The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-02-15


Opening and paving OIL 34l 81 sa47 467 30
Common schools. .......... ooS 800 % Ao,o2l %
fonce... ............... olf,svo ~ @-o %
Alms house .................. coo 90 go. ;.
Cleaning streets and lamps,
and gas o5I,es3 D so,uI W
Street expenses. ....-........ 2o4,s9o 70
Revenue bonds 2, 3os,97o 90 2,ssa,755 90
Assessment bonds for paving
streets. Oh 40 "A %, ooD 20
Docks and slips. 2e4,9s6 20 57s4 rs
From money borrowed, paya
bic by taxes and otherwise 80. . ss7, 7o7 SO
The items in statement No. l cover all the opera
6ons of the treasury proper, as distinguished from
the receipts ard payments account of the proper
ty set apart and pledged for the payment OF the
city debt.
The expenditures and receipts on account Of the
city government, not including trust funds or the
sinking fund, for the year ending December 81,
1862, were as follows -
Expenditures % 1ls 793 IS
Receipts other than from taxation. 1850 So
Balance payable from taxation >. g. 03o AIS o.
The detailed items, together with the appropria
lions made by the Common Council for the various
objects OF expenditure, given in statement No. 2
annexed to this report The appropriations in this
table include the extra sums appropriated to make
mp deficiencies beyond the original estimates of the
departments.
Although the additional appropriations to make
up deficiencies for the service of the year embo
died in the Comptrollers report of the 18th Decem
Der, yet it known that the appropriations were
exhausted at much earlier period. In the City In
spectors department an additional appropriation OF
SIS, 900 was made on the 18th of November; county
contingencies, on which many irregular claims are
heaped, gave out on the same day; and the contin-
gent expenses of the Common Council were also
aided 81 000 cleaning streets aided by $4,000
on the 10th Of September, and $4,000 more on the
18th OF November. Lamps and gas had $4,000 on
the 10th OF September, and $4,000 on the 18th of
November The police, too, required SIS 900 on
CURED $4,000 on November ID, and 100000
IN December Salaries came in for $4,000 on
Nov. Is. The appropriations for docks and slips
exhausted early in the season, and on the 4th OF
August $l2O, 900 was added for these objects Ap-
pended to this statement No. is list Of the addi
tona appropriations of 1852 made subsequent to the
first estimates and showing the deficiency of 1852
The total OF the deficiency is 1887 100. From this
sum the Comptroller makes sundry deductions, by
which he reduces the aggregate deficiency to $742,-
l57 81. But the financial incidents which he calls
to his aid in reducing the aggregate deficiency do
not relieve the several departments from the respon-
sibty either of carelessness in their estimates,
extravaganza in their expenditures. If one depart
ment expends fifty thousand dollars less than its
innate, and another one hundred thousand dollars
more the latter is not entitled to have the difference
Of 900 Offset against its of Sl00 000 and in
this way apparently reduce its error to hfty thou
sand
The late Comptroller also reduces the amount Of
the deficiency of 1852, by an item which he enters
his statement to the Common Council, (page 54s of
the printed documents Of the Board Aldermen Dec.
1897 in the following words" Gain mill tax
Of 1s52-it having been reduced from half mill on
$1o0 to quarter of mill, by laws of 1852, chap.
3l5-ss7,942 o." But who gains this Ss7 ,942 o.?
Certainly not the tax payers On the 18th day of
April 1862, the Legislature passed an act reducing
the tax for the support of the State government one
half. The Supervisors Of this city, who made up the
tax levy in August instead Of giving the tax payers
the benefit of this exemption, according to the inten-
ton of the Legislature, levied half mill under the
old law instead of one-fourth of a mill under the
amended laws. And this, in the estimation of the
Comptroller Is gain OF sS1942 09. 1t was doubt
less relief to the finance and other departments,
but it was in no sense gain to the inhabitants OF
the city.
The charter Of 1880, (section 20,) declares that
" il shall be the duty Of the Common Council to
publish, two months before the annual election OF
charter officers in each year, for the general infor
nation Of the citizens Of New York, full and de-
tailed statement Of the receipts and expenditures OF
the corporation during the year ending the first
day Of the month in which said publication is made
On the 9Th OF September last statement was
published, emanating from the finance department,
IN which it is expressly admitted that the detailed
statement instead of embracing the information
qred by the charter TO be laid before the people for
the year ending on the first day Of the month in
which said publication is made includes only eight
months, from January lst, 1882 to August lst OF
the same year, the report being published Septem
ber The finance department, however, in this re.
port, volunteers to communicate for the general in
formation Of the citizens Of New York. what is not
required by the charter that the tax levy would be
DC I0l00 without any allusion TO the great increase
Of expenditures which had been apparent from the
large extra appropriations commencing on the 4th
OF August
In the month Of December following document
was laid before the Common Council also prepared
at the Finance Department in which 1t is expressly
stated that the expenditures Of the city government,
for the year 1853 viii be increased seuea hundred
and fotytCo thousand dollars for defcisncp Of tdI1-
fron Of ls62; and, also that the total sum to be
levied by tax, in 1858, will be IS III G02 "a, being
an increase over the tax levy Of 1852 Of 81, 79l-
39I a.
If the amount Of the deficiency before given, which
Is thus crowded into the year 1853 had been pro-
perly brought into the year TO which IL belonged the
tax levy Of 1852 would have been a. SOS ss and
the rate, instead of being SO 70100, would have been
81 IL 2l-l00 on each one hundred dollars Of valua-
Hon.
THE SINKING FUND.
The great bulk OF the city property, estimated at
from fifteen to twenty millions Of dollars and the
revenues thereon, which, with the water rates yield
an annual income Of nearly million dollars. are not
included In the statements before referred TO- This
property and these revenues are, by ordinance
ADOPTED IN 1874, placed in the hands OF certain trus
zee, and are pledged for the payment Of the city
oept amounting on the 1st Of January 1858, to the
sum OF si3Ss5 1856. There are in the hands of the
commissioners Of the Sinking Fund applicable to
the payment Of this debt CITY stocks. and bonds.
and mortgages, amounting TO the sum Of S3 1896 266
o.. The annexed statement No g. shows the amount |
Of debt, and No. the securities in the hands of the
omm ssioners forts redemption
TOTAL AMOUNT OF THE OPERATIONS OF THE raEA- |
The sums received BY the Commissioners Of the