The New York herald., 1875-11-23
The City Expenditures.


The Board of Aldermen will meet to-day
to consider the provisional estimate for the
expenses Of the city government for next
year. as fixed by the Board of Apportion-
ment. The gross amount Of the expendi-
lures is larger than that Of the current year,
and the rate Of taxation for 1876, unless
some reduction be made, will be over three
per cent The law which empowers the
Board Of Aldermen to review the several ap-
preparations and suggest alterations Is OF but
little value, as the Board Of Apportionment
is authorized to override such suggestions
and to make final estimate, upon which the
tax levy for the year is based Neverthe-
less, the reform Aldermen may accom-
plish some good by pointing out the
extravagances of the provisional estimate and
by forcing their associates or the members Of
the Board Of Apportionment to place them
selves on record either for or against an
economical administration Of the city gov
ernment.
1t is notorious that many Of the municipal
departments are at present run as political
asylums and not as business offices. The
object is not to see how economically the de-
partments can be managed, but how much
money can be squeezed out Of the city treas
ury to expend on the departments. In the
present depressed condition Of real estate it
is absolutely necessary that this extravaganza
should cease. The extent Of the city debt
is not Of so much immediate importance
to the taxpayers as the exorbitant
tax levy to which they are subjected for our
annual expenses Nearly forty million dol
lars year is swallowed up in these monster
budgets without hquidating more than an
insignificant fraction Of our Indebtedness
and without yielding any equivalent for the
money In homely phrase, we spend this
enormous amount every year and have moth
ing to show for it. If the city government
were managed as citizen would manage his
private business we should be living at
not much more than one-half this expense
There are too many departments in the
city government, too many bureaus in the
departments, and too many high-salaried
Commissioners and other officers living with
out labor on the public treasury. The ma
chinery Of the city government should be
simplifed. There is no reason why there
should be four Commissioners Of Police,
four Of Parks, and three each of Fire. Docks,
Taxes and Assessments, and Charities and
Correction. The Department of Taxes and
Assessments should be swept away and its
business done by the Finance Department.
There are eight bureaus under the Finance
Department when there ought to be but
five at the outside. The collection Of city
revenue, Of taxes, Of assessments, Of arrears,
and the business Of the present
Department Of Taxes and Assessment could
all be done by single bureau with one-half
the force at present employed in the separate
departments and bureaus. The Health De-
partment should be simplifed and the
money expended should be made useful to
the city under competent management, in
stead Of being used as a political asylum
fund The useless bureau Of the Corporation
Attorney, which does not do more work than
could be discharged by single compe-
tent clerk in the Corporation Coun-
sells Office, should be abolished. Above
all, the Public Works and all other depart
ments should be strictly confined to contract
work, open to all bidders for large and small
amounts, and the system Of day labor should
be entirely abolished. With these reforms
we could at once reduce our tax levy thirty
or forty per cent, and it is TO be hoped that
the next Legislature will take prompt action
in the matter. Comptroller Green has
eyinced disposition to stand by the tax
payers and it is to be hoped that he will use
his power in the Board Of Apportionment to
secure such economies as are within his
reach under the present law.
TIE LAMENTRD HENRY WILSON never did