New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-18
NO TNEXPENDED BALANCES.
THE BOARD OF ESTIMATE IN TROUBLE.

FUNDS
commissioner Astcn's opposition IN the Board OF
rstimate and ApDnrtoument to the transfer OF
naynended balances of appropriations Of previous
Years TO the use of department heads Tor inc pres
emit year ha, brought oat some Interesting ro'ee
making such transfers from previous years Is lie,
osl and that the Board of Estimate has exceeded
IFS authority And if further transfers OF TINS kind
are made the Council of Reform is expected 20
apply for an injunction and test the le6aty OIL INC
question in the courts. ~, - Ia
innate to make transfers from one appropriation &c
another of the same year. There IS no qiSestiUl -
the legality of such transfers and TO una, a. dining
soner Asten has made no opposition. ,i Ru rnyinS
the present year there has been a steauiy s,cndad
practice of making transfers from umIN J'his
bas hen rarried 10 such an extent 'haS
transfers have been made 10 lIle and mn.
nearly half a million otico,iv been increased
to that extent. For instance, Inc Dnro~riation of
mate last December made eI Of repaTs to public
10 C coz further appropriation of 50 900
for supplies and cleaning Of gIGn SV ors DeoSrt
arr 4iu Rnt regardless of the appropriations CoL-
missioner Thompson went TO work Hahlhs NH
sve oa ave ras exnended by him in reitting the
rooms of the Board of Aldermen 10 Iucet iniS ho
pense transfers were secureu Oh unT& d US at
ances of appropriations made when tweee VIZ" NJ, az
the head OF the Public Works department; . Alto
eether Commissoner Thompson mas Secueu 'I"us-
res 10 IN. movements have been even more liber
olIy favored. The Park Department has secured
Transfers TO the extent of sos, sol though against
tha Protest of Commissioner Wales, and is now
seeking further transfer OF 5000: Inc fark
Department would not have asked for tins last
transfer had not prominent lammany nan pohtl-
clan nromsed TO see that it made. lanunany
Hall before tho election demanded certain, places
in the Park Department which were eIa9t9u uilu u
ces should be made to cover the total amount OF tne
salaries to be paid the men whose appointments
Tammany demanded Commissioner Asten OPP
ncaH he
said Yesterday in answer TO inquiries by TRIBUNE
reporter that since his attention had oceh cae9 10
the ilegality of the practice of making transfers
from uneXpended balances OF former years, ne Mtu
consulted with four eminent lawyers IN order 10
protect himself, and they all agreed that there was
no warrant III the law for such transfers. Que law
firm in furnishing an opinion on the SUBJECT "rlleS'
II admits of no doubt question whatever that the
power OF the Board to transfer appropriations from ono
Wear TO another can only be exercised at the time when
the estimate made and can only affect the uneNpended
like purposes succeeding year. But at any Tune dur
iug each year the Board may with the consent or the
heads OF departments for that year make transfers 70
other purposes for the same year Inc Board IN dso1
cannot transfer the uneXpended appropriations
for 1882 any previous year for any purpose Whatever
Mr. Asten said that after this expression of
opinion by counsel in whom he had great confidence
he would of course, persiStenty oppose any further
transfers of the kind; and he did not think that
further action would be taken by the Board OF
Estimate until the Corporation Counsel had tur-
uished an opinion on the subject ,
AZ recent meeting of the Board of Estimate the
Mayor said that before further tTansfers OF mex
the Controller report whether OF hnl ontIe was any
money in the city treasury 10 represent the nncN-
pended balances, or whether they were more IMAM
offset by the uncOllected taxes. Controller GIant
declined yesterday 10 furnish 1or ,publca-
ton the statement prepared on ON the me sue,
use and not for the public. IT was learned,
however, that there are uncollccted taxes l0I dSoZ
and previous years to the amount % %lo,oOU ,o;
ONLY to SO, 100000. large proportion OF me un-
collected taxes are worthless About p I,V3O,OO0
money 10 meet the appropriations for which these
taxes were levied over $9O0o.OOO IN Dohds mas
been issued. Hence instead OF there Deing any
money in the city treasury 10 meet THESE u mex
pended balances the taxes collected nave al peeh
used, and the city owes over S9,OOOOOo In bonds
issued to make up the deficiency.
THE POLICE AND THE LOTTERY DEALERS.
District Attorney McKeon was in good spirits
Yesterday over the result of the descent OF the po
lice on the lottery dealers, but he was emphatic In
his remarks about the conduct of the Police JUS
tices who hurried to Police headquarters to secure
their release on bail. Why" sad he, there was
n regular race TO which could get 10 Police
Headquarters first and have the privilege OF saving
these men from spending night in jail. II some
poor man arrested for intoXIcatlon was ready 70
give bail he would have been compelled 20 wait.
The law requiring Police Justices to be at I9lce
Headquarters every night mas Deen pracr' and
hardly get TO Headquarters before the Justices
were on hand TO accommodate them"
Mr. McKeon has made repeated efforts to break |
dtacnlties In one instance of which hc tells he !
received information that lottery slips were sold at
a place in Chatham-st. He sent for Police Captain
lyman who said that of the best officers in the
precinct had been assigned to look ont for viola
lions af the lottery laws in that 1eiChbOrhoOd As
the selling was not stopped after the talk with the
Captain, Mr.. McKeOn sent for the police officer. |
The LATTER said that he had watched the place but /
had not seen any selling. He in the habit of |
leaving the neighb0rhOOd about o'clock
Don't YOU know asked Mr.. MckeOn, that |
almost all the selling is done between the hours OF
6 and o'clockp
away after the Dstnct-AttOmey had given him an |
earnest admonition TO perform his dnty with more !
diligence.
When Captain Petty. of an adjoining precinct, |
in deecting the lGttery-seers in ChathaInst., Mr..
McKeon supply said All you need do is To write
me letter stating plainly that you cannot suppress
these places and then will soc that they are sup
pressed"
The letter was not written.
In the Essex Market Police Cont all the dealers |
were liberated in bonds of 81 900 to 500 each
TROUBLES OF EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES.
Tie Erening Post and The Mail and EIprcss per-
sisted Yesterday in their refusal TO recognize
Typographical Union No or 10 pay the advance
in wages which the Union demands. me udu
said that he had sufficient hands now to get the
paper out on time ard he viii not accedc 10 the
Unions demand. The Post was able 10 get out
only single edition, and while the Office was in
much better shape than on Friday the paper showed
evidences of the strike Mr.. ~. John, the pub
Usher said that he considered the demand wholly
uniustiiable and rather than submit TO il the pub
location of the paper would be suspended indein-
itely He had succeeded in getting few female
oompositors The only fresh demand made yester-
day outside of the German papers was on The Sum
day Mercury. The new rate was paid at once with