The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-12
znn QUESTION OF T CLEANING
with Some Remark. on Gel. wn-,ur.

eral approval which has followed his admInis-
trntion since he became Commissioner OF Street
Cleaning. la in danger OF leading The public to
transform the prcsumption in Col. War
inR's favor into u conviction that his
judgment Is infallible. Last summer, as
counsel for certain bidders for the con-
tract for the removal OF nil the street
cleanines, my attention was directed to one
phase of the matter, and | became convinced
that as to that the city had been misled to its
damage, and was likely to continue TO DO so rs
long us Herbert TAto continued to exercise his
magnettsm over Col. Waring. Though my pro-
fessionnl relations TO tho matter ceased with
the rejection of my clients bid. | determined to
keep my eye on the matter. to see II | had been
n true prophet In n letter ] then addressed to
Mayor Stronp. The summer vacation and
pressure OF other matters drove this from my
mimi till my attention was directed to IL anew
by Comptroller Fitch's recent tussle with Mr..
Tate's bills. Since then | have brought my
knowledge down TO the present time. The his-
tory of the matter is as follows:
One OF the good things" OF the street clean
ing business has been for many years the over
hauling of the refuse brought to the dumps and
extracting from 1t the salable materials. This
10 known as the "scow trimmings" For the
privilege OF doing this the city received from
1882 to 1887. inclusive. about SIS, 900, or an
average of $4,000 n year. In 1883 It jumped
up to over S25, 900 and in 1880 to nearly SOL. 900.
In 1890 II was over $50, O00,i In 1891 nearly $751;
600. in 1892 nearly $4,000, in 1893 over S94,-
900, and in 1904 over $500 600.
During most OF this time there was no formal
contract for this privilege, though Commits
sioner Andrews, in 1894. | believe. made q con-
tract with an Italian after advertising for bids.
This contractors last payment was for the week
ending March ~, 1905, and was at the rate of
SLIGO a week. or SSS.000 n year.
On Jan. 10. 1895. Col. WarinE became Com
missioner OF Street Cleaning. The last week
for which any payment was made for scow
trimming was that ending March 81. 1908.
when Col. Waring seems to have terminated
the contract. From June. 1895. to June. 1896,
Herbert Tate had, by agreement with Col. War
Ing, made without advertising and without In
Vit'ng bids. the privilege OF disposihg OF all tho
reiuse collected by him without any payment
into the city treasury. This was an apparent
present to Mr.. Tate of $4,000. But for 1t Tate
is claimed to have built a crematory and ex-
perimented In tho burning OF some portion Of
the street refuse. Whether this was n source
of profit or expense to him there seems to be no
means OF finding out. Certainly a request for
documents made on the Finance Department
produces mono. In July. 1896, $500 was paid
into the Comptroller's office for what believe
to be so-called "scow for a week in
June and for July. In Augustthere was paid in
about Sl,TOo. These were only for
certain specified dumps. Since Sept. l last,
that Is, since Mr.. Fitch's rev with Mr.. Tate.
there has been paid in from 5000 to 81 900 n
week, until for the two weeks ending Oct. 20
Sl.250 a week was paid in. | don't know from
whom this was received. whether Mr.. Tate or
not. Even tho highest weekly sun is only at
the rate OF $3.50 0 a year. in place Of the SIS, 900
q year which was received before Col. Warning
turned the scow trimmings" over to Mr.. Tate.
There is another suggestive phase OF this
matter. On Jan. 10. 1896. tho Mayor insisted
in the Board OF estimate and Apportionment
that q contract should be made for the final
disposition of all street refuse. On Jan. 10 a
form OF contract was approved. tsome date
prior to Jan. 80 there was apparently an order
OF the Board of Estimate and Apportlonment
for Col. Waring to advertise for bids In the
Cty Record, for on that date, in reply to Comp
trollcr Fitch's inquiry of the Corporation Couu-
sci whether or not 1t was the understanding
that some short notice of the advertisement for
final disposition of the garbage was to be in
serted In the papers calling attention to the ad-
vertisement in the CITY Record" Mr.. Scott re-
piled that he so understood. and on the same
day the BOARD directed such advertisement to
be inserted.
Some time prior to March 10. Col. Waring.
not having. | think. made any advertisement
and being asked why he had not done SO, found
fault for the first time with the approved form.
| find no record OF this. but it was so stated In
the daily papers in their report OF the proceed
ings of the Board of Estimate and Apportion-
ment. On March 10 q changed form was ap-
proved.
On April IL Col. WarIng presented TO the
Board the bids received. and stated that he ac-
cepted that OF the Merz Company. for, appar-
entity. only the garbage. He added: 1T is
hoped that before the time fixed for beginning
the work under this contract the city will be in
q position TO send TO Riker's Island all its worth
less was,e other than garbage" Whether H.
VAS his int.ntion that Nerz ahould bavs tba
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N""", " o" ~ "i' va" : ""S
ihte"ueu NOT I" give lnen W ni"' may now
T,. o. -, T,,n,, ,,a ACKNOWLEDGMENT
ala M, .nnrors 20, Vnrip,,s orcsn,orca ~ ,h.
NJ, Nh ord on Anil 3, diroc,.d : nov, oIr.r-
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