New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-11-13
THE CITY's LOOSE SYSTEM.
PERTINENT FACTS ABOUT WASTE AND
CORRUPTION IN APPROPRIATIONS.

officials the Mayor he CORPORA ;on C2qnss !s ss
15resi5ent az fse DenaT+eSt Of Taxes and Asses
nents who ,osether make % the BGaId Of Is 3
spent except By their authority
more than t3aOss06. They have nov tf2Ce hen &c
for next years expenses budget o. eyer s. %, -.
IL Sddtion not les thar sls9ao dTawI. from The
oa Sf S spo Y fsd yd
nS koE 70 b seegrsts Tsey DO no! Ha exb BIZ
Of TIE business affairs OF this city They accept
hesds WHO o' ,henseives have admitted tSat they
do not know 'he essential facts concerning Shs
70 dir sSfas"' o '''e 's''-' ''''S ''--
CHANCE FOR WASTE AND CORRUPTION
I wish :; clearly understood that I DO not IN
TIRE members OF The Board Of Estimate and Appor-
10 tbe t aq 'f IS tTas ,ha q. they act
Wilton proPeT kroEsGge 5or tas Fsas2n 5ns
facts touching this cl;y's out'ays whereby the
Board q Estimate and Apporttonn.eH, an be cor
There are sia,u.cIy 2r,2yi<'on!e Thereby the
Gus departnsents s9cn reports a. mae to hin, HIN
and are IN ;he main t7'- s1t:'@ @heise s!e Boar
their knowedgs If M r.y< ..'taIrs @u1 by which
ref,crts % rot snow wa. IS r.csrs4r.. "a -
SHOWN ORR tbev aisgc v,aat il 20 tr1e There-
T.orantiy voisd Tor purposes y Wit and possibly
The roo; Of the III ~ lay!1g IL fa,s .eforc ts=
Legislature u ts sac and PRAYING ia supreme
sttUte one tfat shaH compel The off -cnaIG~rs Of
this city 20 account q ~ tszpayera C,.aF'E toI
the uses . which they put me money Il is be
cause they are ast no~ held to account tia; This
Tse remedy Is no, 70 be found at TIE polls. Ii
Of off.cehoIie-s : WIN hey have s., 81 ~, 10
sgd staogt haEFs 70 mex sny "a; afe4Eae ae
system, not IN ne t.@H charge tAe system; re-
becomes q the faone5. and ne oi1cefoiders vii
- iai;Efui ana et.cieI.l W VIII not the2 be
III servants who vii expen5 The public funds Tor
the beneat q tie people, not Tor the benefit Of
., When one publicly makes such allegations as
these II Il incqnbent upon him to prove his state
befor H., T Y52ys them BY g " me fvie 5c
re Aerchailts Ass9ciation Intends 10 advocate II
Relieving themselves from the incubus which they
a sesfs, struggle under Il 'he> aEe not willing 70
Now as 70 the grounds for the statements which
cos ntS 50 h M NJ p0es Of ths city
october wrote 70 the President Of the Board Of
been alleged 10 exist on the East SIDE Of his city
a. reply II received letter from Bernard J. York.
Of the City Of NewYork, in which ne admitted the
c9ililI1icatlon with the following words Whether
this Is the fault OF the Police Department is a
BeTafd YORK 10 pend 8 JOS 'y at Tear for
the purpose of preventing the vice which nc ad-
man can walk through the streets Without con-
trGnang it1n9 woman can pass TO and fro without
which costs s2e10110 year. Is certain whether
it is its fault that It IS not prevented.
THE DEMANDS FOR WATER SUPPLY.
IN the year 1893 the Commissioner of Water Sup
Ply or this city had before him estimate recon-
the Brooklyn water system The report stated that
}h4t sum would procure al the water thar could
was prepared by the engineer in charge Of the
proved by the Chief Engineer Of the Water De
i,artnent one year later the Chief Engineer Of
asked for 3S0 30 for identically the same purpose
The Comrnissioner Of Water Supply in Iorsed the
In The year 1883 the commissioner Of Water Sup
spproy an 'e B94rd o. ta pGbf inprovenents 10
n the Croton Valley. urging as reason therefor
the probable depletion Of the reservoirs Of the
Croton and The Bronx systems. He stated that
the quantity and distribution Of rainfall in the
ter part Of the previous yaer had been exception
ally uniarorabe. and that in consequence the re
serve supply Of water in storage had been drawn
down 10 about FIVE billion gallons. and would have
oeet entfeiy depicted had the season been as dry
a. II! certain previous years cited by him. Upon
that statement Of facts the desired appropriation
t4eLts and Endorsed 70 the Board Of Estimate and
AppoT'lol!lnent by the Commissioner of Water
supply show that during period Of thirty years
there were t"enty-one years IN which there was
quarter OF the year 1885 cited by the Commissioner
recor1l ~ ON, ally dry year @ the
during the months named by the Commissioner
was there less than sixteen billion gallons Of water
In store in the reservoirs TO which he audes. in
stead OF about five billion gallons. as alleged by
him II is upon statements of this sort that the
Board Of Estimate and Apporticnment votes away
/ tlt peoples money.
There have been in the reports of the Commits
sioner Of Water Supply for each OF several years
past recommendations for OUTLAWS for new pump
! 1888 and 1885 state the amount OF water daily
/ PUMPED by the pumping stations in the Borough
OF Manhattan Both Icports state that tie pump
ing works were operated 10 her fuiesT capacity
and that fftynle million gallons OF water day
were pumped The records of the department
show exactly what was pumped. II was 81 400
! gallons day.
/ Under the present system it is possible for
/ enormous OUTLAWS to be made especially in the
! Fire Deparement. without advertisement, without
competitive bids, solely the authority of bu-
reau chief. out OF lump sum authOriz ID for that
purpose. I have the authority Of the Controller
OF this city for stating that excessive waste re-
| suits from this cause
/ What the Merchants Association purposes is TO
move for businesslike system that shall make
! II impossible for the Board of Estimate and APP
! portionment 70 vote away the peoples money In
ignorance OF what is TO become of II. Statements
made 10 it by the department heads in
formation Of the kind which business require
Of OUTLAWS, the statements of what it &c
operate a given department the preceding year
are no sufficient guide. They do not give informa-
ton as TO the essential facts.
/ STATEMENTS OF CHIEFS NOT ADEQUATE
The statement of a bureau chief that he spent
certain amount Of money to pay "A certain mum
Der or employees does not demonstrate that those
employees are needed certificate 10 the Con
troiIer that certain property owner has paid
. certain amount OF money into the office of the
Water Registrar does not inform the Controller
whether that amount is what that property owner
should have paid.
Here is some light upon that point The Mer
chants Association Of New-York has received from
fh Tf f HF H. Il