New-York tribune., 1877-03-07
REFORM IN THE CITIES.

REPORT OF THE CHARTER COMMISSION.
. SCHEME OF REFORM EMBODIED IN A CoNsTITU-
TIONAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ELECTIONS IN
THE spRING-A MODERATE PROPERTY QCAiIfr
CATION REQUIRED IN THE ELECTION OF
BOARD OF FINANCE-RADICAL CHANGES sCD'
GEsIEn.
The report of the commission appointed Dy the
Governor TO devise o plan for the government oil
cities of this State was presented TO the Legislature
YESTERDAY 1t bears the signatures of William NJ
Evarts. James C.. Carter, T.. l.. Godkn, John A.
Lott, Simon Sterne, Oswald Ottendorier, Wm'
Allen Bntler Joshua NJ. Van Cott and Henry f.
Dimock Samuel Hand concurs in the report except
as to the qualifications of voters for the Board OF
Finance and the powers of that board TO appoint the
law and financial officers He thinks that
tbe qualifications of voters for the large
cities should be the same as those pre-
scTibed for the smaller cities, ana that tho
Board of Finance should have no appointing power.
The report recites the evils at present existing III
the government of cities analyses the causes ana
proposes n comprehensive scheme OF munlclpai re-
form. to be embodied in al amendment to the StaM
Constitution. The report is exceedingly long, and
THE TRIBUNE can find space this morning Only iar
the text of the proposed amendment and u runniiEg
outline of the commissions arguments, theories, ana
conclusions The leading features of the commih-
son's scheme are the delegation of local admnstr1-
ton To the cities free from legislative interference
the election by tax and rent payers OF Board OF
Finance empowered 10 determine the amount OF tlFe
annual expenditures rigid system Oh iinanciai ad-
ministration by which frugaity and efficiency can
be enforced the election by the people OF Board OF
Aldermen clothed with all legislative powers save
those conferred upon the Board of Finance; uniet-
tered power of apporionment on the part OF the
Mayor with two exceptions, and charter elections III
the Spring.
THE REPORT.
The report opens with an account Of the or
icin Of ,c commission. Gov. Tden, in special mes
sage 10 the Legislature in May, s75, called attention TO
the evils Of municipal government and f'c"mh'h"c"
the appointment OF commission TO consider 'ls sun
iect The Legislature gave It's sanction 10 tAe sr'o
and the Governor appointed II commissioners all oi
whom except President NJ i. Anderson OF RocheSlef'
consented TO serve The commission organized IN De
oembcr So by ecctng The Hon William NJ ENaits ~
its presiding officer TIE commission ioun0 he uGu'I
taking upon which it had entered one Of great EaI1
tde and unable 70 conclude It's abois before t"e
adjournment of the Legislature Of 1870 It's time was
.xt,rded and It's repor, Is now submitted II months
after its organization.
The commission first considers the evils existing in
municipal government These are q the accumulation oi
pcr,aneni municipal debt and ) the excessive increase
OF the annual expenditure fol ordinary purposes TIC
amount of the permanent debt OF the several cities o
tins Stale embracing in round numbers, population o
2OOOOOO. Il upward Of Tl7oO00.0C0, the annual ntcE-
est upon which probably exceeds Sll'oOo'oOo IHe
whole amount appropriated for carrying on the Govern
meut O the state 1879 exclusive OF sums appropriated
10 cxtinguis debt less than S90OoOoO-much less
than fc sum which the cities Of this state compelled
10 raise 10 pay the interest their local debts Much
the larger part Of this burden the growth OF recent
years The enormous debt OF the City OF Ae"A0iK Is
especially deserving of attention II Is I"
pt,scut after doducting the sinking fund, up
ward Of SIl3OOOOOO. and without deductinS that
fund upward Of III 4O.OOoOoO The appropriation for te
present wear pay the interest thereon Is upward o
SgOOOOOO-an amount exceeding the cntno sun reGo!-
sic 70 Gcfray all the expenses Of the State Government
for The present year. and exceeding the ontiie eApeu
turc of the CITY and County Of NcWYor for yparSo re-
cent as 500 when Tie city had population OF 100000
Tho magnitude of this debt even less alarming than TIE
rapidly Of its recent increase III $50 th; d"G Of he
city was about S1OO0OCOO. In 1856 ahout Sl2uooooO
an increase during the decade OF about 20 per cent III
1.GOit was inward OF SlSOOO,OOO-au increase Of 30
pc cent In 1870 it was upward of S730OOoo0-an in
crease Of nearly 100 per cent; ana in the SIX years
winch have since elapsed It has been swollen by the
enormous addition Of Sl000oO00.
While ia 1877 the debt of the city has increased to
s1lS0000 600. the total amount OF the tax levy il
S.-tsI.3G, Il. which requires rate of taNauon Of
81 per cen, upon the amount Of taxable pr0pciy The
increase the annual expenditure since i-"o as con-
Der cent and as compared with Tie increase % aNah"
property, more than 200 per cen some 4l". ans. !,
T,, NH. f, NJ" uunlie wants ami fdr the inferior
value o. the currency IN which Ill" present eAlediin'c
T. -tcd but this OusdcItpn does not affect tie ratio
o. taxation the value Of the property taxed, nor &C.,
feat the conclusion that we have, during tu' pdH' -
years not only made wide cpdIu.e gOu the economy
Of earlier ana better days, but nave ouTu al toTr'
examples Of wastciulnesN, eNtiaNaGahce ana eoI"i'
Inc commission next places fingers upon thc causes
Of these dcorabe evils OF increased ndcbtcdncs, ana
Increased expenditure. These are: ~ incompccu! l
urG!hfu governing boards and officers; ~ tao INTRO
ducton of state and National politics INTO municipal
irs; a. the assumption by the legislature Of Tire
direct cOutru! local affairs These points are set th
very clearly thc rcpur,, but inaamuch aS e sound
ness oi tjc CONCLUSIONS reached Dos Dr,h a'tin -"
years b. Az who have devoted timc or jh"G nj to TIC
scarcely worth Willie to reproduce The COMMISSIONS s
arguments.
SUPERFICIAL SCHEMES OF REFORM
The succhc task get before the commission is the
siGeratiOn Of methods OF rcGioss and ricmaton lie
commission enters upon tins part of its work III back
handed way by excluding certain schemes Of improve
ncl which oher no assurance Of effective rclci, simply
because they ca. with the symptoms rather rhun the
disease. These schemes discussed somewhat q,
length but an enumeration Of trclI, with t'c nam OLE
icct.uns which the report scts forth, VII snhce:
l. carefully c"nt!lNtu SlS!4 oI 'tMS iu ,n' p. p',i
ishnent Of neglect untaithfHncsS III Munclih on
Gers. OhioctiOu-Nhen UuscrurulOus men ohtalh IL
control of the local administrator ahd TcNeiuf7 G
community the control OF The local auIbslt Vl
diale control Of local Affairs by IN" gSla'Wc C1C-
tioiThis practice leads directly I" sill! iditheI dcicJ
local government, tlc limitations oi 1t 10y p0uVt eu-
actmcnts. ObcCuOn-Ihc apparent TChlhtou h"'hHt o
cyded by raising uc assessed values TO when the ia"
of taxation and Of debt would apply. SCch lcsiIic-
cmbeZzcuIent of the public funds in ANY other way
than by limiting the amount OF the fRAds hi9tct Z"
d,predatou 4. To deprive the Legislature oi tEC power
entirely unprotected against those CN 2-Cn"ics Which
have SEEMED ID many h'Anccs, 10 nrhe '", M ri, 10 &
central authority aoSOI.ey tIcesshiy d. 10 CQn'l
very extensive powers upon thc mayor. piJ,cu cuDn ,