The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-04-21
Is New York 10 Have Any Legisln-
tive Reltefg


tive Reliefg
The Legislature is now so near its final
adjournment that unless it displays for the
next two or three weeks more earnestness
and vigor than have marked it's proceedings
up to the present period OF the session the
city Of New York. is not likely to receive
much benefit or relief from its action. We
have so long been ruled from the State cap
ital, and our local authorities are SO ham,
pered with charter restrictions, that we are
unfortunately compelled to look to Albany
for the power, not only to progress, but even
to retrench. The Legislature has tied up
our several departments, stripped the Com
mon Council Of its legitimate func-
tions and positively fixed by statute
the amount of salary we shall pay
to large portion Of our .employes Ii we
wish to undertake any desirable pubic
improvement wefind ourselves unable to 90
so without the enactment of a new law OF
the alteration Of an old one. When the re-
duction of our municipal expenses becomes
necessary we discover that while we can
cut down school teachers pay and laborers'
wages our heads of departments are pro-
tected in the enjoyment OF their liberal
salaries by State law. Under these circum-
stances we are compelled to look to Albany
for aid year after year, and are really as
much in the power of the State Legislature
to-day as we were when the old Ring used
to carry Senate in one pocket and an
Assembly in the other.
There are certain measures relating to the
government Of the city SO clearly demanded
by public interests that opposition to them
should be unheeded. Among these may be
enumerated the bills for the reduction Of
the annual municipal expenses for the I'M
provement of the water supply, and to
facilitate the requirement. Of streets; the
Street Cleaning bill, the Liquor Register
Tax bill, and some few bills Of minor inn
portance The yearly tax budget for our
city government is oppressive. There is no
necessity now for the expenditure of some
thirty million dollars year in running our
municipal machinery, and the decreased
cost of living justifes the reduction Of
salaries that were regarded as liberal five
or six years ago, when house rent
and oil the necessaries Of life were
at least thirty per cent higher than
at present. The existing charter fixes
certain salaries so that no general and i'm
partial reduction can be made without new
legislation. 1t is proposed by the bill known
rs the Public Burdens bill to give the Board
of Apportionment unrestricted power over
all salaries OF city officers and employees, and
to make it incumbent on the Board to cut
down the salaries generally twenty per cent
below the amounts paid last year. The OBJ
iect OF the bill is to reduce the tax levy Of
future years ut least two million dollars be-
low the gross amount Of the present year.
and as amended by the Senate committee
this saving is required to be made out of
the actual local expenditures, independent
of any decrease that may take place in the
city's quota of the State tax. The general
principle OF this bill is unquestionably
sound, and the economy it enforces is
one proper to be practised and not like
ly to prove detrimental to the public
service. Yet inasmuch as it gives
additional power to the Board of Appor-
tionment, which happens ut present to be
under Tammany's control, it is opposed by
the anti-Tammany party. The Board of
Apportionment is composed Of the Mayor,
the Comptroller, the President of the De-
partment of Taxes and Assessments and the
President Of the Board of Aldermen-cer-
tanly the most fitting officers under the city
government to exercise the power conferred
by the bill. The political complexion of
the Board may be changed next year, when
a new Mayor and q new President Of the
Board of Aldermen may be in Office. More
over, the authority conferred on the Board
that of reducing the salaries and pay Of city
employes-is not one that ought to be
coveted by politicians. Yet one political
faction opposes it simply because it seems
to temporarily increase the power and infu-
ence of another faction.
The Water Supply bill seeks to devote
portion of the appropriations already pro-
vi led for the Croton Bureau service by the
law of 1876 to tho practical work OF deliver
ing water ut higher elevation than it can be
utllNtTtu III tHc Sity WIN shC pAoStnt uppli-
ances. The necessity for such an improve
ment was seriously felt during the two last
droughts and is indeed experienced at all
times in some localities where the INSULT
cient flow of water in the upper stories of
houses is great Inconvenience. The bill
seems to be carefully guarded, three
fourths voto of oil the members elected
to the Common Council and the APP
prevail OF tho Mayor being necessary
before the contemplated expenditure can
be made. But the work is to be done by
the Department Of Public Works. and as
the Commissioner does not allow his depart
ment to be controlled by the politicians the
Tammany people oppose the bill. Tho
wretched condition of our street pavcments
is a subject Of general remark, and is dis