New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-02-16
THE CUSTOM HOUSE JOB.
AN EARNEST PROTEST Against 1nr'
RIIL NOW BEFORE CONGRESS-

1880. MN, ,ovrIxc; GREEN SITE is PREFERABLE
M THE wArJ.sr. IocATIoN-DisApvAN-
r,cEs OF BUILDING on THE OLD SITE
To the Editor OF The Tribune -
Cir. The edtorial.ln Sundays Tribune Is wen PUT
49,, ao.s not go far enough. The attempt when IS
being made by act OF Congress TO turn the mui''u'e
81 I,n,ted States Custom House employees hh.o ''e
stree, for unknown years while nVe iaNoIe' ''' -,
n, e. 900 per year each experiment IN puid'he vi '
old site a new Custom House. Is schehe ""'''
,horouchly vicious in principle, departure from an
,,,,,d ,rocoderts and fraught with injury to the
rtsrest, Of the Government, the merchants ana 'le
c,tv OF New-York. Where these employees are 10 I've
located how scattered or how supervisor "u''''s INV
long interim Of years. no one mas yet zee" ' ~
noin, out The loss OF only per cent In the revenue
y, ,hs Government during the DISARMAMENT OF us ell"
,o, ,,o,d moro than paw for a new Custom House
alto and buildng and IL Is reasonable TO anticipate
more than that loss from such an audacous proceeu
ing. 1T ,,b
In the second place the Old site Is too small WIN
streets little better than alleys on thfee sues, an" -
rspIdly being surrounded by "sky-scrapers which
,,i, v.r,uaIIv leave a new Custom House closed In
IN vcrabIe cul-de-sac, shut out from light air and
ventilation and without the possibility OF arch'tec
tural prominence. To serve the selhsh WISHES oI
few foreign steamship companies and some inhu-
entail propcrty-owners the interests OF the Govern
ment the city and the merchants are to be ignored
and this lnauitous Is TO be made law by the
skill OF a few adroit politicians.
ON the other hand. the Bowling Green site Is IN
comparably superior:
Frst--Its Is more than twice as arsc as me
present site, and has been shown. would COST
nearly $2,OOoco less than the present site cou'u NC
sold for: $500 ,u,,, 80 .,. p,,,,
Green site would enable the Government 20 continue
the present Custom House business IN me oid puii
ing until the new completed thus saving the
expense OF renting temporary quarters ana the
trouble and expense OF removing twice.
rl he
by two Secretaries OF the Treasury ratihod by TWO
acts OF Congress ana reTU d by G
both the Senate and House Of Representatives.. and
confirmed BY the Legislature of the State of New
Fourth--The Bowling Green site has every advan-
bul4iHss width Of Surrounding streets light air and
possibility of architectural! display and it is lmost
as c of bounded on
sides by public parks Eight ferries and all four Of
the elevated railways terminate here and the Broad
way cable-cars pass the door
Ffih-More than one-half of the entire revenues
House and It is herefore betting that next 10 the
Capitol it should be the finest building in the coun-
try and situated on the site which Is absolutely in
siTth-The sole Objection which can be raised
further from the United States Treasury. but lhys
nected las they Undoubtedly viii be- bg an under
ground pneumatic tube for the transmission OF
funds and documents. rather than by messengers
seventh--in determining question OF such vas,
New-York, private interests or making profitable
places for favored persons should have no weight
Public interests alone should be considered. and
these can be readily ascertaned on investigation.
The vote n the Chamber OF Commerce In favor
the aforesaid influential interests, and does not rep
resent the majority vote of its members.
believe that nine-tenths OF all the merchants I'm
New.Yerk are in favor Of the Bowling Green site
ington represent several hundreds of millions OF
merchant capital. and were obtained I'm about q
week. BOWLING GREEN
New-York. Feb. IT, 1897