The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-10-16
The Confederation or the CITY Esti-
mate.

The Consideration OF the City Esti-
mate.
The final estimate for the expenses of the
city government this years. $S4, S22,0 But
to this sum there should be added 81, 500, 900
.'bridged over from this year to next for the
Fourth avenue Improvement, and about
So, 900, 600 for the Park and Dock depart
ments, not included in the tax levy, which
actually makes the expense this year just
upon $40,00O,000. or q tax of more than
So so on every 500 of real and per-
sonal estate in the city. With these facts
before them the people do not require to be
told that there must be waste and extrava-
gahce IN the public departments. and that .
reform of our reformed municipal government
is desirable 1t is notorious that few, II any,
of the departments are managed in the manner
in which business man would manage his own
affairs, and that the peoples money Is still
squandered for the benefit of the politicians.
The fault is, no doubt, in some measure at
tributable to bad legislation, but it lies mainly
with the heads of departments and with the
Board Of Estimate and Apportionment- The
heads of departments are anxious to swell
their patronage to as great an extent as pos
sible. and the Board Of Apportionment, which
has the full power to cut down the estimates
to proper sum, has never yet performed the
duty honestly. With regard to the estimates
of the present year, it is true. Alderman
Vance and Tax Commissioner Wheeler in
sisted upon certain reductions and succeeded
in securing them; but their movement in
favor of economy came after one half the year
had passed away, and hence could not go SO
Car as was desirable,
The charter requires that the departmental
estimates shall be sent to the Board of APP
portionment, and that the Board shall make
therefrom provisional estimate between the
LIST of August and the LIST of November in each
year. This provisional estimate forms the
groundwork upon which the final estimate
and the annual taxation are based, and it is
seldom materially altered after it has once
been adopted by the Board of Apportionment
1t is, therefore, important that the provisional
estimate should be thoroughly discussed and
maturely considered before 1t is agreed upon
by the Board. Yet August and September
have passed and we are now within little more
than two weeks Of the close of October, and the
first meeting Of the Board of Apportionment
to consider the provisional estimate has only
just been held. At the meeting yesterday the
estimates from the departments were or
dered to be printed. It is notorious
that some of the departments man
aged as q prudent mans business would
be managed, could be conducted at less than
one-half their usual expenditure without
estimates are increased year after year. The
Department Of Taxes and Assessments, which
expended $4,000 IN 1871, asks for 1875
only $128, OOO-a reduction of about one
half, while the Finance Department costs
this year $4,000 more than it cost
under the old "Ring" rule, and will
ask for still more next year. Its
expense, conducted in an honest bust
ness manner, should not be more than
$150,00 at the outside. The taxes could be
collected by the Department of Taxes and
Assessments with little more than its present
lorCe dI al eAPc1Se VI 0lU,UUU WuHe Cne
Bureau of the Receiver OF Taxes, sort of
asylum in the Finance Department, is made
to cost nearly 100000. These are only
specimens of the leakages in the departments,
and the members of the Board of Apportion-
ment will not perform their duty if they fail
to stop them this year. Messrs. Vance and
Wheeler should insist upon sessions Of the
Board day after day to consider the provisional
estimate as soon as the departmental esti-
mates are printed. No more important
duty is devolved upon them, and they will be
held responsible if the estimate for 1875 is not
reduced to a reasonable and honest amount