New-York tribune., 1841-04-12
CITY FINANCES.

CITY FINANCES
We haze come mo the field Lae day. ;ha,i' Is -
possible car give ths u5ect. before the election, that
critical examination and discussion which its great import
aace obviously demands. TIE most ;hat caa be done
j. to gre fc loose Sketchc: Of tie unparalleled increase q:
taxation this city within las; years, and hus leave
the people to ud-e for themselves whether uch increase
neecs-arz o- a.ti:a5e c shall have space to uoce h;
:ev o: the ;e-ls n which tais ex;raagaut increase aP-
pears aid shall select those oay for which neither TIE
growth Of the CITY the Increase Of oP-a;ioa car aao7.
an. palla;ion or cxce-e.
We VII first howevsr establish Tie FAC; o; the eaoous
increase for the oraa expenses OF me city aad
the rate Of such increase.
Ten wears ago this civ comparatively :ree from de5i;
at that tine the tax levied amounted :509l3 a. since
tbcn taxation has rapidly increased Until 1887 amounted
70 1876 9e3 81 Since 1887 and especially for tho
last two vear. the Common Coenci! have levd less SUN
yearly than the OF the actual expenses For instance
IL 1889 ;bey levied 200 co. aad 1870 $4,000 BIZ:
,h.e sums did not cover the actual expenses by than
hal. million yearly This surplus expense mas beca con-
vertcd permanent debt and accordingly we ind IN the
last report of the Comptroller dated December 81 1870 the
total liabilities OF this city this time aod above the
expense the Croton Aqueuct and OF the heretofore
levied amount to s3si5 42o so and show the
winch TIL, cy debt increasing il enough to state that
the FOR the Lass years since the Corporation has
been in the hands Of the LocoFocos. il the ~hoc
to the cuornou, sum OF million fre t4adred and
thousand six Hundred and dollars and sghtyfse
cents.
We will take up subjcc, Of printing and station
IN which there apparent recessity for
any great increase year year We find 1880 this
item SCI down 81 1876 50 From this period it vas IN
gradually first, for several years and then
dlv until fad down in thc Comprol!crS report OF
last wear at a3 800 50. We also find in the Comptroller
last report "a charge and above the printing and sta
,onarv not mentioned above advertising sale Of PRO
pcrty for unpaid taxes, sll692 81 This sum it is well
known was given exclusively to the Evening Post and New
Era although several other papers ana one at least OF the
.ane political sect offered do the job for half that price
Here then positive sacrifice OF S5646 H. to reward
two Loco-Foco papcrs for past services or to brbe
them for the future and when in the amoun, tor
printing &c above mentioned the Of 800 80 allowed
to the Board Aldermen for printing only we are fully
justified in believing that hi. latter given as re-
ward TO political But this instance which Is not
a SOLITARY one must suffice this head
We will now proceed with the comparison between the
extravaganza of the Wing corporation 1888 and the Loco
Focos in 1870 On Saturday last made this comparison
so far as related to an,-Housc expenditures We viii
now refer to few which cxtrac: from the
n Y Democra, of Friday last and conclude this par:
the subject for the present:
Clearing Streets.
1885 :99,7O8 Al lSio.... .Slll,2l9 l3
Excess in l8iO................3ll 3ll,5l0 69
Lamps and Gas.
1888. sll6,lO3 S4 l84o.-.. 3la0,675 81
Excess in 1910. I? l,oI2 O3
p,
l83s.... 81, ,62l Is lsiO.--. i37 ,759 81
Excess IN 1910. sio,l3S 4?
Roads
1888. :51.898 ss l84O..... :7o,85o s.
Excess IN 1910. O.....-..........s 81 ,99l 50
Fire Department
1888 49, SOL ,2lS IS l8i0.--. s76,790 -
E>ces, IN sl5.57O %
We have t!us briefly. bu; satisfactorily showf
that the ordinary expenses of the city have been increase
within few years than 300 per and without anl
apparent necessity. This ino extravaganza has not beei
solely produced by the proesscd PnanS of either OF tie
grea, political partc4 but certain extent the censure
appicabe to both The Wings defeated in the sprtn-
of 1889 expressly the ground OF their Prorsion and cX
ryarancc; and the LocoFocos we're elected under t'
most orrasand solemn that they would produce
important c;rcnch,cns the expenses, and correspond
IN, reduction in the taxes Have they dorc either So IA
from, T. the taxes remain undiuinsAed, and Increase hn
been made the city debt Tor the ordinary expenses OF more
than million and half of dollnrs We have also shown
by an actual comparison OF the items Of expense in severa
OF the departments. between the Wing and the Loco-Foc
administrations, that instead Of retrcnchmen- the latte
have been uniformly, the most Profe and eztrarassnt
So tina, whether loo, the general result. BY comparing
the present condition OF the city fnanec' win that Of 1899
or whether compare the separate items OF expense w
are forced to the conclusion that the present LoccFo
co Common Council altogether moro eN'FaTagant thar
their predecessors. 1t Is also well known that positive cor
rption has been charged upon at least one OF the Aims
House Commissioners, and upon one Member Of the Com
mon Council These charges remain uncont-adiced and
true OF which We can doubt, the public have
right to presume that the whoie Board or at least the ma
orty that controls equally guilty Indeed What othe
name but corruption and that OF TIE most kind
Gan l given 10 the act which have referred above:
. ,,, ,v,-ed ,ona-. double the value of their scr7i