The New York herald., 1873-11-17
The City xpcnditurcs-Curious Dcvel-
opments in Reform Finance ,Msn-

The City Expcnditurcs-CuriOUs DSve1'
opments I'm Reform Finance .Msn-
agcment.
We publish in to-day's HERALD some Gu.
rious developments of the shiftless, illegal
and extravagant management of the ere
formed" Finance Department of the city gov
ernment From this statement it appears
that the expenses Of that department are
much greater now than under the corrupt
Tammany Ring rule in its most Infamous
days, while the Comptroller asks for half a
million dollars more next year than he receives
the present year. 1t also appears that a large
amount of money is paid out by the Comp
employees for the most singular services, in
addition to the sum legally appropriated for
salaries in the Finance Department, and
in violation of the charter. Thus, we
find that one person who is regularly en-
ployed in city department has been
paid over $4,000 as examiner" and for
Expenses to Albany" One fortunate
employe is paid by the Comptroller
for professional services" from April
Ia to April 30, 1873, over $525, and for 'pro-
fessional services from May 1 to May 81,
nearly $S70, or at the rate of about $11, 900
year. Another person is paid for searches
and examining bills 50, 285 and for "profes-
sional services" 81, 400. For preparing an
estimate of work under the head of 'legisla-
tive inquiries" one man is paid nearly 81, 600,
and another for examining the amount and
condition of the city debt" a labor which Mr..
Green and his clerks are supposed TO be paid
for performing, draws out of the treasury
$345. Several warrants for examiners" have
and one examiner of claims" gets 81, 800.
Two of these unearthed warrants are for
the services, we should judge, Of amateur
detectives; one containing such items as
Investigating accounts in banks ''investga-
ton Of Frauds" procuring evidence" and
travelling expenses, amounting to between
SC, 600 and $1,000, and the other being for
similar professional services" reaching over
81, 500. Probably the most curious of these
singular expenditures of the Comptroller is
embraced in two warrants each payable to the
same man, one for examining street lamps"
$50, and the other for examining books and
accounts in the Comptroller's Office" $3.50.
1t is evident that in this employs the Comp
troller discovered genius. The man who
can earn $50 to-day in examining street lamps
and $3.50 tomorrow in examining the books
and papers of q city Finance Department must
necessarily possess remarkable qualities. Per-
haps it was hoped that his familiarity with
lamps might throw some light on the dark
mysteries of the muddled accounts and books
in the Comptroler's Office and aid in discov-
ering the $94, 900 worth Of bonds or receipts
which the Commissioners of Accounts were
unable to unearth.
These expenditures are made by the Comp
troller outside Of and in addition to the
regular amount for the salaries Of the Finance
Department. as legally fixed and allowed
They are for services which pertain to the
Comptroller's department and should be per-
formed by his regular employees, except where
they are for work not legitimately belonging
to his department, and which he has no legal
right to pay for out of the public treasury. Like
the employment of his Albany counsel, his
employment of amateur detectives is wilful
violation Of the law. We call the attention Of
Mayor Havemeyer to the following provision
of the city charter, article 4, section 28:-
The number and duties OF all onlcers and clerks.
employees and subordinates IN every department,
with their respective salaries. whether now fixed
by special law or otherwise shall be such as the
heads OF the respective departments shall desig-
nate ana approve, but subject also to the revision
OF the Board OF AppOrttonment; provided, how
ever. that the aggregate expense thereof shall not
exceed the total amount duly appropriated to the
respective departments for such purposes.
And also to the following provision in Sec
ton 112, article 49,
For the purpose OF making said provisional estl-
mate the heads of departments shall send
to the Board Of Apportionment estimate in
writing, herein called a departmental estimate, OF
the amount OF expenditure, specifying in detail
the objects thereof required in their respective de-
partments, including statement OF each OF their
officers, clerks, employees and sub0rdinates.
Several of these illegal warrants are for ser
vices in the Comptrollers Office, rendered after
May /, 1873, when the new charter became
law. The persons drawing the amounts we're
never reported to the Board of Estimate as
"oficers clerks, employees or subordinates''
Of the Finance Department. The money they
have drawn has been paid from appropria-
tons other than that for salaries in the
Comptrollers Office" and has been illegally
taken from such appropriations. The amount
paid to these employees exceeds the amount
duly appropriated for the payment of officers,
clerks, employees and subordinates in the
Comptrollers Office. Such services as the
persons named in the warrants profess to have
rendered come within the clerical duties of the
Finance Department and have no right to be
paid for out of contingent" fund or
"Board Of Audit fund. If they could legally
be so paid the provision Of law which re-
quires every department to present an
estimate Of the whole amount required for
clerks, employees and subordinates, and which
a.. lox - e..