The New York herald., 1871-08-24
The Message to the Board of Aldermen.
MAYORS OFFICE, August 49, 1871,

AI0efmems
MAYORS OFFICE, August 10, 1871.
TO THE COMMON COUNCn:-
The ComptroIer's Annual Report for the NUM-
cipal year ending May 1, 1871, was accompanied by
statistical tables intended to furnish in detail lists
OF the expenditures which that report merely aggre
gated. These tables were being printed when II
became evident that public sentiment demanded
much more mnuteness Of statement than had been
usual for the Finance Department to give or than
the tables In process of printing supplied. The
Mayor, therefore, with the hearty concurrence OF
the Comptroller, recalled the tables and in place OF
them has provided the budget herewith sent. They
comprise accounts also Of the additional quarter OF
the year that has elapsed since the Mayors message
was filed, and reprints for the year 1869 in the form
selected. They make q chronological collection OF
the warrants drawn upon the City Treasury from
the 1st OF January 1853, to the 1st OF July, 1871
and are substantially transcripts In current order
Finance, and necessarily include each and every sum
paid out rrOm 1t during that period, with the of
the payee and reference 70 the subject matter Of
payment The printing Of this huge budget was
begun but when the accounts Of 1869 were ready
for publication 1t became apparent that the delays
to the city credit. hereupon the printing has been
intermitted in order to afford to both friends and
counts, although they are partly in manuscript.
Those which relate 10 the city are now sent to
you and those which relate to the county have been
transmitted to the Board of Supervisors ii is due
to our constituents ana the public credit that two
oticial acts be done:-Frst the Mayor should FUR
nish an accompanying statement OF facts for illus
tration; second that committee OF your body
should De appointed as the only legally appropriate
ers Gf they need Investigations, and, at the same
time to permit participation in your iabors Of any
unbiased. unexceptional and bipartisan commit
A very large proportIon Of the payments embraced
6y these city accounts arise out Of the following sec
SECTION T. The Comptroller OF the cty of New York IA
hereby directed to pay the Claims Which have
aoos EEse
M
9ued for such purpose by the Of stock the city Of
ss S :.s an:
the
late Metropolitan Fire Commissioners in constructing and
and telegrsphc apparatus and appliances herewith
he e s p IS. @ ee
New YORK. the Comptroller Of the city York hereby
;ns I aa 's sM
.a% which hO' shall Hs ps bonds
the Corporation Of the City Of New York." ad bonds
1 g.. .ns "a to the
ceedng seven per cent per payable half yearyto
the principal thereof shall within fifteen years
s s Of YORK & a ss BSa g
to 1rS saa s be SS by y 1 the
York. amount .uncient in each year pay the interest
the bonds herein authorized and also
to pay and redeem the said bonds their maturity
SEC - The ashcry M gwen by section sevsn chapter s
adjust claims put SayoP spS ID
Commonsty Of the city Of New YORK hereby abrogated
and annued, and no greater amount of
bonds Of the corporation Of the city Of New York. shall be
Whatever claims may have been adjusted by the coproer
OF the % y Of YSs ss 70 the Of mi. act
authority liabilities incurred By the ate Street
iion Of the said outstanding claims for
printing and advesng such adjustment to be within
vscs county York are hereby authorized and
county Of New York sadc.n eses % year 10
p6ration Of the city Of New York. and also sum
same, by the terms thereof, will mature.
These sections were passed by the Legislature as
integral parts OF the charter scheme by which
hybrid, dislocated and conflicting municipal and
metropolitan departments were abolished ana
uniform system OF city government established 1t
viii be observed by section 10 that the adjusted
claim enactment OF 1868 was repealed. except as to
existing liabilities III the late street ana Croton
printing and advertising. These old city claims
were large; but they all reached the Comptroller
correctly certlfed audited and put into suit. They
were All incurred under departments which had been
legsiatiyely made independent or the Mayor and
Common council.
like every other fiscal executive ocer, dependent
to a large extent upon the Judgment ana action OF
various and appropriate bureaus and especially OF
ton that the nnancai deSas OF the debit and credit
accounts OF the department Of Finance Of our city
government are in magnitude second only to that OF
the federal government 1t Is also pertinent To IN
derstand That when department certines to debt
and II has been thus audited q mandamus Can issue
TO compel payment.
Enlarged criticism has been made upon the pay.
ment Of those liabilities. Even III view OF IT the
Mayor is OF opinion tnat he would ieel compelled to
perform at this time precisely the Official services
which he performed at the dates oi the criticised
warrants iu countersgning them. The Mayor re-
CARDS his countersigning OF all warrants 10 be no
more than testyng to the verify OF tue paper called
q warrant; that It Is An offciai document Is drawn
correctly In form and from the proper sources,
with the endorsements OF the proper bureaux and
departments The departments either make general
requisiuons uron the Comptroller for aggregate
tnodng their own responsibility for the Integrity OF
vouchers, or Tor particular amcuntS upon speclhc
contracts or vouchers In duplicate, which they send
TO him douby certified the head OF the appropriate
bureau and 10y the head OF the department wherein
the expense has been Incurred. Ii Is utterly i'm
possible IN an immense government such as TITS OF
the city OF New York, that Its executive head or
even the head OF the Finance Department, should
become personally acquainted with every detail and
incident OF Its fiscal accounts. Indeed large pro-
portion OF the Vouchers are legally on file among
various departmeDrs-such as Heolth, Fire, Police,
Public Instruction. and Parks.
4. OAKEy HALL. Mavor.