Year: 1874

street Cleaning-The New Brooms.


The newly constructed Police Board il
making an effort to clean the streets. and GER
tainly with some improvement over the old
system Under the rule of Gardner, Pres
sident, Charlick, Treasurer and Thorne,
Superintendent, the cleaning and sweeping
were confined to cleaning out the Treasury
and sweeping the money into the pockets of
contractors ''ring." Except where profit
was to be made out of manure or by "dump-
ing" at Hunters Point there was but little
done in the Street Cleaning Bureau beyond
drawing the monthly payments. Now the
Commissioners appear disposed to exert
themselves on behalf of the people, and to
give some return for the liberal appropriations
made for the bureau. TO that end they are
inviting suggestions and making personal in
vestigations with view to an improvement
in the manner Of doing the work as well as
in the personnel of the force


Probably the best thing they can do will be
to begin at the head of the bureau and work
downwards, instead OF beginning at the foot
and working upwards. By the dispensation
of Providence and the verdict of O. Jury
Gardner and Charlick have been disposed of:
but Thorne remains. The Police Commits
sioners, being better informed men than
Mayor Havemeyer, may have heard of the
existence Of Legislative investigating com-
mittee last winter, before which testimony
was taken in regard to the management of the
Street Cleaning Bureau. They may be aware
Of the fact that a report was made by that
committee, in which acts of official miscon-
duct and incompetency were charged against
the bureau but they may have forgotten
how far the evidence and report i'm
plicated the head of the bureau in the
alleged offences. 1t would do no harm
if the present Police Commissioners,
who are supposed to be independent of In
spector Thorne, would glance over the legis-
lative committees report and then decide
whether the Street Cleaning Bureau ought to
remain any longer under the management of a
superintendent placed there by Gardner and
Charlick, or whether any great improvement
can be expected in the street cleaning bust
ness until the evils enumerated by the Assem-
bly, Committee shall have been remedied by
the removal Of their principal cause.


There is no more important and no more
difficult work to be performed under the city
government than the cleaning of the streets.
Up to the present time no attempt has been
made to perform it honestly and thoroughly.
1t seems to have been regarded as placer to
be worked for the benefit Of contractors and
officials, and not duty to be discharged in
he interest of the people. How much can be
made out of it, and not how can it be well
done, has been the query suggested to the
minds of those having control of the business.
If the present Police Commissioners are hon
estly resolved to reform all this and to keep
the streets clean the people will applaud their
determination and will not begrudge them
liberal appropriation. But there will be little
use in adopting lesser reforms and leaving the
management as it was when an investigating
committee found that the funds expended ON
the work had been shamefully wasted, that
corruption permeated the bureau and that
incompetency linked with dishonesty marked
the whole conduct of the street cleaning
business. The Police Commissioners have
given US o good Superintendent of Police;
let them now give US good Superintendent
of the Street Cleaning Bureau. After that
they may hope to secure lasting improve
ment in this important branch of their duty.