The New York herald., 1873-09-22

swelling enormously, and the taxes not dimin-
ishing; the property owners, who find their
property dead loss on their hands from the
entire abandonment Of all public improve
ments; the creditors of the city, who are
driven into litigation to recover the most
honest claims; the people, who find the growth
and prosperity Of the city hindered by the
Comptroller's scrub-woman parsimony and
financial incompetency demand exact infor-
nation as to the condition Of the city finances.
Why does Mr.. Green withhold it in defiance
of the law2
1t is shrewdly conjectured that one reason of
MIR. Green's contumacy is that he is anxious
to conceal from the people the amount of un-
paid claims against the city, which are COM
puted to amount to over ten millions of dol
lars, on which seven per cent interest is ac-
cruing. One claim alone now under itiga-
ton amounts to nearly O million dollars.
Mr.. Green has not the courage 10 deal
positively with these claims-to pay what is
just and refuse what is unjust A large pro-
portion must be collected with interest, as
every days law proceedings prove; and profit
able compromises might be made but for Mr.
Green's incompetency. The fire telegraph
claim was fought by the Comptroller, and was
at last collected with costs and interest
which largely increased the amount paid by
the taxpayers. In claim of fifteen thousand
dollars for water sprinkling on the uptown
roads the claimant begged q settlement at
Mr.. Green's hand for ten thousand dollars
This was refused, the claim was sued and the
full amount with costs and interest had to be
paid by the city The Brown street cleaning
claim was offered by the claimant to be SET
tied for seventy-6ve cents on tho dollar. Mr..
Green's refusal drove the claimant to the
courts and now there is fair prospect that
the full amount, with costs and interest, will be
recovered. The Monheimer claim after being
fought by the Comptroller, was settled at q
dead loss to the city of about fifteen thousand
dollars, and so on through long list of liti-
gated claims,
Another reason why the Comptroller fences
off and obstructs the duties of the Account
Commissioners is rumored to be the present
condition of the trust account. It is said
that the Commission would find the trust
account to have been largely borrowed from in
ON illegtimate manner, in order that the tax
alton fund might be kept down and the ap-
parent aggregate of bonds diminished.
Since Mr.. Green took Office two years ago
his department has never made O written re-
port. All other city departments have made
annual reports. Even Comptroller Connolly
gave us book once year from the Finance
Department. Mr.. Green only favors the pub
lie with columns of figures without explana-
tions or comments and list of war
rants by numbers, amounts and payees'
names, huddled together as they ap-
pear in his day books. There are
no annual Comptroller's reports for 1871, 1872
or 1873. Why have they been discontinued
The Secretary of the United States Treasury
the Comptroller of the State, oil public fnan-
cial heads make annual reports; why is Mr.
Green to be exempted from the duty? If he
does not dare to make o report, the charter
invites the Mayor to demand one; and it is the
duty of Mr.. Havemeyer to see that Mr.. Green's
department is no longer suffered to be yelled
in mystery. It is also the duty of the Mayor
and the Board Of Aldermen to see that the
Finance Department obeys the law and lays
its books and accounts open before the examin-
ing Commission. If they neglect this duty
they will share the responsibility Of any malad-
ministration in that department..