New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-01-20


erty assessed be sold by the city In default OF pay
during year. after the expiration OF 60 days OF TINS
period at per cent, and during the remainder at II
enormous amount OF unpaid assessments outstand-
ing Controller be authorized regard to all assess
efficient measures for their collection leaving 10 hum
discretion those that imposed for worth
less payemens To correct the past abuse OF the sys
tenn of vacatng and indemnify the city
for of the loss thus unjusty incurred reassess
ment should be had by legislative act In cases where
assessments have been vacated on any other ground
that OF fraud in the execution OF the work Tor
which the assessment was levied
There seems a disposition the part OF those who do
wish pay their assessments to urge that the cost
OF the work high and therefore the assessments
are undnly heavy. Whatever justification there may be
view of the is msnifestly unjust to make
den from which they derive benefit whatever. In
place OF letting 1t remain where u should rest upon
those who any event reap the advantages OF the I'm
PENDING CLAIMS AGAINST THE CITY.
In the ordinary course OF official business and other
wise my attention called to the apparently mex
hastbe OF old claims existing against the city
The amount OF these indefinite and as impossible OF
ascertanment as the origin OF most Of them Is fraudu'
lent They are rule, the product of period In our
city government when public officials conspired with
contractors dealers and avortes to defraud the treas
ury; when loose administrative methods rendered ~
possible TO concoct all manner Of bogus claims, and
the perverted moral sense OF the men In power IN
terposed obstacle wholesale plumber The present
administration is almost daily called on TO deal with
such claims, IN entire Ignorance OF their orgD anu
cases, without being ale to discover In the depart
ments which are said TO have contracted them, any
trustworthy evidence OF their validity. IL would
be impossible for any one, without actual e1-
animation, to obtain an idea of the irregn-
lanty with which departmental accounts were were
kept previous to 1874. Obligations to a very large
amount were contracted without the slightest record
Of them appearing on the 1 hap 70 90 on in
such cases. casual records OF certificates In the
officials OF that dsv Is rather an evidences that the
should not be paid lt Is Impossible 10 DO other
snch claims are of more fraudulent character
Tho duty OF the present administration II 10
collect such evidence be obtained and resist their
payment by all the means within lts power. faps 70
secure payment the claimants resort 10 the courts In
the defense OF these mutiar0us claims the city is repre-
sented by the Counsel 10 the Corporation. -
II is noticeable fact that the law whlcn previous
abuses had shown 70 be neeessw.o wm oana ss it
Winter the practice OF referring cases Is being again
resored TO- think the previous rule OF law on TINS ha
subject should be promptly Ieenacted Experience ma
shown that results OF trials before jury are far better
The claims incurred in the year 1871 have already been
provided by legislative enactment but no conpie.
hensive plan for sitting aud lq1datng the claims OF
previous years has been passed though II mas Deen
repeatedly applied for. Stimulated by whatever cause
q steady stream Of demands upon the treasury has
year With these the Controller has had TO struggle as
he best could in presence OF the enormously Increased
volume OF business Of his Office under the provisions
OF the new Charter aud OF the nessant demands upon
his attention provide for large liabilities OF the
city and county, maturing In period of great hnanca
depression. u,
To meet claims Wnicn ought 10 nave Deen pau OUT
the current revenue OF lS over sOOOO nave alfcsu!
been drawn from the Treasury and am informed that
nearly million more Will De required before the legaI
obligations OF that year are fully met This seems TO
illustrate the fact alluded to In my inaugural message
that sOcalled two per cent tax levy OF 1871 was de-
ioerately planned attempt to disarm public vigilance
under the false pretex OF greatly reduced expenditure
Leaving out of sight the enormous addition OF sAoOU
winch accrued the city and county debt during the
first eight and half months OF that year the amount
he somewhat in excess OF s}GOOOOOO While the tax
payers being deluded into the belief that the ex-
penses Of the City aud County Governments were KEPT
within the limit OF two per cent on tne assessed
valuation for the year, the actual rate OF cur
expenditure three and onehaf per cent ana III
addition 10 this the debt was Increasing at tue rae Oh
nearly three millions month or course the burden
which shifted from the shoulders OF tax payers IN
1871 and previous years being now felt The reck'
less system OF converting into permanent deOtcharges
chat which ought 10 have been met out OF current reVe-
nues will hamper the progress and depete the revenues
OF city many to come. NO better index OF
ton could be found than ia the that while in 1869
the which II required TO raise Dy TAX or the
J., 926 &c. in 1871 it 5:and in 1874,
when the results OF past msgoyernmen are beginning
TO TO light the amount required Tor interest Is
ANNEXATION.
The burdens of the taxpayers will owe some Of their
increase 10 the additional expenses thrown all the
departments OF City Government by the annexation
or part OF Westchestsr County. IL seems TO self
evident that whether in administrative or political
sense the eIpedency OF this step very doubtful.
see danger to the future OF municipal liberty III the pre-
OF local government The principle Of district repre-
sentaOn everywhere giving place to less RESPONSE
be less definite method OF connecting the rep
resentatiye with the OF the particular section OF
the community OF whom he ought 10 be the legislative
instrument Ii appears obvious that II town corpora
lions OF limited extent, aud acting immediately under
the eye Of those whom their proceedings yitany con-
Germ, cannot provide economical ana efnclent gov
ernuen 1t + far less likely TO be provided under the
oyerburdened aud complicated administration OF great
city. The people OF Westcheser appear to De OF differ
emf opinion So FAR the people OF New-York con-
cerned, certain that they had no adequate means
provided them OF expressing their real opinion on this
subject 1t is within my personal knowledge that, in
MANY districts, ballots provided for the vote
the question to have been fairly decided by this commu
nifty Our natural boundary is Manhattan Island
Within these limits We have scope enough to expend all
the resources which we can ior many years TO
With the island which has constituted so long
traditions past history and and around it
all the conditions Of future greatness Once entered
Soresee time when the burden OF New-YorK will not
be in process OF from the transfer to its bonded
r5 'd ACQUISITION Sf IN Ills direction Ssrtsniy doe. not
is affairs IN n o ysy m Snt S
debts OF tue annexed towns, constituting the two
wsrss iI ra InS Is debt must be
on maturity by the general body OF taxpayers and even
under ster system Of IN, than ,h has Ssea
the additional expstse q its govsrnment As to the
new wards will be practically unlimited would
suggest that especial care DO taken 10 see that their
cost by the peope who will be directly benefited
By them and hat they not charged upon the city at
large
INCREASE IN THE REVENUE.
We can, fortunately, nnd certain alienation OF our
growing burdens in the steady increase OF revenue de-
rived from city property, and from licenses, fnes and
permits No department Of local affairs has felt the
salutary influence Of reform in more marked degree
than this. The Board OF Excise has collected from
licenses from the lt day OF May to the slst OF Deem
ber 1873 the OF &5Ol,49 S. The amount received
by the old Board for the whole ending April 3d.
1872 1887 $50 IS, and for the ending April 80
1873 when the present Board took office t396S4i So
showing a much larger income In eight months under
the present administration than in any one year