New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-01
PILING UP CITY BURDENS.

YRARs-THE TAXES SWOLLEN ySosMoCsLY-
| TREDJyG AND oUADRUPLSG sALARrTs.
| Examinations OF the official records have
| been made by TRIBUNE reporters 10 learn tho
| details Of the increase Of city expenditures in
! the last twenty years. The figures thus OBJ
| tanned show that while the population has IN
| creased from n little more tLan 500, 900 in
1860 to 1,2OO, 900 in 1880 the total of city
appropriations has risen from about $10,-
100000 to over $2S,OOO,0O0. Thus while
| the population has grown one-half the cx-
Denditurc is almost three times as great. The
estimates for next year are much larger than
the appropriations for this year, amounting to
more than $3O,000000. The Board of Esti-
mate and Apportionment has reduced some-
what the figures sent in by the various de-
partments and the estimates have not been
passed On finally. Unless, however, that
Board retrenches more sharply than 1t has yet
done, the city burdens will be far heavier in
1881 than in 1880.
SUGGESTIVE FIGURES FOR TAXPAYERS.
WHAT THE CITY GOVERNMENT COST IN 1SG0-Ex.
TRAvAGAScE IN 1s6J-IMnENsE RoBBERIks
IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARs-NO EARNEST EFFORT
FOR ECONOMY AT ANY TIME.
The Senate Committee now engaged in inyestiga-
ting the departments Of the City Government, In
the endeavor 20 learn how the exoendtures can bs
reduced, has had before it considerable number OF
office holders. ex-offcc-hoders and others who Are
presumed to know something about the matter.
Or all the holders only would admit that
in his department there was any possibility Of
reduction without grievously impairng its eff
cheney. This one was Thomas Dunlap, Commis-
soner of Jurors He now receives q salary Of
Dr lie for,p mill in Nov ~
and the Public Burdens Act passed last winter,
fixes the salary Of his successor at $4,000. There
are some ill-natured office-hoders who afraid
that their salaries may be reduced and they say
that Mr. Dunlap has held fat offices nearly all hs
lfe and that he merely submitted gracefully to the
inevitable in order to obtain cheap reputation az
an economist.
Thus far the Committee has not elected the fullest
information as to whether or not the various de-
partmcnts can be efficiently as now at much
less cost The truth is that while all of the salaries
are not SO high i'll the days OF the Tweed Ring.
some remain untouched, and the total expenses OF
the departments in most instances are as high or
higher than they were before the downfall of the
Ring The Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas
while testifyng recently before the Committee. de-
cared that he could not do the work perfectly with
his present clerical force and that it useless to
think of reducing expenditures in his court. That
court asks the Board of Estimate and Apportion-
ment for $4,000 for the coming year, OF which
$40 800 u for clerk hire The salary the clerk him
self is S6000 OF the deputy clerk, $4,000; there
are eleven other clerks at 81 800 EACH and there il
one at SO, 900 In 1860 the same man was clerk OK
this cOuCt and the entire expenses were nearly
$40 coo less than the sum bs now asks for clerk
hire. To be exact the entire expenses were
S3l, 700. and five years later they had grown to
$53S70.
II the Senate Committee really wishes to make .
complete Investigation il can send for persons and
papers and ascertain inst how much certain depart
ments and bureaus cost in 1S60'G5. and the sue
ceeding years TO the end OF the Tweed regime,
and whether any real effort has been made siIcs
then TO reduce the salaries and expenditures, which
were sweed enormously in a few years. The
records Of the departments will give the exact nfor-
nation. o
THE STATE OF AFFAIRS IN 1860
From various sources reporters of THE TRIBUNE
have obtained facts aud figures which may be Of
considerable value 70 the Committee in pursuing its
researches These facts aud figures are certainly
of nature to starte taxpayers
Ia 1860 the war had not begnn and 1t was tho
era of low prices. But even then there was good
deal Of grumbhng at the extravaganza of the City
Government. Compared with the cost Of the pres
ent City Government, however. that of twenty
years ago seems economical in the extreme. Tbs
population IN 1860 was S13GG9, twO-tlirds that Of
The present time. The amounts appropriated for
some Of the departments that year seem very
small hen compared with the sans now allowed.
In 1860 and for several years afterward there was
sort of dual government for this city, Matters per-
tanning to the city proper under the control or
the Common Council. Those with which the coun-
ty was more Immediately concerned were passed
npon by the Board OF Supervisors composed OF SIX
Democrats aud SIX Republicans This was supposed
to he "A non-partsan Board Only six could be
voted for by each voter. The six receiving ths
mi d elected.
receiving the next highest number OF votes wero
chosen. as II termed. IL was by tins BODY.
headed Oh the part OF the Democrats. by William
NJ Tweed and on the part of the Republicans by
Henry Smith, that most OF rhe corrupt jobs by which
the city was 50 heavy n loser put through. lt
was not until after 1865, however, that the stealing
assumed the magnitude which has had the effect Of
fastening so large debt upon the city he items
which go TO make up the financial budget for eacn
department. bureau and court in those early years
must be sought fOr in both the city ani conutv ap-
nropr,alions The following are among the larger
items of the appropriations for lsOo:
police Dep,rtmen, 81 349.I25 90
n narfInent of Eiucati ............. 27s79 90
A 1W.bouse Dapartment. T36,l99 90
cleaning 325,37l 81
Department Of Finauces sRarles.......... $1,000 90
street Dspartment-sa aries ........... as 900 90
Roard of Health NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. 1850 u
W Psri ....... 10000 90
Election - asea asea..................... 349s2 20
Entertaining japanese Embassy s2.s22 70
LAW DEPARTMENT.
CORPORATION Counsel-salary. $4,000
Corporation Counsel-clerk hire 5000 $4,000 90
Corporation Attoney-sllary..- 5,Oo5 o,o ,o
Corporation AttOTney-clk hlre Z-JV-. ',zoo-V
JUDICIARY.