New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-10
The News OF Brooklyn
urr11, AND PUMP ACCOUNT
CHANCE FOR THE BOARD OF ESTIMATE

.r,rss EXPENDITURE OF MoNEY-A RELIC OF
.opNER DEMOCRATIC ADMINISTRATIONS.
tho hcritages left to the city by Demo-
AN administrations is the well and pump ac-
as"' r,o account comes down from the days
CUM ,orious Aldermen Of the city received
shen -" ,,,s NJ money annually to expend on the
t.''a runps Of their respective wards. Even
fe sa,.s the "well and pump account" was
r'.od q good thing-for the Aldermen. So.
vatermans and hydrants succeeded the
Tvs" primitive method of water supply, the
~" .or were loath to permit the account 10
' S'.h they had become so attached to die
IN rradations the account was MADE 10
% curbstones cutters and crosswaiks'
sp, lively mind could conceive why curo-
o'" gutters and crosSwalks ehould not De
sV" ,,ad nv the City Works Department as are
oirs and pavements. But SUGGESTIONS Oh
SUI Councils have objected 10 being shorn
..,s one of their last perquistes and no iegis
o. '', vet arisen who had the temerity to at
'..,,. N remedy the abuse
'~ ~ the reauisitions which the Board OF
.,~,.,s Is considering ia $4,000 to soo'ooo Tor
h''' ...,.u and pump account for 1851 There
i" 40, be any public regret II the scissors
-. mt freely to this requisition.
"e.' f-.,rf,Ilv unbusinesslike and roundabout
-. chat have TO be used TO keep the well
~ n,mn account" alive and in working oruer
Shu a,,o,+ arguments in themselves for Its
..u.hmen, The go-as-you-please style OF con-
49,. under which the account has been spent-ih
,'s,.,s-e,mply provides In vague way that
-. contractor Is to reset such curbs. etc, as ne
~, mood resetting in a given ward. As much as
lol i,,o CT M
,,t il has been found impossible to let one
.,take the contract for the S2.ooO. 80 10 speno
=. entire s.. 800 II has been necessary to break
,pn into ten $3.50 contracts The law requires
A., connective bids must be advertised for II an
.soropriation exceeds SOU. II DIS were al
,.,,sed for. what would become OF the per-
,u,s,e idea Of these contracts?' has been asked.
Thus II has happened that month after month an
sSnronr,ation of $3.50 has been made to pay for
resatting curbs;ones etc. in Mr. Ranks ward
wherever Alderman Blank directs.
Tho usuaI course has been as follows After
The approprotion by the Board Of Aldermen
bosom friend OF Alderman Blank goes TO the
City Works Department and enters into con-
tract 10 do the work wherever Alderman Blank
directs" Those who are thoroughly ini'ateu
into the mysteries Of the well ana pump &C
es,lv done and the money honestly expended;
but In others a contractor wandtrs AROUND WIN
a crowbar and little sand and gives stone
here and there wrench and plnch OF tdhu'
The stone Is then reset anu "ei! ic" o'O"'0
reset earn $3.50.
The City Works Department has an inspector
James r. Sweeney. who is paid 70 watch 'hese
contractors But as the Aldermen are response
be for the work the Department Is not praised
for being overexacting The engineer Mr..
Lewis who has general supervision OF all local
improvements, has been somewhat exercised
4 the last week on discovering that some OF the
favored we'll and pump contractors have been
gong AHEAD without taking the trouble TO enter
into contract with the city.
That well and pump contracts are considered
Snaps" h shown by the fact that the hungry
men who lnger around the City Hall In nope
that crumb will fall their way are always
promising friends Of Aldermen 'rake-on II
they will use their influence 10 get them one OF
these contracts.
There has been considerable complaint recent
Il OF the wasteSul manner in which discarded
curbstones tha. ere replaced when street Is
repaved are disposed Of. They are broken up
and carried off by the contractor or uscd IN 'he
foundation Of the pavement. whenever THESE
stones through chipping or cracking. become
narrower than the four and one-haf inches re-
Quired for curb the contractor is under opied-
ton TO replace them with new stones. NOW the
cty treats these old stones as II they were
yalueess Some of them are perhaps useless,
bul Ol tne Quiet HauN,
stones among them. The city not only permits
the contractor 10 appropriate the stones 10 MS
own use. but actually makes him agree In his
contract either to cart the stones away or breaK
them I'D and use them in the foundation. Inc
excuse for this is that the contractor wil repiaee
The discarded stones or leave them lying IN the
street That the stones are valuable Is proved
ty the fact that many Of the contractors ex-
change them for loads Of sand: 1t has been
suggested that If the city compelled them 10 De
CARED 10 a nmbic stoneyard the city might sell
them and have a regular income from them.