The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-12

ernment-The Duty or the Board 81
Apportionment.
The revised estimates of the several depart
ments OF the city government will not satisfy
those taxpayers who have expected to find the
economy preached by some of our officials put
into practice. The expense of governing New
York is necessarily heavy, but if the depart
ments were managed as q prudent man would
manage his own business 1t would not be
much more than halt its present amount
After all the promises held out at the time of
the passage of the law authorizing the reopen
ing of the years estimate, the only depart
ments that have voluntarily made any marked
reduction from their former figures are those
Of Public Works, which shows decrease of
a., 900; of Charities and Correction, which
cuts off $1i8.O0O, and the Board of Education,
which saves $780, 900. Some of those depart
ments in which economy appears desira-
BILE and practicable have increased
their demands. The Commissioners of Pub
lie Parks ask $11O, 900 more than they re-
ceived in the last estimate, increasing from
$685., 900 to SITE, 900, while the Comptroller,
whose annual expenses ore nearly $4,000
more than those Of his predecessor, Mr..
Connolly, creeps in with ON addition of be-
tween three and four thousand dollars to his
already extravagant salary list
1t will be the duty of the Board of Appor-
tionment to closely scrutinize these revised
estimates, and to reduce them wherever re-
duction can be made without injury to the
public interests. The people do not require
parsimony, nor would they approve any saw
ing Of expenditure at the cost of necessary
public works; but they do demand economy
at time when the public debt is SO rapidly
increasing and when the rate Of annual taxa
ton, while paying off only pitful fraction
of the debt, reaches about three per cent of
the valuation. Mr.. Vance, the President
Of the Board of Aldermen, who is
member Of the Board Of Apportionment, has
announced his firm determination to reduce
the estimate wherever room for saving can be
found, and to that end to examine the details
of each department carefully and closely. Mr..
Wheeler, the President Of the Department of
Taxes and Assessments, can be relied upon to
expect to see some material change in the
present figures. These members Of the Board
will no doubt find ample scopefor economy in
the Park Department The total appropria-
ton asked for by that department is just one
half as much as the cost of the whole of tho
IL 10
the paving and repair Of streets, and
the lighting of the whole city. There are
forty miles of aqueduct to be repaired
and maintained fourteen or fifteen miles
of boulevard, roads and avenues twen-
ty-one miles of wooden pavement, two
hundred and twenty-five miles of stone
pavement, five miles of concrete pavement;
three hundred and seventeen miles of Croton
pipes, two hundred and ninety miles Of sew
ers six miles of drains, fifteen miles of cul-
verts and three thousand nine hundred re-
ceiving basins to be repaired, cleaned and
kept in order; over twenty thousand street
lamps to be lighted, and all public buildings
to be constructed and repaired at total ex-
pense Of little over 81, 500, 900, including
salaries and labor, while the care and main
tenance of the parks, including $4,000 TOR
the roads of the two new wards, costs
SITS, 500. To this is to be added the
large construction account out of which, by
some singular Interpretation of law, the
greater part Of the salaries of the employees of
the parks is paid.
Messrs. Vance and Wheeler will also do
we'll to require detailed statement from the
Comptroller Of the expenses of his badly
managed department Mr.. Green, after adj
dressing stump speech on economy to tho
other departments of the government de-
manding from them the names and salaries of
all their employees, neglected to place before
the Board of Apportionment any revised esti-
mate for his own department, simply submit
ting his figures in gross. When taken to
task by Mr. Vance for the omission he refer
red the Board to his old estimate, simply
stating that he had made no reduction. But
if the Board should be disposed to accept the
old estimate as revised one they will find
that Mr.. Green now asks an increased sum for
salaries and that an amount of twenty thou
sand dollars is stated to be for examiners and
experts, without giving any names or sal
aries. This is not only irregular but in con-
fict with the requirements Of the law, and the
Board of Apportionment should insist upon a
list of these amateur detectives and the
amounts paid for their services. We submit
these suggestions to the Board, and would
also remind them that early action on the re-
vised estimates is desirable.
HOME RULE TRIUMPH AT AN IRISH ELEC-
r1oN.-The declaration of the poll for men,
bers to represent the county of Mayo in the
English Parliament took place on the goth of
May in Castelar,. Mr.. g. E. Browne, who