New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-10-29
FRUITS OF REFORM RULE.
oRJE(rT LESSONS IN GOOD GOVERNMENT SHOUN BY
COMPARISON OF DEPARTMENTS UNDER
T1MMANY AND UNDER Low.
DEPARTMENT OF DOCKS.
T4NN4NYS RECORD.

Roman city. In the four years of the Van
Wyck administration hundreds of thousands of
dollars were lost to the city through the Dock
Department-money which went into the pockets
or the Tammany Dock Board and the Golfers Of
Tsmmany Hall
Leases were granted To Murphys friends and
relatives on ridiculous terms, when the true
value Of the property leased considered.
The Dock Board Ring" a few favored con
tractors. enjoyed privileges which other con-
tractors could not get. even by paying a good
price for them For this however. there are now
under way criminal proceedings against Murphy
and his associates. which doubtless would have
been pushed if. for political reasons they had
not succeeded in having the inquiry put off until
after election.
The exposures of this era Of graft" made by
The Tribune are still fresh. and there are new
items coming TO light daily. 4 rehearsal of
them, however. in contrast with the work of
this administration. forms one of the most inter
esting comm entaries on the Tammany question
The old Dock Board was made up of Peter f.
Meyer. Richard Croker's partner; J. Sergeant
Cram and Charles F. Murphy. who was treas
urer. The men who received their favors were
John J. Murphy. Charles Murphy's brother uor
his concern. the New-York Contracting and
Trucking Company: Brown & Fleming. Daniel
T. McMahon. a Tammany district leader; Joseph
Egan. vino was merely a dummy for William
II. Burke the secretary of the Dock Board:
Naughton & Co. and one Edward F. Cunning
ham, who was Murphy's agent in various sa-
looms and a political worker in Murphy's own
district. the XVIIIth.
In 1901 the Erie Railroad planned large i'm
provements at West Twenty ninth-st. acquir-
ing a large parcel Of land there for freight yards
A pier there would have great value, and the
shrewd Tammany knew it The bulhhead
between Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth SITS
was awarded to Joseph Egan for three years at
81 200 a year. The lease. when drawn. specified
the bulkhead between Twenty-eighth and
Twenty ninth SITS. while the term was made
thirty years. and the price $50 year. The
minutes Of the meeting of the board at which
the lease had been awarded to Egan were found
TO have been altered to conform to the terms of
the lease. A dumping privilege for the pier at
West Thirtieth-st-. leased for five years by this
administration, brings S1S,S00 a year.
Immediately before going out of office, on
December p, 1901. the Tammany board leased
the pier and dumping board at West Ninety
sixth-st- TO John J. Murphy's company for thirty
years. There is only one other pier for half
mile IN one direction. and nearly two miles in
the other Riverside Park occupying the entire
river front between This Ninety-sixth-st. pier.
because Of It's monopoly and the removal of de-
mint The receipts are about $4,000 year
For this Murphy's brother is TO pay for the first
ten years $500 a year; for the second ten
years $3.50 a year, and for the third ten years
s.. 900 a year. II the city were to operate this
pier and dumping board It would net $4,000 a
year.
The pier at West F1ftv-fourth-st. rented for
s. 800 a year in 1897 1898 and 1899 It earned
more than that in wharfage charges. In 1901
1a CrT FifTipTh-Gf $
was paved with asphalt. increasing the value of
the neighboring piers yet on December 20.
1901. the Dock Board granted TO Daniel F. Nc
Mahon's company lease OF the pier immediate
" above that for ten years at 81 $50 year, with
privilege OF renewal for another ten years. This
pier was more valuable than the one at Fifty
fourth-st.. which was earning about $1,000 a
wear IN wharfage fees. and its value is constant
" increasing. The next day the board granted
70 McAIahon's concern 2 lease of the bulkhead
between Fifty-ffth and Fifty-siXth SITS for three
years at $500 a year. although the bulkhead be
tween FIfty-fourth and FifJy-fifth SITS. had been
leased under Mayor Strong for S2.I5O a year.
A permit for dumping board at East Thir-
tieth-st was issued in 1891. the price being $3.50
year, This was revoked in 1907 by Commission
er Hawkes. and in competitive bidding for the
privilege the man who had it under Tammany
bid S5.126 year. but another took it at S6.700
year.
The dumping board privilege between West
Forty-third and West Forty-fourth sts. was
granted by the Tammany Dock Board for s.. 800
a year. II was leased by the present admin
istration for So 700 year.
The dumping board at East Fortieth-st.
leased by the Tammany Dock Board for twenty
wears at 5000 year. for a similar dumping
hoard AT East Sixtieth-st. leased by the present
administration the CITY is getting 81 100 a year
For the dumping board at East Seventy-first-
st the city got 5000 a year under Tammany;
under the present administration II gets $1,000
a year.
For the dumping board at East Ninety-fourth-
st the city got $500 year under Tammany
permit; under the present administration the
city gets $3.50 year on five-year lease
The Dock Board nothing but cOmbila-
ton for making money from the city. To do
that however, it had 70 exercise political power.
Political workers were appointed to every pos
sfble place. and IL none At existed they were Gre
ated The citys waterfront was divided into
tv-enty-seven districts. over each Of which
dockmaster had charge. Richmond County was
one district Vet there the city owned hardly any
property. Each Of these dockmasters received
81 800 a year salary. and the other expenses Of
the district brought the total up to $3.50
year one district returned to the city So in
year another SIS IS. while the largest amount
collected by any of seven districts created in
1901 was S513.
Absolutely no record was kept Of the number
Of wharfage tickets issued 10 docknasters or
their serial numbers. Yet without these the city
had no way Of accounting for wharfage re
ceipts In 1901 there We're unaCcounted for
some % $50 tickets. and large part of the fees
which they represented was undoubtedly stolen
by the collectors. These dockmasters had pass
books IN which they were supposed 10 enter the
names Of vessels which used the departments
riers and bulkheads. These entries should have
been checked up with the returns FOR such
nv the treasurer. Charles +. Murphy Ii was
never done and when this administration called
for those passbooks IT was found that twenty
Eve out Of the twenty-seVen docknasters had
DESTROYED them OF the two who had kept theirs
one was dismissed because there was a shortage
OF S315 in his accounts. while the other went Tor
1T reasurers orders the most effective way
~ giving out patronage. were issued Tor H"lo1-
761 81 In the four years Of MurPnys or treasurer
- orlv a five-year guarantee for repairs. in