The New York herald., 1874-07-01
CITY FINANCES.
Final Meeting on the Budget
for 1874.
PROTESTS AGAINST REDUCTION
The Departments Of Parks and Charities and
Correction Rise to Explain.
The Mayor and Comptroller i,l
III Humor.

The conclusion OF the arduous labors OF the
Board or Estimates and Apportionment was
arrived at yesterday, and resulted In an eXhibl-
uoh OF temper on the part of the Comptroller at
which even his sponsor AID backer-the Mayor
took exception.
AT haifpast twelve O'Clock the meeting was
called to order, and on motion the reading Of the
minutes was dispensed with.
Ihe Mayor stated tnat ne had received that
morning two communications one from the De-
partment Of Public Parks and the other from the
commissioners of Charities and Correction, which
he proceeded to read.
The following are the leading points in the cor
respondence:-
The Department Of Parks, through Colonel
Henry G. StebDins, the President, asks four i'm
portant questions TO which an answer is solicited.
BY section chapter 6t5 Laws of 1874 the Comptroller
Che city directed to create and issue as shall be re-
ei,ed by the Deparmen oi Public farks pabc 9nd an
hs S e mot
GqS9 places In order % on the wo[s ers emo
yd RS s ana sc !nS a
the rolls ana s 9f which VIII VIII ,her &c T ,e.
S with s soo poysSs % Sad this aa
sSsV rsssed sd S roa ths sale q said
p s he sa a S y9af M fs1so m s
poyed in the department excepting oremen ana WORK
as q saa n o Ms to at Charge the
architects engineers ana others employed on those
tenance and oyernment @ Of parks ana plaeessr aes c
the Is ;ans s oi ind DO or stock snail eesssafy
proe the n reanrd fST % ae e oaS n S
Ametlcaa Museum Of Saa,al History Dc we under.
1s & Ss act a's e. charge he OF the
and engaged these works TO the fund provided
by Board Tor the maintenance and governments of
tor the surveying laying out and monnmsntina Of GER
tain portions of the city and county OF New YORK and 70
means carrying the work surveying laying out
hol Dy this the Year tor
ensng at s date Q, ae M a ms Is
amount 70 be mentioned in saia requsiien and not
& @ & rate on Of s ' per Of cent en
nun. DO understand that. Notwithstanding the i'm
the
provided by your Board lor the maintenance sad gov
Are we also to understand that the salaries of clerks
with the works Ia progress the several here
w 70 the Pes are 70 bs
charged entia5 to the sad fund provided tSI the main
/ The letter rom the Department OF Charities and
| Correction tO the Board was concerning the re-
duction Of 100000 from their estimate. The Com
missioners state that the revision of the Orig-
/ nal estimate they had reduced their budget
Sl1s0OO and postponed until another year the
erection OF some very necessary buildings and the
alterations and repair OF others.
No reduction can be made now, as the census OF
the various Institutions was and is on the IN
crease ratner tnan the reverse, and they require
the amount asked Tor the necessary iOod, cloth
! ing, medicines, &c, while they cannot afford to
! BY The reduction made they viii be compelled to
close either OF the following institutions or the
! want OF necessary funds VIII
| Reception Hospital Charity Hospital Bellevue
Hospital ana Soldiers Retreat, and desire the
Designation OF the Board as to which 1t Shall be.
In regard 70 the non-neceSsity OF so many steam
boats tue Commissioners state that the two larger
are nearly. If not quite, seifsupportng. the other
steamer is used ~ carry patients 10 and from the
hospitals and convey the cOrpses from the city to
Potter's Field, otherwise an open boat.
4 Mr.. Vance moved that the documents be re-
! ceved and placed on hie, wnicn was carried by a
vote OF rnree, the Mayor voting no.
The Comptroller offered resolution calling on
! the PARK Department to furnish a list OF employees
| aud their respective Salaries who are paid ont OF
bonds and those who are paid out OF tue appro-
pration for maintenance.
Mr.. Wheeler answered that such list had al
J ready been received two weeks ago
| ComptrolIer Green, thoroughly excited said that
Messrs. Vance and Wheeler mad succeeded in in
serting provision IN the estimates that the sala-
res OF certain employees such as architects. super
lntendents, &c, OF that department should ee
! paid out OF the estimate and appropriation for
! the maintenance OF public parks instead OF out OF
| bonds to be issued as heretofore He claimed that,
under the law tuese salaries should be paid out OF
bonds and he thought no good could come OF act
ing In ignorance OF the law, as Messrs. Vance and
/ Wheeer had DONE and they would soon find out
that. He SAID employees OF this class, under the
! Department of Pubic WORKS, are paid out of bonds,
] and he could not understand why 1t should not be
the same under the Department OF Parks.
The Mayor was anxious TO nave some action
! taken the communications.
J Mr.. VANCE--Let US have them printed In order
that we may be able TO study their import better.
The tax levy now signed includes al! that is
asked.
The Comptroller called up resolution onered on
| the 18TH lnst requiring the eum OF $20,o00-sub-
ect 70 chapter s LAWS 81 is Tor h the Fb
Comptroller said that he was opposed to this reso-
luton and to the issue OF any more bonds. He
called il up only TO have definite action on IL. lie
said works were being carried on by the Depart
! ment of Public Works which were not necessary,
and were q generation before the tine. He
wanted 10 put himself on the record as opposed
to the pilng up OF the city DEBT Tor works which
were half century before time. me Department
OF Pubic Works made contracts and earned on
works which were unnecessary and then made
reQusition for the issue OF bonds and judgments
| were recovered against the city in connection
with these unnecessary and extravagant expen-
dtures by the department OF Pubic Works Ia i'm
| provements which are generations IN advance OF
the time.
Mr. Vance answered that It was something new
to hear the Comptroller making speech against
the issue of bonds and expressing hts anxiety con
corning the Increase OF the public debt. IL Is quite
consistent with bls general actions here and de-
cidedly refreshing.
the Comptroller (angrilyl 81 claim the floor and
don't want 20 ne interrupted. Wait Until get
through" me continued). ''fhe way to reduce The
debt is to reduce the said improvements. The
| gentlemen have made buncombe speeches, as ia
/ the percentage at which money could be Obtained
from other sources They say they viii not vote FOL
bonds Now, let them apply the same theory 70
the departments whose heads are their favorltes.'
The Mayor put the question on adopting TN
as was also the issue Of $1,000 TO pay for Clam
against the city.
Mr. Wheeler hereup0n offered the following
| resolution
Resolved That hereafter, when application Is made {,
this Board by the Comptroller for The issue of 1ndgmeD
bonds said Co nptroier shall be ana he h hereby re
quired statement to accompany such requi
suon. containing Information In each OF the partcnar
following
Fyrst-What the Judgments proposed TO be pait
TR Meh f Sis sp pstyn@ parties
wsSs az each s and q5@ e the original
demand.
secondThe particulars OF the respective claims wher
incurred and for what purpose.
Third-rhe action OF the Finance department npor
each claim before suit was commenced
Fowth--Was the Department of Law consulted before
defence interpoSedf ~ not, explain the reason why
II consulted submit the Board The opinion Ia eaci
Pnh-Why the sums found 10 be due by such iudg
not pad to the parties respectively from h'
Proper appropriations made before the CLAIM was III
CURED.
me Comptroller did not see The object OF tni:
resolution Under the reduction made by The
Board IN mis- clerks salary list, against his pro