The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-13

Three special examiners and appraisers
for the canal, salaries not to exceed 5000
per year and q 500 for expenses.
OF course, the obvious purpose is to in
crease the salaries Of the party officials
and delude the public that it is for the
purpose Of meeting their expenses in the
discharge Of their official duties
THE FURNACEvIILE IRON CO. CONTRACT.
We know, too, that the contractors have
been paid for work which they never per-
formed, to make up to them the profits
which they hoped to make under their
contracts, but which hopes had not been
realized. The State has paid for rock e1-
ca walton where sand was shovelled.
The claim Of the Furnaceville Iron Com
pany is sample of.this kind Of thing; that
was claim for rock excavation instead
of earth; it had been rejected by one board,
and was brought up before another. The
with the locality from boyhood; he had
personal knowledge that there was no rock
or hard pan to be excavated; he produced
witnesses who we're engaged upon the work
who testified before the board that there was
earth, and yet the board allowed the claim
When the Attorney General was sum
moned as a witness for the Governor, he
| called attention to the fraudulent charac..
ter Of the claim which had been allowed
by the State officers and the answer OF
the Governor to this is as follows-1 take
it from the daily press:
aMr. Cuneen objected to the award,
but was the only one Of the board who
did 20; the others, ] understand, voting
for it's payment, perhaps not entirely un-
der the belief that it's contentious were
entirely erroneous. but that certain money
was due for losses which had occurred by
reason of the failure OF the State to per-
nit the contractor to continue his work
This is often done in business matters. 1t
certainly was not improper for the Canal
! Board TO view from this standpoint, II they
deemed it wise to do 80"
This is an illustration of the conception
of their public duties by many public Off
cials-they seem to think that they can
do with public moneys as they would with
their own. We may be charitable or gen.
erous with our own; we may give 1t or
throw 1t away; but when we are acting
as trustees OF other peoples money we
have only the right to dispose Of 1t to meet
necessary and legal expenses. Generosity
charity and lberality have no place with
the custodian Of public funds.
Do the people, with their experience OF
the wasting and stealing Of 50 900 upon
so-called canal improvements. but which
left the canals in worse condition than
before, need to be told that the expendi-
ture Of SICK, 900 requires careful watch
| ing? Will It not be well to have State
| officials, the Canal Board, Of opposite politi-
cal faith from that Of the advisory board
appointed by the present Governor?
RxPEsBEs OF ALBANY OFFICE.
The canal is a fruitful field for extravava:.
gance and plumber. This is a little sample OF
extravaganza:
OF which salaries and clerk hire WAS. is $50 @
6f wh,sb salaries and clerk hire was. sai7ii
These figures are included in above item Of gen
Total tonnage during season OF 1894. sss7 $50 tons
Total tonnage during season OF 1905. s6S, eos tons
An ,s7 ton,
decrease. So'''o' 'et1o
So that it cost an additional SO, 1871 In
salaries at the Albany office, with 287.i57
less tons TO care for.
The people OF Buffalo are interested In
canal Improvement. How much were the
canals benefited by the expenditure OF
| IS, 600 600? Now we are 10 e1pend $l0i,-
600, 900, SOL, 100000 just think OF 1t! What
| a vista opens before us, what an oppor-
tunity for saturnala for the coptrac-
| tors! What revel!
Boyd, the Superintendent OF Puh9ie