New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-25
Would Depreciate Property Values.

To the Editor OF Inc tribune.
Sir: I have read with no little surprise
the editorial in your issue Of this date under
the heading of "Richmond's Garbage Plant
Richmond Borough has its own garbage
disposal plants. which have for the past ten
wears taken care of and destroyed all the
garbage and refuse collected within its own
borough. and has al no time been so incon-
siderate as even 70 suggest that 1t snould
deposit its street sweepings, garbage and
filth in the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn
or The Bronx. Furthermore, the plants
which are operating in Richmond so success
fully are incinerators or Instructors, and not
what it is proposed by the Mayor and the
Street Cleaning Commissioners OF Manhattan,
BROOKLYN and The Bronx to foist upon Rich
mond- -namely, a reduction and rendering
plant. which, no matter how scientific or sani-
tary it may be in its construction ana opera
ton will be attended with the undlsputed
resultant nuisance of the transportation OF
all this garbage. refuse and filth from the
three boroughs daily upon eight slowly NOV
ing scows through the harbor paralleling our
municipal ferry Cthe only line of transit we
have). and thence through the narrow waters
or the Kill van Kull, paralleling our local
transit lines along our shore, to their desu-
nation on Staten Island Sound to the pro-
posed rendering plant That IS to be con-
structed ION models which in other cities
have proved unobjectionable,' but VIII be IN
this instance purely experimental, since IN
the other cities to which the Mayor ana the
street Commissioner have referred the ca
pacity of those plants are only twenty-eignt
TO thirty tons day at New Bedford, as COM
81 Al. Eva NM
which are to be daily disposed OF on Staten
Island
As has been said by one OF our eminent
chemists. a small bottle of cologne may be
very agreeable and pleasant, but tank OF 1t
may be both oppressive and offensive TO ones
sense Of smell and breathing.
| note, further, that you say, by its cree
ton the city will close a highly advantageous
transaction, which in five years Will yield
$4,000 to the municipality"
Your writer has not familiarized Himself
with the provisions of the contract. nor with
those Of the charter of the City Of New York,
i'm that the contract provides that the city
Of New York may undertake to provide, at
its own cost and expense, steel tanks or con-
taners to transport the said garbage and
refuse on scows to be furnished by the con-
tractors. which cost 10 the city in the COM
missioners report to the Mayor will be in
the sum Of S350,000, with an additional ex-
pense Of $4,000 year for maintenance for
five years life of the contract, making total
of s475,O 900; and, furthermore, the city agrees
TO keep the twenty-five dumping places In the
three boroughs in repair and supply all the
artificial light for the same. which expense,
however, has not been estimated; so that
the 100000 which the Mayor has spoken OF
so frequently is susceptible Of considerable
reduction and, furthermore, 1t does not go
into the city funds, to help reduce the tax
payers burdens, but becomes part Of the
street Cleaning Pension Fund, as provided
in the charter.
All this is to be carried out at the expense
not only Of the comfort and the right OF the
people OF Staten Island TO enjoy unpolluted
the air which they breathe, but will result
in far greater loss to the city of New York
in taxable returns by reason of the deprecia-
ton in assessed valuation Of s90000,00O of
the city's most valuable asset for future de-
vclopment. FRANCIS +. LEMAN.
West New Brighton, S. J., April %, 1916.