New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-01-16
REPORT ON THE CANALS.
SUPERINTENDENT PARTRIDGE SHOWS
WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED
LAST YEAR.

to the Legislature his first annual fsPorl Queens
the condition of the canals. detailing improvement
and repairs made during the last year, givlns
a statement of moneys received and expended anu
also giving detail statement OF the trade ana tot-
mage during the season OF navigation
In discussing the finances of the department
which he says were in a depleted condition when ne
took charge of the canals January Is las1'
Colonel Partridge has this to say:
During the fiscal year ended September 90 the s aL
fairs of the department. were administers ~ nv
AIdridge until December l. 1885 Deputy sqRerinr-
January Is, 1879, and the present Superintendent
for the remainder Of the year 49,, -, 81
ordinary repair fund available for the last eight
months OF the fiscal year was $izloD Tess [ln and
that there was large number Of outstanding bills
overdue, aggregatng upward OF Sz0uO
PRACTISING ECONOMY.
With this, limited cash balance an unusually
large sum was called for by the General Inspector
for the repairs absolutely necessary TO make pos
it against interruption from breaks and other acct
iciency appropriation / sought TO meet the s'tua-
of the business Of all the subdivisions Of the De-
partment. -
minimum consistent with efficient service. ana
later increased the force during navigation sea-
clearly shown to be needed. and by the appoint
men5 OF f b f ed IS for he Work m Which they
were to be assigned. The results obtained were
the earliest opening of navigation. small number
on hand at end of the year, and unpaid bills
pute aggregating SIS 81 Every effort was made
TENDER 80.
The Superintendent Of Public Works appends to
his report summary Of moneys received and ex-
pended through the fiscal year, rot only by him
self direct, but also through the assistant and
section superintendent.
Colonel Partridge calls attention to the fact that
navigation WIS opened earlier in 1899 than for
several years, and that the official closing did
not take place until December !, the season OF
navigation the longest since 1882 He also
calls attention to the fact that the season was a
prosperous one for boatmen. in that rates were
high to be remunerative
CONTRACTS HANGING OVER.
Colonel Partridge touches upon the subject OF the
contracts hanging over under the 50 100000 act and
which the Canal Board. under authority OF the
Legislature of 1899 has been giving much time TO-
There were, he says, forty outstanding contracts
entered into under the 100000 act work under
which had been begun but not completed The en-
gineers of the investigating commission had estt-
mated that 1t would require 100000 TO complete
the unfinished work on these contracts Colonel
Partridge continues:
The Legislature at its last session passed an act
Chapter "a, Laws of 1899 which permitted any
of the parties holding these contracts Chose under
the S96O0O 900 law to apply within sixty days 70
the Canal Board for the termination Of their con
6a B an9 sRcud And d and determine We're prop
erly due Twenty-Five contracts were supnitted
sra o csrefIIlv considered by the Board
The evidence given before the Investigating Com
mission was studied attentively.
Colonel Partridge states that twenty-eight con-
tracts were terminated result of these studies,
and that the amounts found properly due aggre-
gated 1857 215 g. or S25S99 than appeared upon
the last estimates. The total amount of the con-
tracts upon which action taken was 81, 00oe0.
There still remain outstanding" contracts, which
were not brought under the provisions of the above
act for the completion OF which it has been esti-
mated 81 100000 will be needed -,
Partridge @x e It as s ms e a
of the contractors that these contracts be ter
minated without unnecessary delay either oy eX-
as to cover them or by appropriating sufficient
amount for their completion and ordering the Work
be finished.
PROPOSALS AND CONTRACTS.
Under the head of Proposals and Contracts"
Colonel Partridge states that twenty-six contracts
have been awarded and entered into during the
year under special acts of the Legislature In
each case he says, the contract was awarded to
the lowest bidder. He says considerable saving
has been effected In the bills for advertising by
calling for proposals for from two to six or eight
pieces of work in one advertisement. He adopted
the plan of opening proposals and ggollcy rea9lng
prices and names of bidders In addition 10 these
contracts referred TO. there We're thirty-two con-
tracts entered into for the ordinary and extraordi
The Superintendent of Public Works makes ref
erence in HIS report to the disastrous breaks that
annuaiiX during the last three seasons The first
Isl IS: the next occurred in May. 1885, and cost
repair. s5O,764 Al. He was Just about to begin an
investigation of reports relative to these breaks
and which strongly indicated that they were not
Icious mischief. when the break Of September,
too 1t is believed vas an artificial break and the
whole subject Colonel Partridge states is now
under investigation by the authorities, and there
are hopes of discovering who were the guilty
enlistment viii be meted out Though Colonel Par
fridge does mention the matter in his report, it
already been made.
THE EIGHT HOUR LAW
Colonel Partridge discusses the eight hour law
passed by the last Legislature somewhat at length.
and critcises 1t in far it has been made TO ap
ply lock tenders and bridge tenders in the Depart
ment of Public Works On this topic he says:
Much embarrassment was occasioned by the eight
tb 9M Meh ms pdeI al i Inc aS{ session OF
continuous throughout the day. From the records
Of this Department from 1899 I find that the lock
loekages per hour; in twelve hours less than TWEEN
ty-four lockages l have had a number OF tests
averaged lis minutes. Allowing twelve minutes for
age less than four hours and forty-eight minutes.
The above calculation applies to the busiest lock
on the Erie Canal A large number of locks do not
do one-quarter OF the business specified above and
some less than .one-tenth.
It will be seen that the busiest lock tenders would
be working less than three hours and twelve min
utes per day. This labor be properly cassed
with that done by mechanics and laborers who
beginning to the end OF their days work without
intermission All the above arguments applv 10
and bridges on eight hour shifts VIII fT eos the the
state some $4,000 more annually than twelve
ter be used in making necessary repairs than in
who are far from being oTerwoTked wogS rs
speetfully urge that Chapter 567 OF the Laws OF
lock and bridge tenders from its provisions.
HIS RECOMMENDATIONS
Under the head of Recommendation" Colonel
Partridge has this to say: