 20. 1895, with a request that he pass
Sn non the 6. Of the sare,ss thereon
troll ,olIer tells him that the award was Illegally
he viii the cenFacs to
nsh done ws Should have been able to
IN ,ma nc the efficiency Of the DeIahunty boat
het the last three months OF this year. with cash
@Tlhy Inh r. to the city OF about $4,000"
Col; Wering says: NAH '''" ''''"
49,! believe that the paper and general rubbish
contains @ materials worth more than enough to
pay lhe cost of collection and disposal, In order
u, satisfy myself by experiment as to the real
e"SSrtble value OF useful parts Of our refuse.
n,ould be more than justified In using a very
arIe amount of money in excess of the receipts
i0r the scow trimming
This is as far as my official opinion has been
allowed to have weight AS an engineer how
EYER, ana as one who has given certain amount
ny stuuy 70 municipal problems 1t seems to me
WoulC unreasonable to assume
ianl Hdi all the matters rejected from the house
nY,usonr p.us OF our people-a people with lavish and
wNIavaHant habits-must contain things that
iiaay iay be recovered which would be worth at
asl one cent per day per head Of population In
tie neess OF the cost of collecting them. BY the
iheity ae any system Of collection can he perfected
th eL.y VIII have at least 2OO0. 900 nhab bitants;
90 se recovered wastes would thus be worth
s;TTiuVo TiNVW per day, or $1,000. 900 per annum."
ali thahyor mayor appointed a committee to consider
drst we matters in question and especially tho
Comnol Cn VI thc three statements. 1t consists of
n.nmp,roier Fitch, President Barker of the Tax