New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-02
GOOD FOR THE MURPHYS.
FAVORS CONTRACTING co.
Featherson Sends Queer Pier Scheme
to Sinking Fund Commission.

An extraordinary proposition. involving about
| $4,000 profits to the New-York Contracting and
/ Trucking Company, will come before the Sinking
| Fund Commission on Wednesday next This COM
i pany is the owned by the Murphy Gaffney
combine which seems 10 have not the slightest diff
Guilty in getting assistance from any city depart
ment. with the possible exception of the Control
/ lers.
Dock Commissioner Featherson has forwarded to
| the Sinking Fund Commission a recommendation
that one-half of the 7sth-st pier be leased to the
New-York Contracting and Trucking Company at
a nominal rental (S1,200 year, and that in consid-
Grafton of the company relinqushing it's claim to
the whole Of the pier which it has occupied for the
| last four years. the unpaid rent for the last two
| years be RENTED
1t is understood that Corporation Counsel Delany,
whose advice has been asked that the accept
ance rejection of the proposition rests wholly
with the Sinking Fund Commission Controller
Grout will oppose the proposition. 1t is expected
that Mayor Mcclellan and the other members of the
commission will approve It, The bitterness existing
between the Mayor and the Controller is likely TO
blaze forth at the meeting.
To understand the proposition fully bit of Dock
Board history needs to be thrashed over When NC
Dougall Hawkes. assumed control of the Dock De-
partment in January. 1902 he found that the New
York Contracting and Trucking Company. through
the kindness of Charles r Murphy. treasurer or
the old Dock Board had obtained monopoly OF
the dumping privileges the North River above
72d-st. The 79th-st pier it occupied under thirty
year lease There only three public dumping
piers between I'D and 155th SITS. The Murphy-Gef-
ney company controlled these. To break this mo
Hawkes. ordered the New-York Contracting and
Trucking Company to vacate the 9ytn-st. pier
which he at began rebuilding. -,
In the investigation of the company II was 1ound,
as alleged by the Dock Commissioner in the papers
in the suit brought by Corporation Counsel tiVes,
that II never had permit to use the !9thst pier
as dump AS soon as the DOCK commissioner at
tempted to eject the company he was en)olned. "A
demurrer was entered to certain allegations IN the
complaint, and this sustained by a decision by
Justice Davis in December, 1908 NO ORDER mas peen
entered since December 1903 although Corporation
Counsel Delany has been cognlZant OF the case
fever since he became the head of the Law Depart
ment.
For two years the Murphy Gaffney company has
occupied the entire pier without paying rent In
that time extremely profitable business has oeen
transacted at the pier. Several weeks ago DOCK
ing Fund Commission a proposition from the com
pany, which he approved, in effect that the com
pany should be allowed to occupy under lohg
term lease one-haf OF the pier at the old rental OF
81 200 a year while both sides drop the proceed
ings begun in the Low administration. .
thriftiness of this proposition is fully UNDER
Murphy. If the scheme is put through 1t will make
no difference who is elected next fall the company
will have a big new pier for long term. When
the pier was built anew by Commissioner Hawkes
by Commissioner Featherson for the Murphy-GarI-
ney company has much greater area than the old
bulkhead occupied by the company before the Pier
was rebuilt The remission of the rental would
mean that the city would be estopped from collect
ing a fine for trespass, and this fine. If imposed
by unsympathetic officials, would probably amount
to the profits of the trespasser Tor the last TWO
years about $4,000.
1t was learned yesterday that men prominent in
the Citizens Union making a quiet lnVestlga-
ton of the various departments, and that enough
has been laid bare already to warrant the predtc-
ton that three heads of departments will be
brought 10 book.