The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-12-05
City Taxes.


City Taxes.
The tax bill, as usual, goes on increasing.
This year Comptroller Flagg is content to
mulct us in an additional sum of S632 ,032 "a.
During the former years of his administration
he was not content with SO little: two millions
year increase was about what he figured it.
Now, be has mercy upon US and only exacts a
trife over half million more than last year.
Let us be thankful for the boon. At the
that Mr.. Flagg is such a paragon in finance
and foe to extravagance; if praises Of his re-
markable economy are to be dinned into our
ears month after month and year after year,
one may we'll ask when are we to see some
practical fruits of the virtue? During the
three frstyears of Flaggs administration. the
city taxes increased from nine to fifteen mil
lions of dollars. When the public grumbled,
II was assured that the increase was unavoida.
BILE, that it was due to the extravaganza Of for
mer administrations, and that in course of
time the leaks would be stopped. We are in the
fourth year now, and the leaks 60 on increas-
ing. When is the caulking to beginf Where
is this ever growing drain to end? How much
will Flagg want next year? Will ten millions
satisfy him in 1860?
1t has already been shown more than once
in this journal that the main secret Of the in
creased expenditure Is the capricious and par
tisan spirit Of Mr.. Flagg. Last year many
very heavy items of expense were occasioned by
unreasonable refusals to award certain jobs to
the contractors: whereby the city was obliged
to perform the work in question by day labor,
tractor would have charged. As an instance
of the amounts which haveSbeen thus thrown
away, in the single department of Streets and
Lamps the arrearages amount to within trife
Of $200,0oO. For cleaning streets alone, a
sum of $107 900 has been paid over and above
the appropriation for the year; in that of Re-
pairs and Supplies, s52,362. There were two
ways of remedying the evil. One was by al
tering the charter SO as to deprive the Comp
troller of the power Of defeating the object Of
the law and increasing the municipal tax bill
to crafty his whims or his political prejudices
The other was by electing some better man
than Flagg to the Office Of Comptroller. Mel
Their plan has been adopted; and there is very
little reason to hope that this time next year
the financial accounts of the city will be more
satisfactory than those which are nov before
us. =
From these we learn that for almost every
city department ON increased appropriation
will have to be made. In the item of salaries
thirty thousand dollars extra; in that of street
cleaning, ninety thousand; in that of lamps
and gas, fifty three thousand; in that of water
pipes and laying, forty-two thousand are call
ed for by the report. We look vainly through
its long paragraphs for word Of practical
economy. Retrenchment is nowhere. None
of the old leaks are stopped, and new ones
seem to be sprung every year.
But we are wrong There is an attempt
distinct attempt--to save money in the
Comptroller's report We give the passage
entire:-"The estimate for painting lamp posts
is reduced from $4,000 to $1,000, the same as
last year. There have been abuses in regard
to painting lamp posts, and the sum appro-
priated should not be increased until faithful
ness can be secured in the performance of the
work." Is not this Flagg all throughs Does
not every one recognize him in the attempt to
save $4,000 by leaving lamp posts to rust for
want of paint, while he throws away hundred
thousand dollars by mismanaging the street
cleaning contractsY
GAY TIMES AHEAD. - The last California
steamer brought us two millions in gold-the
farmers have plenty of money from the full
crops-business is lively-amusements we'll
Observation-Disclosures. full-weather delicious.
and the ladies on Broadway much more gay
in their attire than Solomon when he gave
audience to the Queen of Sheba. The holt
days will soon be upon us, aud silversmiths,
jewellers, vendors of 5ijouerie and knickaacker;e