The evening world., 1888-01-03
THOSE EXTRA MILLIONS.
HEADS OF CITY DEPARTMENTS EXPLAIN
THEIR INCREASED DEMANDS.

Deputy Commissioner Of Public Works D..
Lowber Smith Says His Department
Will Devote tho Additional Appropria-
tion to Improving Pavements and sewers
Tho Corporation Counsel Talks.
Thirty-three million eight hundred thousand
dollars have been appropriated by the Board o
Estimate and Apportionment to pay the city's bills
for the next twelve months. This great sum is
additional TO the S., ISL, 053. % provided In the
general fund. The figures look big, and many
taxpayers not only Rrumble, but express the great
est alarm over the apparent increase in
assessment that must follow. The heads OF de-
partments, however, wear coun'enances which
beam with good humor, and no words can express
their gratitude for the generosity with which they
have been treated by the gentlemen who TX the
sums to be employed for the maintenance OF their
divisions. They pooh-pooh the idea that they have
been extravagant In their demands aud insist that
their petitions for extra allowances are based
alone upon the necessities OF the hour.
The total increase allowed Ia 81, 956, 977. 45, as
compared with the amount appropriated q year
ago. People are asking why, when State taxes
have been reduced BY nearly 500, 900, The interest
on the city debt by $275, 900, and $3.50, 900 has been
added to the general fund, the maintenance Of the
municipal government should be more expensive.
THE WORLDS exposures Of the horrors Of the char
table institutions induced the Board of Estimate
to Increase the fund for their support by $3.50, 072.
The Department Of Parks gets SlT3, 900 more tnan
last year; the Department Of Health, Sal, 1885,; the
Police Department, $l79, $50. 90; strcet-Cleaning
Department, 500, 439; Fire Department, sl7l, 727,
and the Board OF Education, $500, 01o more than in
1887, whine additional SUM OF between 81, 00O
and $35, 600 are distributed about the
various departments for ''incidental purposes"
Those appropriations which have provoked most
adverse criticism, however. are the generous in
and the Law Department, the former getting $780,
5s9 and the latter sGl, GA more than was asked
twelve months ago.
Der Smith, when. asked yesterday why such an
enormous extra demand was made, replied:
Trade, the Chamber of Commerce and citizens
generally have been rapping us over the head be-
cause We don't furnish as smooth pavenen!s and
has been but one difficulty, and that was we had
not the funds. TINS year. thanks to the generosity
streets at least passable. We asked for 500, 600
with WHICH Gno od TO renew T,,,, and repair paw
m Insns'' last sl0O' year US In we eo'' sot Il anne snS % sSni
that sum we hope to place the city streets 10 as good
q conditio Go, as mat a, ann amount ,nnrS can. :. -Four ,Snra hundred e
counted for. The remaining $SO, 6S9 Is to be used
for these purposes. Gen. Newton has created the
Herring at a salary Of 50, 6O0 a year. nis duty Is to
examine sewers aud any changes he
may ueem ueCcbbATy W luCTthSt TIC tHCltuCy VI
the system. SIX thousand dollars more 10 asked for
a civil engineer; that's $l2, 900. The other SIS, $50
will be distributed as Gen. Newton sees Mt, and
guess he can be trusted to use 1t Judiciously.
"Of even more Importance than payemenls is
the sewer question. We asked for $l9O, 900 and got
500, 900. one million dollars annually for several
years could be put to great advantage IN the i'm
provement OF our sewer system, especially below
Fourteenth street. ln many cases the pipes are all
hut useless, having been laid thirty and forty years
ago. We have improved matters somewhat IN
south street, and as soon as the weather permits
Npat attract w IN rapeiy We nur attention.
"What have said OF the sewer pipes is equally
true OF the water pipes. To-Day the pressure is
pipes frequently burst. When water Is turned into
The Central Park reservoir from the new ~aqueduct
pounds we may be compelled 10 construct another
Eoan's ark. Let those who think we are eXtrav-
agant in our demands study the absolute neces,
they will agree with US, l believe, that millions
more might MOI. come amiss in placing this depart
assured that not a cent viii be thrown away"
Corporation Counsel Morgan j. OBrien was en-
gagged in clearing out his desk, preparatory to
fourteen-years' visit to the Supreme Court bench,
when a reporter OF The WORLD asked him 10 ex-
plain the big increase asked ior and allowed to his
successor, Henry r.. Beekman. 81 asked for no
increase, " replied Mr.: o'Brien. ''When 1 as
The item for contingent counsel Fees for wlich
there had been appropriated $25, 600, and an addi-
the bank tax cases, showed a balance OF
only 81. 90S. az, against which bills were presented
aggreganng over $50, 600. the appropriation
$50. 72, against which bills amounting to about
81, 600 were presented to me for settlement. The
amount appropriated during the year for salaries Of
assistants, clerks, employees and subordinates,
amounting to $50, 900, ! found 10 be insufficient to
pay for the yearly services OF those whom l found
upon the regular payroll.
In addition 10 the $25, 600 appropriated, the
further sum OF SIS, l3a IS was expended, the latter
amount having been received from the Clearing
House, for costs and counsel fees awarded to the
city IN litigations involving the constitutionality
Of the taxation Of national banks, and which was
used by my predecessor, MIR. Lacombe, to meet
the claims presented for payment against the item
contingent counsel fees. During the first six
months of the year the bills for counsel fees
aggregated about $50, 900, all OF which indebted
ness was incurred under my predecessor. In
justice TO Mr.. Lacombe, let me state that the