New-York tribune., 1879-01-07
MAYOR HOWELL's MESSAGE.

administration OF municipal affairs. Brooklyn Is going
through the experience which has been made familiar
TO thousands OF citizens, and the situation is made more
embarrassing by the fact that not inconsderaDe par
bonded debt has been contracted in the real OF as
sumcd interests Of special classes Of prOpertyowners
who are now unable TO meet their obligations. After
giving tables wing the permanent debt OF tho city to
be S42, ,257 900 the message proceeds:
will he seen from that there has been
au Increase OF the outstanding liabilities of the city
paid the its quota of subscription 10 the l-as
River Bridge 81 0OOO-Or IN excess Of tde total
amount Of the increase OF our Indebtedness, lhlS
source Of outlay will continue for wears. Brook
bridge. Yet to he paid according TO the latest
estimates, Will be within three millions OF dollars
There Is some enC0uIagemrn IN nt iact lhaI ,Ie I'm @
poraTy de)t mas been reduced within the year over
$4,000, but this Is more than offset nv the iact
Jhat the certificates outstanding now amount
to S3,1OOOOo. and that there has been an lncreast
eleven months. In Otner words taxes remain unpaid
| amounting to over hat the present Total lax levy
dent OF the city Will be swelcd TO over $2oO0o00 by
the obligations the city has already contracted ~ It's
share of the means for building the East River Bndgc,
Is a lact Of very serious importance Nearly onc-haf
rur n,rmanent debt was contracted IN providing
pleasure 'or people Broohyns share Of me
the Idge will form another item OF Slo,oOOOOO
! OF our permanent debt. cling 10 the hope that an
amount Of revenue Will he derived from the use Of
bridge on completion, which Will, III part at least,
meet TIE interest on it, COST and reimburse The Cies
! Tor their expenditure.
Tnr CIrYs UNCoLLECrRD CLAIMS.
The Mayor advises prompt collection OF the cityS
claims. and says that 30 legislation can fairly be com
planned OF thar tends this end lie also advises
tu,n to the od rate of dcfau-l2 per ccut-as well
the annual sales of property i'll for taxes aud as
! scssmpnts In reference to property virtually aban
aoucd Dy ITS owners. he suggests tne appointment Of
| " Board OF Adjustment ana AploruohWehl Oi Taxes
ana Assessments in Arr, ars, 10 be composed of exist
ING officers, winch NAV olcci compromise or adjust
men OF these arrcrages He alludcs to the constant
increase III the volume OF od d'tdh0lnE ccrihcatcs
,c1 iVL 'f 5c6I h, sys p"ach now s3'i0o
OoO and if the ratio OF ncrc"sc-sGooooO a
tno city 10 desrTEclon reduction III the tx levy OF
>9~2 Is %, stdted, IA, been made thls year over
to - Gs Tnc Nay then reviews the appropriations
for the Dcpartnenis ot Police Excise Ere ana Buid,
departments III Department OF Finance" ana the
appolntncnt OF comuI slons with single heads are
TIE Evils OF sINECURISM.
The message then continues, IN substance:
Growing ont Of inevitable conSns the powers of
the officials IN control OF the Cuy Morhs Department
have used 50 as to constitute, i'll my judG-
In the discharge of the routine duties OF ny
office, proof has come into my possession
when makes it clear that the names of large
Der placed upon the rolls of the CiIy
WORKS Department previous TO tue late election Nho did
expected make return iOr the claims tAcy cn-
abed 10 present against ltS Treasury Ohcuees which
~ cWrl,In which hal officially protested against
without e1lc The eyiGen placed before me jusjihr-
NE g that tie business OF slnecuTSm had Ilr
0rlcu Vi, the heads OF department. that IL order to
carry ,hey had pace themselves in the power
of tncr suOordmates Ii Is Impossible to enforce al-
horily department wucre such practices prevail. II
my fault il he employment of snecurists is
al All events suspended "hlle am Mayor of tins
CIV cnnclud, 10 ?aC tue iatts and evidence III my
pos~c~sion before the Grand JIUy-a nOmpoca body,
made uu, presumed oi our best cItIzcns The lestl-
ul,y laid be- orc them resulted III the indictment Of
| john W. FldhcTty ana George {. Bt hhetl
THE FAST RIVER BRIDGE.
There can be no Two opiE.ons The urgent
sity Of speedy completion Of The East River Bridge.
Brooklyn already outstanding bonds to the amount
Of ~ $780, and Newly has also outstanding bonds
TO the Of 49, 900 the proceeds Of whcn have
r ady gone the erection Of the bridge. Il is
further expenditure Ol ess thah S1,OOOOuO VIII
Wien the bridge Is flushed some revenue viii doubt
less be derly from MS use N ihe railroads and other
corpOraiicus and The general public Al al events,
shall he III the enjoy "i It's possible benefits
! small, for the money winch must be iakcn from the
people pay interest and neral Of tins portion
! 4. debt NltH the work SCI a, Ne Lave the bur
| den without Deuent. Taking dargcst possible
view OF tine situation IL much easier and better
forward than backward, ana every days delay Is
damage to the interests OF ON people.
within the past four months the Controller OF the City
Of NV York refused to make any iuther advances 10
tde OF thc bridge upon the ground mainly that
the sruv. uie now DeihS DuI VIII exceed III cIsl the
SsOOOOUO provided H. the last act OF the Legislature
1t is claimed hat TINS act ny is terms rendered the
right draw tne requisite funds from he two cities de-
pendent upon the cordton that the bridge should lie
coml lced within the sum allowed viz. Ss0OO00O. and
ueing eded that the entire cost Will exceed this
| sum TO the amount OF or three hundred Thousand
ton. The General Term of the Supreme Court in the
City New YORK has held III favor OF this construction
statute, and maudIuI- -ucd Tor tnr bridge
trustees against the Controller OF the City OF New York
10 coinpe. pay mcnt of the contribution remaining
nom ,nat city was therefore denied An appeal from
the order denying hs mandanus has been taken by the
tTistccs 10 the General Term Of supreme Court aud
tc dsputc J. not hAely be settled until decision OF
| the Court OF Appeals hdF been reached
| CONSOLIDATING BROOkLYN AND ADJOINING TOWNS.
On september -, 1873. Board OF Commissioners aI-
poiuted prsuant to chapter SOL of the laws passed that
year. adopted andrepOrted icrl plan for the
sodatlun Of City of Brooklyn and the towns of New
| Lots FlatbIsh. FlatlandS, New-Utrecht and
! Grayesend under municipal goycrnmc nj.
| Under this plan each town was TO become
ward of the city, with the reservation that
! It's real estate was TO be faxed only farm laud-
Durmg the past IL" years Gomez Island has become
OF the ifcqucnted valuable and important pIs
our country. IT. hrdh-SiVlhs ar ana wafer nave at
Last atTacte! au immense amount OF capital IL i rap
| idy being covered with large hotels aud halls Five
different railroads connecting Wlh our cties nave al
ready been ,ructed, some of ;em grand scale
ON summer not less tilah 10000 people have
been usrrgItcd III the h0e!s ana on 'he beach Not
these large propet and bodies oi people need
the protection OF our police, our lire system and our
courts they should. in addition contribute 10
| taxation.
| RAPID TRANSIT.
In tie early part of the year petition placed
my hands under which a general statute Of The State
made daty to appoint five commissioners to defer
mine If rapid transit required III Brooklyn; if 50,
the kind Of needed and what streets they should
| run through. The commissioners decided that RAPID
trai uccdcd tat II could be best secured by the
cey railroad system, and at the time uty in
dcaed the through when tie roads should rn
| roads on the terms offered hy this commission, but
no subscription forthcoming 10 the capital STOCK.
In obedience .ced The tine to he the most
UNANIMOUS wish OF the people residing on the streets
| through which the roads were 10 run, the Common
sion and Ia this way their lasOrs appeared to nave
ended without any practical result within t9e pasl iew
weeks, the capital required TO build the roads
has been ubst rlDcd nnd lhus the question AGAIN pre-
sencd for oicial and public constellation Wren rapid
transit is pubic necessity, those who obtain rapid
nr"neityowper that may be injured in his esao by IT.
| fIIIa NnpIJpu