The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-07
FETHERSTON ADMITS
SNOW COST WAS HIGH
But Says That Real Article.
"NOt Imagination" Was
Removed.
DENIES FRAUD KNOWLEDGE
He Calls Tammany's Talk
About Truck Earnings
"Headline Stuff"

After a day OF conferences Wit N,,o-
Mitchell Street Cleaning Cour....,,,.
Fetherston issued n statement late ,e.,er.
day afternoon In reply TO the Mt.mi,.,n
that the city was dofrsuded by the SOW
removal contractors last winter
The charges were made by William
Bullock, VINO succeeded Joe johnson. or.
ganizer OF the Acorns and former ri-.
comml ssioner, az head OF the newly
created Bureau of City Inquiry. which
aspires 10 take the place OF the Bureau Of
Municipal Research with the present ad.
minlstration.
Bullock and F'etherston worked TO
gether on the efficiency staff OF the Board
OF Estimate and Apportionmcnt Until
January Is Of this year. Bullock called
on Fetherston several times dlirins tho
last few months and they discussed SNOW
removal matters. Fctherston salys he
urged Bullock to look into tho whoie mat
ter as fully as he could and 10 offer sus.
gestons for investigation.
Buliock's statement which psrporteA b
show that It was impossible for certAin OF
the trucks TO haul IN day the osfctc
yards OF snow credited to them. u an
swercd by Fetherston in part a. follows
'Tf there was fraud It was because Il 10
humanity impossible TO prevent como men
from taking advantage u tho city when
It Is caught In an emergency.
Detectives watohed Loading.
IAN wagons we're measured By thu
bureau OF weights and measures The
loading and trucking were under the su-
pervision of the departments inspectors
and special inspectors assigned by the De
partment OF Finance. A stan of investiga-
tors OF the Commissioner OF Accounts
Office W as kept In tho field during snow re.
moval time TO detect any irregularities
and report their observations TO the Street
Cleaning Commissioner. Two special
STATS OF private detective agencies were
engaged 10 watch tho work In progress
and volunteer service was given by the
Bureau OF Municipal Research.
Mr.. Bullock says the lowest amount Of
truck earnings per day was S44 and ths
highest amount Sis. ! do not know how
much the trucks earned because they
were paid by the Belmont Contractin.
Company on privately entered into agree
ments. But II must be remembered that
what the city paid II paid not only To-
trucking but for gathering UP the snow.
for piling. for loading. for dumpinS. and.
Of course. there must be added to TIM.
the charges for supervision and MANAGE
ment.
Perhaps Sc cents per cubic yard is too
high. but the contractors who bid love-
amounts In other years defaulted on the r
contracts. Fifty-slx cents "A cubic I'D
is more than | want to pay for rcmUN Nc
snow and more than l propose Ia pay
when we get our new methods into opcrr
ton, but the contract in force last year
was entered into in July. 1913.
All the talk about the earnings Of 'gs
trucks is mere headline stun II docs not
mean anything when we come to aulI' 90
IL except the one single fact that pcrh = :
the rate per cubic yard paid by tho 90
is too high We paid for getting ria 81
the snow What individual trucks earn o
a matter between the truck owner and the
contractor"