The New York herald., 1872-05-01
THE BOARD OF APPORTIONMENT.

Meeting OF tho Old Board OF ApportfOn-
ment TO-Day-Win the Two and Three
quarter Per Cent BE Sufficient I-Proba-
BILE Reduction of the Number Of Em-
ployes In the City Departments.
The Board Of Apportlonment will meet to-day at
two O'Clock. This Board meets under the powers
given to them under the notorious two per cent act
OF 1871. 1t is required to meet "on the lst day Of
May, 1872" "to fix and set apart and apporlon the
sum to be raised by tax upon the estates real and
personal, subject to taxation In the city and county
of New York, which amount shall not exceed in the
aggregate sum equal to two per cent upon the
valuation OF such estatesn with the limitation OF
this amount Qncluding taxes imposed by the State)
to ooo" and to regulate all salaries ofocers
and employees Of the city and county governments" !"
BY law the Board consists Of the Mayor, the Comp
troller. the President q the Department Of Public
Parks and the Commissioner Of Public Works. This
Board should not be cohiounded with the Board Of
Apportionment and Audit created by the laws OF
the he Ss = Of e
of Parks and the Commissioner Of Public worar,
and whose functions are of apportionment, though
not OF audit, cease on the 30th day of April.
1t Is q well known fact that the tax OF two per
cent was scarcely sufficient to pay the expenses OF
the city and county governments for nine months in
1871 nor did the framers and supporters of this act
believe or expect It would do more or even so
mrcn, mn, 18th lively consciousness Of their prs
ceding misdeeds, their maie otpiect was to tickle
the public mind as so ;, reso seef that they were in
With the object of pfnging the standard OF reve-
nue. up to an amount .sufllclent even to meet an
economical administrator 81 an tne CITY a1aias; "a rs
the heads OF departments, urging 1HVsion OF ther
estimates as furnished him at the beginning OF the
year, so as to compass
THE REQUIRED REDUCTIONS:
but to this circular lie has as yet received az we
understand, only replies from some Of the minor
departments, and none Of these admit any reduc-
tion from their former estimates On the other
hand the Comptroller has addressed himself to the
legislature asking for change in the two per
cent act so as to increase the rate Of taxation on
the values of 1871 to two and three-quarters per
cent, as being the minimum rate required to
realize. q revenue to meet the expenses,
on the basis Of his prospective view of what the re-
duction In Gil the departments should be. without
any such reduction, which appears apparent from
rate OF taxation to be effective should be fixed at
from three and quarter to three and half per
before the close Of The Year and the Finance pepart
ment be compelled to resort to the Issue of revenue
bonds to meet the deficiency in the same way as
our Old ring masters did and as even the present
Comptroller has been obliged TO do despite all his
care and stringency.
Another view Of the difnculty, urged in some
quarters, is this-that as the Board OF ApportIon-
ment has the power to Populate oil salaries of ON
GERS and employees on the lst of May or at any time
70 either reduce the force OF employees by elimnat
ing throughout all the worthless sticks non-oper-
htlNes anu slnecuTes, SO tnat none but W0rEinRmen
OF character and capacity will be retained; or else
to make sweeping reduction OF certain per.
centage tthe rate TO be determined by the BOARD
meeting today from the present salaries of all and
retaining the number Of the employees as 1t is at
present.
The Comptroller Is said to be in favor OF this
latter course, but II must be apparent to those who
nave looked carefully into the matter that 1t would
be not only unjust but revolutionary for there are
many
FAITHFUL WORKERS
IN all OF the departments who are promptly at
their desks, fulfilling TO the letter the duties Of
their position, who receive but modicum Of the
salary bestowed upon the loungers. the inefficient
or the political hacks, whose service to party Is
believed TO be sufficient return for their stipend.
The view taken Of II by the practical executive is
that the four officers comprising the Board OF
Apportionment should take up, man after man, In
every ofllce and every department, cut OF
entirely the useless people, the mere political
hacks, advance the salaries Of those
who are deserving, and reduce those who are un-
deserving, and by this means place the admlnistra-
ton OF the city government, IN all its departments,
upon fair and equitable basis, and by this means
reduce the expenditures to within the limit OF the
proposed two and three-quarters per cent. How far
IL will be possible for so desirable contamination
to be arrived at in the present complicated condi-
ton OF political parties Will be best understood by
those who form this Board of Apportionment all
Of whom know that cxpediency and concession are
the controlling elements OF city government, and
not practical justice.