The New York herald., 1870-06-07

! Brooklyn Gas Company any............,....... 1878
From wharfage dues collected. .............. 2,5SS
Total. $685. lO5
| EXPENDITURES.
Paid to contractors In monthly lnstaments.. $s07 2SS
Engineer ana Office expenses. 33 636
Contingent expenses ....................... 1928
| Items oi work not included in contract..... $50
| Negotiation 81 bonds, as per resolution OF
BrooKIyn a;asIigSt SoS SoS
Paid to bridgekeeIer and wharnnger. 1890
The Company have In hand, on the Nassau Bank,
50 269; remaining In the hands OF the Comptroller,
$2,4S3; making total OF funds remaining s4,752.
BR0OKLYNs ABLuTIoNIsTs.
Aldermen NOLAN, chairman Of the Committee on
Public Baths submitted plans ana specIllca ions for
the same at the meeting OF the Common Council yes
| terday.
| Alderman WHITING opposed the establishment OF
the baths saying that 1t was wiul waste OF the
resolution directing the Street Commissioner TO
| advertise for proposals Was laid over ior week.
THE BROOKLYN FIRE COMMISSIONERS
| sent in lengthy communication to the Board OF Al
| dermen saying that the Mayor was penny and
| pound foolish in vetong the resolution passed by the
Board empowering them TO procure additional APP
paratus Tor the protection OF property In the Ninth
ana Twenty.second wards. The Mayor refused to
place the additional sum asked for by the commits
| soners In his annual budget
| Alderman THoRNE moved to adopt the resolution
| empowering the Fire commissioners to purchase the
| apparatus Notwithstanding the objections Of his
| Honor. Tue motion was lost.
NEARLY FOUR MILLIONS wANTED-THE MAYORS
| BUDGET.
The Joint Boards OF Aldermen and Supervisors met
yesterday afternoon at hall. past O'Clock when
the annual budget OF the Mayor was received and
1t will require s212 400 to pay the instruments Of
the principal OF the debt falling due in 1871; this
| amount is small compared with our Indebtedness
For the payment OF the interest on the debt not
| otherwise provided for, S945,405 is required
TO pay outstanding certificates falling due in 1871.
| with the interest thereon, which have been issued
Tor various purposes as set forth in statement No.
| $257, 55s As Will have TO be provided.
inf for
| mated at 1874, 800, against $725, 900 last year.
| For cleaning and repairing OF streets and cross
walks $780, 900 Is the amount necessary 10 he raised
| as estimated by the Board of Water and Sewerage
commissioners, who now have the matter under
| their exclusive control.
For the payment Oh the expenses Of the police
force $5l2,e9S will have to be provided, reduction
OF nearly 100000 from the amount raised last year
| The Board of Education have made q requisition
raised under the provisions OF the law OF 1867,
making the total amount S99o,059, nearly 81 O0O 900,
| TO lie raised in the taxes for one single year, an
| enormous increase on former years.
He estimates the amount necessary for the main.
| tenance OF the public parks al $50 900.
He says the increase in our expenditures is far
greater IN comparison than the addition made TO the
sions heretofore maintained by the Legislature have
ceased TO exist and whatever acts Of extravaganza
they may have committed their power for evil Is de
stroyed. There are some OF them still left, which
trust will all be got rid OF the objects for
| which they were created shall have been accom-
| pllshed
| AN uNHEEDED WARNING.
| have on former occasions called the attention OF
your honorable body to the large increase annually
in different items OF expenditure, taking the amount
OF taxable property and It's Increase during the same
| periods as basis for my comparisons. My object
was TO draw the attention OF your honorable body,
ana the taxpayers at large, to this subject and to
warn them Uf consequences which ultimately must
follow from such reckless and eXtravagant, and In
| some instances needless, public expenditures The
outstanding city debt has, during the present year.
been augmented, IN round numbers, about one mil
lion and half dollars. and from data before me,
/ estimate the further increase of the amount OF
bonds which will be outstanding at the expiration
OF the year 1870 at least one million more so as not
TO be misunderstood. and TO make my meaning
plain, will say at least two millions and one hail
dollars of ponds during this year are being and have
been Issued in excess OF the instaments payable
during the year. regret TO have to state, often as
have endeavored to Call public attention to this
matter, l have thus far met with but little en-
| couragement In my endeavors towards bringing
about reaction in favor OF limiting and reducing
the amount OF city liabilities The whole amount OF
money TO be provided for the payment Of liabilities
and general expenditures Is So 1872 423-an advance
OF $154 542 over the preceding year. The city
being 500 900 less aids to make up the difference
Among the items OF general expenditure which seem
TO me to require some consideration, and to which
beg leave to call your attention specially IS the one
Tor school purposes. Well aware as am that this
department Is one in the proper maintenance of
which the people feel deep interest, and, in my
opinion justly So l, nevertheless think investigation
should be had to ascertain II the great increase
demanded on this Item OF expenditure is really
necessary for the instruction OF the children for
| whose benefit the public school system has been
established.
THE COST OF EDUCATION.
During the years 1861, 1862 and 1853 the average
attendance OF children I'm our public schools was
90 l75 and the average annual amount OF money eX-
| pended for the schools during those years was
sl4s1 160 or at the rate OF 81 35 for each scholar We
are now asked to contribute 1890 059 for single
year. for an average attendance of 35, $50 children
or at the rate OF $27 so per scholar per annuu. am
told that TINS arises from the fact that great many
new houses are needed; but this can hardly con.
sidered a satisfactory explanation. Take, Tor IN
stance. the amount paid for teachers sala.
| rles. This item should only increase in the same
| ratio as the number OF scholars; but what
| are the facts? The average cost to the city
during the three years named to defray the expenses
incurred for teachers aries was So IA per annum
for each scholar exclusive or the State apprOpria
| ton. Now 50 53 afe expended exclusive Of State
appropriation for the same purpose. Surely the
enormous, and In my opinion very extravagant, ex.
tcation for the great pro rata increase In the salary
account TO further show with how little care this
subject o od sa,aries M is considered. would mention
| teachers wages account by wholesale addition OF
over 900 per annum to the already high salares
| while only eight years before, In 1850, the whole
amount OF money raised for teachers wages was bu
$4,000. exclusive of the State appropriation.
No adequate cause existed in that year for grant
| ing the increase. The Board OF Education Is com.
posed of gentlemen OF the highest respectabity and
| no impure motives can reasonably be imputed to
| them, however strange their conduct IN the pre-
| mises may appear The merest tyr0 in arithmetic,
however, must, on examination OF these figures, be-
come al once convinced that there Is screw loose
somewhere. ! am satisfied from facts which have
cial matters OF the Board do not receive that rigid
scrutiny which they should in all cases obtain, and
] that In many instances moneys have been used fol
purposes other than those for which they were ap
proprated, and the moneys raised for year often
| have been used TO pay debts incurred during the
| year preceding.
/ LARGE INCREASE.
| , In the statement now transmitted to me by the
Board oI Education find an increase OF nearly $780,
600 over the total Of s7O7,726 asked for
the last year. l cannot believe that this
| great increase is necessary, nor become a
party 10 IL Dy laying the statement before you
amended 1nd that notwithstanding the special
provision made by law of $90,O00 year, to be paid
for nve @ years for school building purposes, nearly
$4O0 600 Is asked for the purchase OF new sites and
for building purposes, exclusive OF the 100000 SET
apart ny law Tor this purpose. The Finance CONT
zee OF the Board, 1t Is understood. unanimously
agreed upon and reported much smaller amount
| as adequate lor school purposes than that
| which Is now asked for. On the whole believe
am consulting the interests of the schools, as
well as OF the CITY at large in recommending you tO
appropriate To their general school fund the sum OF
$3500Oo being the anoant voted last year. with ten
per cent additional TO cover the average annual ad
diton TO the number OF scholals and for the special
school fund $400000 including therein the 500 900
\ leviaOlc under the act of 1867 for school