perience of those more intimately connected and acquainted with the operations of the department than myself.

I have been informed that the condition of the aqueduct, and of all the works connected with it, from the Croton river to the city, is entirely satisfactory; and there can be no doubt that this stupendous work-the greatest achievement of the kind in this or any other country, in modern times-will continue to fulfil, for ages to come, all the purposes for which it was constructed. In the Bureau of Pipes and Sewers, a very large amount of work has been accomplished during the past season; of the former, street mains to the extent of eight-and-a-quarter miles have been laid, varying in size from six to thirty-six inches; and of sewers, there have been built more than ten miles.

A more equitable mode of apportioning the charges for building sewers is most desirable; and, in my judgment, a radical change in the system of payments to contractors would meet with very general favor. As the law now stands, the contractor is not entitled to payment until the amount assessed is collected. One consequence is, that in contracts of any magnitude, competition is confined to a few wealthy individuals, who keep up prices by a system of combination, from which those less wealthy are excluded, and by means of which the tax payers are burthened. To this is to be added the unnecessary expense attendant upon the collection of assessments, recently pointed out in a report from the Croton Aqueduct Department, and which I commend to the earnest consideration of your Honorable Body.

A remedy which suggests itself to my mind as perfectly practicable, is to adopt the system pursued in reference to

canals and railroads, viz: paying the contractors by instalments, as the work progresses, reserving say ten or fifteen per cent. to cover all deficiencies, and to meet any penalty which may have been incurred by reason of failure to fulfil any of the stipulations of the contract, while the interest on these payments could, with great propriety, be charged upon the assessments. Contractors would thus avoid the usury now paid for loans to enable them to meet their payments and complete their work, instead of waiting for the slow process of collecting the assessments; while the system. would open the door to the less wealthy but industrious workman, who is now shut out in consequence of his inability to command the necessary pecuniary resources.

Experience seems, thus far, to have proved the wisdom of the plan by which the construction of sewers was placed under the direction of the Croton Aqueduct Department. Formerly this duty was entrusted entirely to the supervision of inspectors and superintendents, who,having little practical knowledge of the proper modes of constructing sewers, had few scruples in giving certificates for almost any kind of work; and the city was, in consequence, frequently called on to pay large sums for the repairs of sewers, soon after their completion by the contractor.

At present, the sewers are built under the immediate supervision of the Chief Engineer of the Board; and while improvements of essential value have been introduced, the cost of construction has been materially diminished.

Another and important change with reference to the building of sewers suggests itself to my mind; and I would submit it to the consideration of the department which has

the power to carry it into operation. The specification of all contracts now made, require that the contractors shall pay the expenses of the inspector for all the time he may be employed after the expiration of the period fixed in the contract for the completion of the work. I recommend the abolition of this trifling penalty, and in lieu thereof, for every day of delay in the completion of the work, as stipulated by the contract, the imposition of a penalty of sufficient magnitude to stimulate to increased exertions; the penalty to be rigidly exacted, except in cases of extraordinary and unforeseen difficulties, to be determined by the Chief Engineer of the Board.

It is the practice now, for contractors to complete the whole of the sewer under contract, before relaying any of the pavement on the line of the street. When this is finished, they return and lay down the culverts and repave the street. By this time, the inhabitants on the line of the sewer commence making their connections; and not only is the street, for the entire length of the sewer, kept in a dirty and almost impassable condition for months, but the sewer is injured by breaking holes for the insertion of the connection pipes.

To avoid this, I would suggest that in future contracts provision be made for carrying the connections, as the sewer is built, under the curb-stones, for such houses as may have required them; and I would make the price demanded for the privilege of making a connection with any sewer hereafter to be built, after it is completed, double that for the same privilege while the sewer is in course of construction. This would not operate injuriously upon any person; for every resident or owner on the line of a street where a

sewer is in process of construction, can avail himself as well of the privilege of making his connection while the sewer progresses, as after it is finished, and the additional price for a connection after a sewer is completed, would induce all or nearly all to avail themselves of the privilege at the reduced rate, and with the least inconvenience to themselves and their neighbors.

POLICE DEPARTMENT.

I shall look to the policemen as guardians of the public health, for it is their duty to see that all ordinances for the preservation of the sanatory condition of the city, are rigidly enforced, and to compel obedience to all laws enacted for the comfort, convenience or safety of the citizens.

I desire to have the members of this department impressed with a sense of the dignity and responsibility of their position, as agents of the government to whom is entrusted the execution of the laws. I would have the appointments made, so that the policemen of New York, individually and collectively, may be regarded as examples of sobriety, integrity, fidelity and intelligence. To insure

this shall be my aim; and I rely upon the hearty co-operation, not only of your Honorable Body, but of every citizen who has the welfare of the department, and the interest of the city at heart.

To effect this, however, the most rigid discipline must be maintained in the department. The most scrupulous observance of the wise regulations laid down by my predecessors, must be exacted, and each member of the force must be held to the strictest personal accountability for the

faithful discharge of every duty assigned to him. Without discipline, the nine hundred men composing the department, would be worse than useless for the purposes of detection or prevention of crime, and our city would become again, as it has been, a resort of thieves, burglars and incendiaries, who would practice their crimes without fear of molestation. The term of office of policemen being now extended to four years, a greater inducement is held out for good behavior, while the policemen are rendered more independent and further removed from political or sectional influences. They will thus be made to feel that the greatest security they can have for their retention in office, will be found in their zeal, fidelity and energy in the discharge of their duties. As the regular semi-annual report of the Chief of Police has been recently submitted to your Honorable Body, I shall not notice its details further, than to invite your attention to its suggestions for providing a police organization, without increasing the number of policemen in the department on the division of wards, or the expense to the city; and this measure I deem practicable as well as desirable.

WHARVES AND PIERS.

The management of the Wharves and Piers, is a subject which merits at the hands of your Honorable Body, the most serious consideration, as well in view of the great amount invested in them, as from their intimate connection with the best interests of our city.

New York is, by its position, the great emporium of the Western world, the very heart of commerce, whose pulsa