New-York tribune., 1913-10-19
mitchell ASSA|LS PARK
POLICY Of M'CALL
Says Sale of RoCkaWay and
DreamIand Sites Would
Cost Many Lives.
DESCRIBES HIGHWAY GRAFT
Fusion Nominee Asserts That
Murphy Is Planning to Handle
City Contracts as He
Did States.

John Purroy Mitchell began his speak
Ing tour last night at the Austrian ana
Hungarian Progressive Club. l16th street
and Lenox avenue by knocking Mr. Nc
Calls rosy promises OF "Tammany econ
omy' I'm city affairs should he be placed
In power full of gaps that his opponent
will have a hard time in filling up
He also handed out a few hard knocks
in reference TO the Tammany removal of
Governor Sulzer He said he did not wish
to condone any misdeeds Of the former
Governor, but pointed out that II was not
public righteousness that had actuated
Murphy in seeking to depose him. but
simply punishment meted out for expos
ing Tammany highway graft.
MY distinguished Tammany opponent,
Mr.. Mccall" he said lis crying from
the housetops that the city is facing
bankruptcy, and that its only escape from
disaster is to put Tammany Hall In
charge of the city's finances. Mr.. Mccall
is an expert on receiverships. and what
he has to say on this subject is entitled
to careful consideration. Picturing him
self as the receiver for New York city,
z
would do TO protect the city from eXtrav-
agance.
LAS his first step in economy Mr.. Nc
Call is going TO sell Rockaway Park This
park was bought by the city after ten
years negotiations for a seaside park and
for site to build a tuberculosis hospital
for children upon. This purchase was
urged year after year by public-sprited
citizens, and a fund of $4,000 was sub
scribed by generous men and women TO
build the hospital If the city would provide
the site This is what Mr. Mccall, who
spends the hot days of the summer down
at East Hampton, with his two little dogs
tucked under his arms all enjoying the
fresh ocean breezes, would do TO econo-
mize,
Does Mr.. Mccall know that the only
chance to cure that these crippled chill
dren have IS to receive seaside treatment!
And he would sell Dreamland the peoples
ocean park.
These purchases bring no revenue.
SAYS Mccall. Mr.. Mccall does not suggest
that the city sell Hunts Point Park,
bought by Tammany Hall for S2i7OO0'
when il was assessed at $4,000. He does
not suggest that the city sell the police
training farm. which cost sl6,UO. ana
which is never used
IF you have ever seen Dreamland since
we bought il and cleared that beach on
a hot August afternoon you can appreci-
ate the economy in lives and health ana
happiness that that ocean park effects
Have you ever seen the mothers, with
81 hal m beach Have
YOU ever seen the little children padding
in the surf? Have you ever seen that
beach covered with sweltering humanity,
seeking refuge from the disease-laden air
of the congested city?
"Mr Mccall does not believe In this
He would take these beaches from the
people and keep them shut up in the hot
city, while he and his little dogs keep
cool down on Long Island. lie calls them
poor economy He would rather have
Metropolitan Equipment and supply Com
pany. a Johnny Ahearn administration
a contractor government which saves
money in parks and Fairgrounds and
turns it over to the gang"
Passing TO the subject of Suffers re-
moval. Mr.. Mitchell said that we have the
unprecedented spectacle of Murphy at one
and the same time attempting 10 grab the
/ city government in New York and wrest
in the state government at Albany away
from the Governor because he interfered
with Tammany highway graft.
'I will tell you something of the way
that graft was worked" he said. DO
YOU know how road contracts are let?
The engineers 90 out, look the ground
. nd "A al 70
I That means. they estimate the amount Of
earth that must be excavated and the
amount of rock that must be blasted out
i'm cubic yards. Now, il is the easiest
thing IN the world TO make mistakes in
these estimates. and to estimate much
more earth than there really IS and far
less rock than there really Is. Rock costs
far more than earth to eXcavate.
"Then the contractor goes out and he
either makes his own Independent survey
and estimate or he gets Va friendly tip
from the department as TO the real guam
titles Of earth and rock, and he puts in
his bid. not upon the erroneous estimate,
but on the basis of the real quantities Of
earth and rock. He bids low price on
the earth, for the estimate shows large
quantity; he bids a high price on the
rock. for the estimate shows only a small
quantity And so his bid is lower than
the bid of the man who bases his prices
honestly upon the estimated quantities Of
earth and rock. as reported by the en-
gneers.
Up around Tuxedo they built road.
The contractor was Harvey SprOul. Prac-
tically the entire contract was sidehill
excavation and practically all the exca-
walton was rock excavation, because the
! hills had only a thin layer of earth over
the rock.
Nov the contractor hated TO see that
| nerfectly good rock which he was being
maid 10 excavate and dispose OF go to
waste and the Highway Commission, be-
ling a very practical institution-as con-
tradjstinguished from theoretical-a sup
Elemental contract was drawn, which
proyided for placing sub-base-in other
words. rock-on top of the solid rock
roadbed for almost the whole length OF
Tho iob So that. far from being put TO
tho heavy cost Of disposing OF the rock. he
actually got good pay for 1t right where
it fell.
"'rhis is a typical example of Murphy
and Tammany economy. What was done
,r tbe contracts OF the state they now
want 10 do with the contracts OF the city
Mr. Mccall is one of the boys. accord
inc 10 Tom Foley; the gladiator OF the