September 12, 1908





RECORD AND  GUIDE





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Vol-  LXXXII-





SEPTBMBER 12, 190S-





No. 2113





IN its last issue, the Record and Guide published a table
prepared by the Sureau of Municipal Research, showing
the increases in appropriations demanded by sixteen of the
city departments; and in view of the discussion over the
increase in the Budget now taking place, this table is of
sufficient significance to warrant a second publication. It is,
consequently, reproduced herewith:

TABLE  OF STATISTICS-

Totai budget

lucrease        Per-      if increased

requested      cent-          at like

Department.                                       for 190!).        age-       percentage.

Borough   President.   Brooklyn... ..?1,230,375.79     60-9     $210,618,000

Borough President,  Richmond....      ;"i4-5,122.50     S5-2       23^,404,000

Fire   .............................  1.0SX190-36     14-5       1&5,290,000

Borough President,   Bronx........      323,929.40     21-4       170,228.000

Borough President. Manhattan.-.      7.')3,451.17     27-7       176,754,000

Correction   ......................      18fi,682.00     15.9       1(54.718,000

Tenement   .....................      184.593.00     28.7       166,774,000

Health   .........................  1,136.660.75     49.9       199,398,000

Bellevue   ........................      271,659.50     29.3       178,386,000

Parks—Man.   and   Rich...........      351,380.60     25.5       174,510,000

Parks—Brooklyn an<l  Queens.....      .354,307.79     34.5       183,690,000

Parks—Bronx   ...................      241,195.00     35-9       185,118.000

Bridges   .........................     282.135.50     49.5       198,990,000

Borough  President.   Queens.......   1.177,174.60     91.7       242,034.000

Police   .........................  2,043,0.39.51     14.2       162.984.000

College City N. Y.................     134,510.09     27.3       176,-346,000

The Record and Guide would like its readers particularly
to notice those departments whose I'cquests for increased
appropriations are largest. At the head of the list is the
Borough President of Queens, who believes himself entitled
to an increase of almost 92 per cent, of his present allowance.
Next comes the Borough President of Richmond, who claims
an enlargement of about So per cent. The third biggest
claimant is the Borough President of Brooklyn, who believes
that he needs a 60 per cent, increase for the proper fulfill¬
ment of his borough work. Among the remaining depart¬
ments, who demand very large increases are the Health and
the Bridge Departments, both of which want an increase
of about one-half. The significant thing ahout this exhibit,
however, is that the list is headed by three of the Borough
Presidents. Each of these gentlemen claim an increase in
their share of the total budget, which on the face of it is
ridiculous. No doubt their boroughs are growing and no
doubt the peculiar work performed by the borough officials
increases considerably with the increase in population. But
when the increase iu population is at the outside only about
six per cent, per annum, why should the increase in appro¬
priation amouut to sixty per cent, or more? The Borough
of the Bronx is increasing iu population at approximately the
same rate as the other boroughs, but its executive staff is
willing to put up with an increase of only twenty-one per
cent. A better illustration could not be desired of the vicious-
ness of the system of borough government as authorized hy
the existing charter. These local oflicials, although sitting
on the Board of Estimate, are, as a rule, callous to the gen¬
eral interest of the whole city. They consider all business
from the point of view of the exclusive interest of their own
boroughs; and they are encouraged to do so by their inde¬
pendence of the Mayor. They claim appropriations which
they must know the city cannot afford to grant, and which
it should be their manifest duty as members of the Board
of Estimate to refuse. The owners of real estate in all the
horoughs who are interested particularly in moderate taxes,
should not disregard the obvious significance of this attitude
on the part of the borough chiefs.





TiyTR. EDWARD M. BASSETT, the Public Service Commis-
-*•'■*- sioner, on his recent return from Europe gave out
an interview covering the result of his investigations into
the transit systems of the larger European cities- Mr. Bas¬
sett has evidently .collected a great deal of useful aud inter¬
esting information; but perhaps the most important com-,
parison which he makes between New York and these other
cities is contained in the following paragraph: "No other
city," he says, "has its business streets so crowded with
trucks as New York City. Conformation has much to do
with this. Most of the large cities of Europe are approach¬
able by railroads on all sides; each locality bas its railroad
freight station, and all goods going to that locality are
shipped to that station. There is no such coustant and enor¬
mous transportation of freight across the city and through
the business streets as there is here. The difference is
plainly shown in the freedom with which surface cars, cabs
aiid, omnibuses can move in Berlin, Paris, Vienna and Lon¬
don. Nothing is more important for the business parts of
New York than to find some method of taking from the pub¬
lic streets the immense amount of freight traffic that is now
congesting them- The solution of this problem must some
day be found by the City of New York, so that it will he on
a parity with the cities that are free from the embarrass¬
ments that the topography of New York creates-" In the
foregoing statement Mr. Bassett unquestionably places his
finger upon one of the most vital problems created hy the
business growth of New York City; aud it is a problem
which, considering its importance, attracts comparatively lit¬
tle attention. The congestion of the street traffic in Man¬
hattan is becoming a serious threat to the commercial and
manufacturing future of the whole Metropolitan district.
Something must soon be done ahout it, or else New York
will lose to competing cities a large amount of business to
which it is fairly entitled.





THERE are two methods of relieving the congestion of
surface traffic iu the streets of Manhattan. One is
the method suggested by Mr. Bassett of doing something to
take away from the surface of the island ■& part of the enor¬
mous movement of freight, which year hy year is constantly
tending to make the more important thoroughfares impas¬
sable- In this respect the transportatiou problem is allied to
the transit problem- The only practicable way of distribut¬
ing freight around the city without using the streets is, of
course, to construct a system of freight tunnels, similar to
that which is now being built in Chicago; but up to the pres¬
ent time the best possible route or routes of such tunnels,
the details of its construction, and its necessary capacity has
not received any consideration. One freight suhway, which
might be of the utmost value would be a belt line of large
capacity, running as far as necessary around the exterior
street and connecting with all the important docks- In or¬
der to obtain, however, its maximum value, such a subway
should also be connected by a system of river tunnels to the
terminals of the railroads in New Jersey, and should ter¬
minate in a huge union freight depot situated somewhere in
the middle West Side of Manhattan. This suggestion might,
of course, after careful examination, prove to he wholly im¬
practicable, and it is offered not as even an approximate
solution of the problem, but merely as an indication of the
sort of freight-subway system which might tend hoth to
diminish the cost of handling freight in Manhattan and to
relieve the streets of that borough of some of their existing
and prospective burden. The only practicable step, which
could be immediately taken in this all-important matter,
would be the appointment by the Mayor of a Commission
for the purpose of making a preliminary investigation. Such
a Commission should include representatives of the railroads,
the most prominent shipping interests, a competent engineer
and one or two responsible public officials. If the commis¬
sion reported after careful investigation that a system of
freight subways was practicable and could be made to pay,
the report could be made the basis of subsequent legislation.
It is all the more necessary that action of this kind should
soon be taken, because when the plans of the Long Island,
Pennsylvania and New Haven Railroad companies in con¬
nection with the Brooklyn water front are carried out, Man¬
hattan will be threatened by the loss of a great deal of busi¬
ness, now transacted in this borough. It should be added
that all the railroads with terminals in New Jersey, except¬
ing the Pennsylvania, have a vital interest in this matter,
while the interest of the New York Central is probably
greater   than   that   of   any   other   single   corporation-     They