The sun., 1904-12-20
ANYTHING TO ESCAPE CASSIDY

s1uH1NsT0EK TALKOT 0RRAz0NG
ANOTHER BOROUGH.
.e,ross Ncgfcos py street Cleaning Csntfso
tori, Who were Bound Only % eatfay
Borough President-How Public FUND.-
Arc wasted Under Cashdy's Rule
Zoe Cassidy has gone 20 FAR IN bis oon'
lfuot OF tho borough Of Queens, OF whiot
be 10 President, that the oitibens OF three O,
The 1--WE wards may Try, II they can see nc
other remedy, TO have new borough e.
tablished. These three wards are the Third
Yourth and Fifth, which include Flushing
1amaioa, Rockaway and the adjoining
districts.
Cassidy is getting enough money TO
keep the borough In fine condition. said
one. sbut he is spending nothing except on
The First and Second wards, for he CON
siders II more necessary to keep Long Island
City and Newtown with him politically
than TO treat the whole borough fairly
II he must waste the city's money. let the
First and Second wards suffer. We would
be better of with borough Of three wards
and a new President, and we are going to
trv to get the division made unless some
one can show US an easier way out OF the
difficulty
Il may not be necessary to erect q new
borough, for the indignation against Cas-
sidy is spreading 60 fast throughout the
whole Of Queens that he may be forced out
Of office, either by defeat at the next cleo
Hon or by other means.
Details Of the Cassidy exposure OF last
year, which have been recently printed
In THE Sun. were new to most OF the iolks
IN Queens, although they were aware,
In q general way, OF the scandals OF that
The rerort Of Mayor Lows Commits
sioners OF Accounts was not made public
when It was turned in. No one seems to
b. what 70 n wso II pis
triot Attorney OF Queens county at the
time and to whom, 1t might be supposed,
such astonishing revelations should have
been referred, was asked yesterday whether
the matter had ever been placed before
him.
Until read about the report in THE
Sun said MIR. Merrill, Il never knew any
thing about 1t except vague rumors that
such an investigation was being made.
The findings of the Commissioners were
never brought to my attention.
This report contained long chapter
dissecting the Cassidy Bureau Of Sewers,
which was then, as now, under the man
egement Of Supt. Matthew j, Goldner,
one of Cassidy's political heutehants'
calls for severe criticism. The attend,
ance Of the employees may be truly said
to be a custom more honored in the breach
than In the observance.
1This force performs very little work,
the office during working hours being at
t;p,aa Iacarfad and other times being
used as lounging place for employees
Of the bureau whose names are carried
on foremen's reports as working outside.
"The cases of two mechanics helpers
4, at $40 P. NJ, they were noticed reading
the newspapers in the Office OF the Bureau
Of Sewers. They were nicely dressed and
had the appearance OF being unaccustomed
to manual labor. These two men have
been favored by being reported as working
on the payrolls, including the foremen
who reported them, were reported for
only four or FIVE days. This was observed
on the payrolls Of various dates. They
were also favored by an advance Of 81,
the advance being from So, the rate paid
to mechanios' helpers, to " q day.
@No book record is kept OF complaints
There is no place in the safe wherein
the cashier could keep the receipts under
custom to turn over the cash to Supt Gold
ner, who drew his personal check to make
the regular weekly deposits with the Cham
berlain.
1T appears that no one is bonded to
secure the city for these receipts.
An investigation proved that plumbers
had bilked the city In 83 cases. out OF AT
applications, by making sewer connections
without getting permits. 1t costs a
plumber $40 TO get such permit.
The Commissioners OF Accounts took
peek at affairs in the Bureau Of Public Build
ings and Offices. They found five en-
ployees who were doing either no work
ut all or work for which they were not desig-
mated on the rolls. They tried to examine
the books Of the bureau, but found that so
there was practically nothing to examine
In the Bureau of Street Cleaning some
fine goings on were discovered. No office
force was on the payroll, but men on the
rolls as mechanics helpers and crematory
laborers were detailed TO Office work.
Seven mechanics helpers we're employed
at So day, though none is needed in the
Six assistant foremen received SO a day
TO boss eight orematory laborers.
The report relates how Cassidy's chum,
Lou Walter, took the cleaning and garbage
contract for the borough and then sublet
four of the wards. 1t notes that a specifi-
cation Of the Walter contract reads: All
work shall be done in manner satisfactory
TO the President OF the Borough. rare
Jest.
Considering the stories that taxpayers
OF Queens tell about the treatment they
get from the contractors it Is hardly sur
prising to read In the commissioner re-
port that .No book record Is kept in the
bureau Office of complaints Some oom-
plants were found on file, however. Those
referring to Rockaway all related to the
handling of garbage by Lou Walters men.