TAT







AND







Vol. CII.





NRW YORK, 0CT01!1<:K 26,  1918





No. 17





Proposed Budget May Raise Tax Rate to 2.48

If Adoi)tecl, This Will Be Manhattan I^lgure, aii Advance of Twelve
Points Over 1918—Other Boroughs iii Proportion

THE proposed budgct presented by the Board of Esti-     of Estimate aml Apportionment to (^liscuss budgct require-

niate and Apportionment at the piiblic hearings this     ments.

week   showed   an  increase  over  last   year  of  $9,-         "The appmpriatioiis for the 1919 budget vvere the result

984,728.18.   This is a considerable increase over the tenta-     of this harmonious co-operation.    Substantial  reductions

tive budget in its original form, and is due largely to the      were  made  in  the  amounts  originally  requested  by  the

additional amount allotted to tbe Board of Education.   The      Board of Education; but in every instance this was done

budget now stands at $248,108,487.38, as compared with      by the voluntary and spontaneous action of the members

$238,123,759,20 for last year.                                                        o'f the Board of Education.

Although the Board of Estimate may make decreases         "The appropriation provided in the proposcd budget for

up to October 31, when that body niust finally pass on the     the Board of Education is $4.^,121,163.26.   This is $3,025,-

budget, and the Board of Aldermen then has twenty days     000 in excess of 4.9 mills on ta.xalíle values required by law.

in which to make decreases, it is probable that there will          "Numerous attempts have been made to create the im-

be little change from the above figures.                                       [jression  that  this  appropriation  barely  exceeds  that  of

The biggest increase in the budget over 1918 is in the      1918.   Such attempts are founded upoii sheer manipulation

Department of Education, $9,730,658, but in  reality the     of the tigures involved and careful avoidance of the facts.

schools will get only about .Íí^^^OO.OOO more than last year,          "Last year the Board of Education requested a]3propria-

as last year the budget carried a special fund of $7,110,651.      tions of $49,599,834.79.   This was cut by the former lioard

This year the special fund has been thrown into the genera!      "f Estimate and Apportionment to $43,3.30,363.02 in the

fund for the reduction of taxation.                                               proposed budget,    An examination of the news])aper files

Some of the large increases are shown in the following     t'f last year will  disclose  that  not  one of  the  mischief

table:                                                                                                  niakers now active uttered one  word of protest against

1919Budget   1918Budget      Inc. 1919      ""' i-eduction of more than six and one-quarter millions.

Departinent—                       total                total           over 1918      •"'^ ainount thus allowed for 1918 was $829,206.98 in ex-

Police   Dept...............$20,671,579      $19,394,613      $1,276,965      cess of the 4,9 mills required by law.

Dept. of''HeaÍth;:;:::;:::: '3:932:292         '3:711:376           2209IS          "^'"-^ appropriation proposed by the present  Board of

Dept. of Public Charities.    5.794,963          S^HU+^O           683:522      Estimate and .A.pijortionment for 1919 is $3 0'5 000 in ex-

Board of Child Welfare,..    1,664,120           1,552 170            111950                 r   ..i    ,           j  .    •,              •     ,         ',   • '   ĸ.,'

Bellevue   and   allied   hos-                                                      '          '^í^ss  of  that  mandatonly  required,  and  is  $2,620,007,22

P'tals   ...................   2,415,233          2,089,625           325,608     above the appropriation for 1918."

Dept. of Street Cleaning..  11,240,668           9,033,349         2.207,319           í-L.,,-l„cA    P..      l     r      .         r'.i      r>                 r»^     ••     ,

Payments    to    charitable                                                                    Lhailes A. beard, director of the Bureau of Mumcqjal

institutions  .............   6,949,800          6,485,510          464,290      Ke.search, .savs that while the budget shows an increase of

Dept. of Correction.......    2,042,074           1,814,954           227,119          i     u-ooqivoqio   .i                 ,   •                  .     1'' Is

Dept. of Plant and Struc-                                                                ""')' $9.984,728.18, the actual iiicre;ise is $12,249,329.98

tures   ...................   2,785,440            754,632        2,030,808     over 1918.    He said:

Debt   service.............. 77,931,938         75,590,460         2,341,478         <.ti      va             i   .

'     '^'°           The difference between the actual increase and the ap-

The Law Department budget is increased over this year's      I';"'<-'"t mciv;ise is explained by the fact that ihe item for

by over $30,000.    Tn the mayor's ofiFice thcre is an increa.se      ^^^ deliciencies is placed at $1,835,000 in the budget, while

of several thousand dollars.                                                           t'ie actual tax deficiency, according to the statement of

At the hearing on Wednesday the mayor explained the     ^'iarles L. Craig, city controller, to the  lîoard of Esti-

increase of his secretary's salary to $6,500 as follows:             '"'''^^' '""""""ts to $4,101,302.88.    This dift'erence the con-

•'ĩ had Whalen's salary reduced to $5,000 when I took     *'""''' '' !'^'-""«e'l this year to take froin the sum of $2,-

office.    I have found out that he did a great deal to help     -^'-^-''^'-'^^ "^ unspent moneys from previous administra-

save the $9,000 which the Mavor's Department turned back     ^'°"f'      •       .   i •

to the city treasury last year,'and which we intend to turn      •   ?" T' "^ '.'"' t^velve-million-dollar and over increase,

back again this year, so 1 recommended that his salary be      f    "' ^'"\ ?°'T i °"ĩ ',       "'' '"'''" °^ '''" '^'^>' ^^'

restored "                                                                                             '^'" "''''tcrially depleted, because of the large decrease in

Controller Craig issued a statement in connection with      P''''T"Í     ^°', ij;"^^'-^^'"'^.   ''^e   Department   of   Water

the Board of Education appropriation in which he said •           ^ "'^P'^' ?"', ^""^ Electncity drops about 140 employees,

„.,     „     .   ,.•       •          ,:                 wicnnesaĸi.           at a total salary of alwut $180,000, The Tenement House

ror the hrst time m the history of the present City of     De,.artment  drops  ahout  76 emplcvees,  at  a total  of

New  York  the  appro])riations   for educational  purposes     $56.000 s;il;try.   The Board of Estimate and Apportioii-

have been the suliject of joint confercnces and discussions     n,,.„t dr.iiis about 66 emplovees,    Holes likc thesc are

between ihe members of the Board of Education and the     slint thr.mgh thc service of'pracíi.-r.llv all divisi.ms of

lioard of  Estimate and  Ai)i)ortionment.    OnThursday,     the city-. .vernment.

the 17th. these two bodies were in continuous joint session         "In otlur words, the present admiiiistn.tii.n is íurnish-

fi-om   11  oclock m the  morning until  midnight.    Never      ing less scrvice for more monev."

betore has a Board of Education ?at down with the Board          Thc Ciiizens' Union in a statement pointed out numer-