New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-27
OAKLEYS REPORT OUT.
commissioner and Mayor Stand
Pat" ON Gas Contracts.

Commissioner Oakley of the Department OF
sgater Supply, Gas and Electricity. in letter 70
.ne Mayor replies 10 the letter written by Law
reaoe WELLER of the City Club about ten days ago.
TIE letter asked for explanation OF the COM
N lssioners action IN making connects WIN Ihe
ughting companies. Mayor Mcclellan turned over
me INQUIRY TO Mr.. Oakley with request that ne
answer It. The reply VIII be forwarded to the CITY
Club It's publication has been authorized py Ine
MAYOR II constitutes the TaEnmany administrator
answer 10 the serious charges brought against
Commissioner Oakley. Controller 1rout snu tio
Mayor the gist of which Is that they are making
ys honest effort TO compel the lighting companies
10 give the city cheaper lighting
The tenor OF tire letter indicates that the NC
CleIlan administration is going into the campaign
without apology Tor making the contracts. In
osher words Mayor Mcclellan Stands pat on the
lfahng contracts proposition. and practically asks
the public TO regard the contracts as advantageous
70 the city.
THE letter TO Mayor Mcclellan is in part as fol-
lpws:
Il beg leave TO acknowledge the receipt OF your
Communication under date of the 18th inst. trans
f iry gnb Concerning certain contracts for gas
and electric lighting for the city, and requesting
tending the transaction SO that you might possess
a me In co@niVing with your reauest
a this, the earliest moment possible l TAKE oc-
SoI nv = the City Club that "the public had no
knowledge that such contracts had oeen entered req
into until weeks after yciir Commissioner NAG AZ
Tsched his signature and to state with all the
q
= Ftaferent attributes to ne any action of secret
nature with reference to such contract IT is utterly
precise course with reference TO those particular
es-Se5 nv me with reference 10 ali contracts in
that. when was prepared TO sign the contracts
Tor his approval of the sureties and It will thus
sfsnatIre Of contracts is absolutely impossible
curing, 1t does. the concurrent acuon OF Two
eeIS dIgeiosed my intention to the Department Of
FINANCE in sending there the contracts as ALREADY
PAPER press and they certainly were not less than
ave- in number who called upon for public in
partuaent I unhesitatingly and freely announced
that had ended the lighting oeadlecK ana ploI
posed to sign the CONTRACTS ar the guFes asreea
. .sSast Dn I'VE was ve attached che 0''-S
And permit me to complain of the manifest injus
N me Ies.Sr a5 tI satyio iiSht COMPANIES in
ixty-eight other American cities using 1900 candle
power lamps The figures from which the average
~ IS s. per lamp a year is made up do not take
snte account the difference in conditions Of genera.
and The cities 70 which SUCH figures apply I;.d no
hy the city Club for its figures was. is the
with all statistics framed with settled purpose 10
iseding. and I beg to call your attention TO the
onment made upon Il by 2 G Martin the re-, Ed dit2
an acknowledged able expert Of the highest in
It seems 10 that a fairer way OF arriving at
sqyt and sctsatihc comparison would be TO compare
eres OF population. where the basic units of com
: parallel between Berlin and New-York City. In
Berlin the electric light company charges si05 for
are erected and maintained by the city. In Lon
don the price varies from so to *lJO and this vara
tion in price arises from the fact, apparently. that
ts numerous boroughs or parish councils have rec
SIS London the actual cost of generating and dis
tr1buting light may justly vary widely as these
Psbo ssrVoe Contracts { more coai and just in
With Which, to draw e6mesTson M Par fe and there
the cost per lamp is the equivalent Of $40 year
.New-York which Is only for twevemonth.
tends over period OF ten years. The making of
long contracts is the wise practice also Of London
IN regard 20 the American figures made up for
EtHe various cities which are SO often cited most
Eof them have no essential relation each other.
analogous conditions To compare the cost of water
that fact is obviously to obscure the issue. Even
water power costs very greatly: or compare two
mouth Of a mine and another a thousand miles
away. seems thoroughly deceptive and altogether
take no exception the statement in the letter
taken with a fun knowledge and intelligent appre-
eson OF ne situation as it really existed. and no
situation for the benefit OF taxpayers so far as it
gard TO what believe to be my duty to the public
and the obligations Of my Office I succeeded in
GnGe their charges for lamps served by the under
seryed by the overhead system from sl46 to $3.50.
am satisfied that my action in this regard will
Il may be submitted or any tribunal where it may
rs pIoPSIly investigated mat this reduction
not easily obtained viii be best understood through
( The conditions imposed by the companies when ac-
Seding 70 it. and these conditions required that the
hills OF the companies for 1903 and up to and nclud-
tng March 10 1894, should be forwarded from my
5 office TO the Department OF Finance for payment
! Without any contract binding upon the com
panieE. ii has always been my belief that they
were IN q position TO furnish much as little
sight as might suit their purpose in case they
.ConsideFed the absence OF contract all enbar-
Passing in collecting from the city the full price
.peiS, together with the interest the bills IN
5 paid. have been and still advised that all
bills which have besn duly presented for payment
do. under the legal decisions. draw interest Mr.
ambition has been TO make the greater city, and
That TOO without any unreasonable expenditure of
pablo money the best lighted municipality in
the world So fer as the Boroughs Of Manhattan
ss-nd The Bronx are concerned. I believe that I
have accomplished this purpose. Whatever OF
feult finding and obnoxious criticism I may be
obliged 20 endure I am satisfied will be temporary
IN its character. and the prejudiced purpose with
which Il has been Ievelled at others through me
~th Be disclosed The entire matter just
viii be subjected to strict judicial Investigation
through actions already begun in the courts. It
g with absolute confidence that await their de-
termination confident that it will result in my
absolute vindication from every suggestion that
in this OF in any other respect hayo been neglect
ful Of The hes. interests OF the people, and the
obligations CT my official oath.