The New York herald., 1874-09-29
The Estimates for ls75-The Duty OF
the board OF Apportionment.

The Estimates for ls71-Thc Duty OF
the BOARD OF Apportionment.
The estimates of the several departments Of
the city government as basis for the tax levy
for 1875 will before long be acted upon by the
Board Of Apportionment. Up to the present
year the practice prevailed of sending in the
departmental estimates to the Comptroller,
who wonld make up his own budget there
from, bring it before the Board at late date
and press vote upon it as whole. When
the budget of 1874 was presented to the Board
of Aldermen that body made several reduc-
tions in the Comptroler's figures but MIR.
Green opposed the proposed alterations, and
they Were rejected by the Board of Appor-
tionment. When the Legislature authorized
the reopening and redetermination of the final
estimate two members of the Board Of Appor-
tionment took stand for the first time
against the policy of leaving the duties of
the Board to be performed by one member
alone, and by their frmness secured
the cutting down of the amounts appro-
priated to some of the most extravagantly
managed of the city departments and the con-
sequent saving of small amount to the tax
payers. The charter provides that the de-
partmental estimates shall be transmitted
originally to the Board Of Apportionment,
and not to the Comptroller and makes every
member of the Board responsible at each step
for every dollar that is levied upon the tax
payers for the expenses of running the city
government. The action of Messrs Vance
and Wheeler in insisting upon such economy
as could be effected in this years tax levy was,
therefore, entirely proper, and their oath of
Office requires them to oppose every unneces-
sary expenditure in 1875. They have now
ample time to effect more valuable reform
for next year than they were enabled to secure
in the present years budget; and as they now
understand their duties under the charter it
would be criminal act to neglect them.
A few plain facts are sufficient to prove that
our city financial management is not only in
efficient but is hurrying on toward bank
ruptcy. We have now been living three
years under the present Comptroler's policy,
and the result will be seen from a comparison
! of the running expenses of the city govern
ment with the amount of the tax levy for six
years past. The figures are as follows -
ANNUAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE EXPENSES OF
THE CITY AND COUNTY GOVERNMENT.
Year Amount. Year. Amount
.1S7O. 09O6,26l 1873. 81, O,13l, ,967
ls7l....... 2s5aoloo 1874. 34,822,39l
ANNUAL TAX LEVY.
Year. amount. Year. AMOUNT
s2l, O9536 1s72....... s2s, SOC, ,OCO
1870. O....... 23,O72,556 1573.... 7,O9s 767
lS7I......... 2s, s62,567 1874. 4...... 81. .s22 39l
From these figures it will be seen that the
appropriations for the years 1869, 1870 and
1871 aggregate Ss5 921,9l1 and for the
three years 1872, 1873 and 1874 aggregate
S97, ,391, $50, showing that the expense of run
ming the city government during The last three
years has increased S11, 469, $780, The taxa
ton for the three years 1869, 1870 and 1871
amounted to S67744, $50, while the taxation
for 1871, 1872 and 1873 reached S37, 421, 15S-
an increase in the last three years of
1876, 400.
It is the fashion of those who are now
squandering the city's money and destroying
the citys credit to attribute our increased ex-
penditures to the rascalities of the sold ring"
This is done to cover up and conceal the ras-
calities of the ''new ring" In 1873 the ex-
pense of governing the city was $50, 131, 967.
This year it is S34, 1922, 391-an increase of
about 81, 700, 900; yet out of this latter enor-
nous appropriation only s1,1S0000 is set
apart for payment of debt The direction in
which we are drifting may be seen from the
following facts This year there fell due the
following stocks aud bonds of the city and
county, which ought to have been paid -
| Central Park additional fund stuck of
1874 81, ,000, 900
Volunteer soldiers family AID iund bonds. 500, 900
Assessment fund bOndS, 1874 4........... 2,429 400
| New York city stocks iOr docks ana slips $4,000
SIX per cent assessment bonos. .......... S21, 500
Seven per cent assess ment bonds, Feoru-
ary L.. 100000
Seven per cent assessment bonds, Novem.
Der ........................... 3,517,70o
Street Improvement fund bonds ........ 29ls, 800
| bonds ...................... 90 900
Department OF Parks Improvement bonds. l. 425. 272
SIX per cent Improvement bonds. 1853, 900
Seven per cent improvement bonds ..... 337 coo
Seven per cent revenue bonds, payable
January d.. ............ $500, .97
February L.. .......... 2s47, 200
Six per cent revenue bonds, payable
October l.. 1.................:..:: 27S,ooo
Seven per cent revenue bonds Of 1873, '''''''
payable IN ls74.:.: 1,172547
able IN lo14.. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 2,034
Soldiers substitute bounty redemption
bonds, 1874. ........................ 100000
Seven per cent county revenue bonds,
payable January Is. ...................... $4,000
Seven per cent county revenue bonds,
payable February l.. 1............"........ s74, 700
Seven per cent county revenue bonds OF
1873, paysbie in 1874. ........:........ $1,000
Annual insament oil hOating debt lund
STOCK, lS7S... 100, 763
Total. $23 773, 5l3
OF this large amount Of debt falling due in
1874 provision is made to pay only 81, $780, 100,
bridging over and carrying on mainly at seven