The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-07-31
|PUREDISHONESTY
The City Budget Is an
lmpudent lmposture
on the Public.
"A JUGGLE IN EVERY FIGURE.
Amazing Features of the
Bond and Interest
Account.
THAT STREET CLEANING HUMBUG.
THAT ELECTION EXPENSE FRAUD.
THAT PUBLIC LIBRARY swINDLE.
Vain Efforts TO Explain the Inex-
plicable--E Every Board Enraged,
but the Ring Tools Afraid
to Express Their Wrath.

budget printed yesterday
1882 1890
Interest and Sinking Funds. $685. 020 $69O,s6o
Total tax levy........ l,T99,65i 1,S53,415
The Interest and Sinking Funds" ac-
counts represents the extravagancies of
former local administrations The debt
was incurred-assume, at any rate, that
it was incurred-by the predecessors of
this years managers of the city finances;
to preserve the credit of the city, the
present f1nanciers have nothing to do save
pay it and the interest upon it. Bank
ruptcy is the only alternative The tax
levy represents. outside of this unescape-
able expenditure, the expenses attending
the administration of local affairs
While the fixed item of interest
is decreased S95, 900, the total tax levy is
increased $4,000. The expenses of rum
to be increased, therefore, by the sum of
these two figures. In other words, the
support of His Fraudulency's municipal
Ring will cost taxpayers of this commu-
nifty next year $148, 900 more even than it
is costing this year.
"BAHl" TO THE TAX RATE.
That is, on the face of the financier' g
own figuresl But hurried investigation
today into the extent to which they rep
resent the actual amount the Ring in
tends to spend shows what false, f1cti-
| tious, deceptive and delusiye budget IL is.
| 1t was planned to fool the taxpayer.
| The Rings theory is that small tax bill
| this year will please him. The Ring
| assumes that he won't look beyond his
| nose, and that he will not see that the de-
| ferred payment of debt of today can
but become lien upon his holdings in
| the near future.
1t was in pursuance of this policy of de-
fusion that the Rings mouthpiece across
the street boasted last evening that the
rate of next year will be lower than it is
this year, and announced that this COM
ing reduction "speaks volumes for the
wisdom of the municipal change" 1t
was to say just such things IN his paper
that His Frudulency gave City Editor
Benson 81, 500 position among his cit y
officials.
But what does the rate count for ?
Taxation is but one of the sources of the
city's income. She receives uncalculated
hundreds of thousands, besides, from her
water service; a quarter of million or
more out of licenses; another quarter Of
million from the railroads. She has
authority to issue bonds to make up de-
ficiences. She takes in fees from counties
little sources, and beyond all these the
Martin Tax Readjustment is pouring
streams of wealth into her lap. 1t is the
sum of all these sources of wealth that
tells the story of municipal extravaganza
or economy. The test is, not the rate
but the total cost of carrying on It's city
affairs.
That it is to cost nearly $50, 600 more to
run the city next year than it is costing
this year is the one fact that is of interest,"
to the taxpayers.
VALUATION JUGGLING.
If the tax rate ever becomes of any in
terest to the tax payer it is only when he
learns the greater factor that enters into
%L><@e 1fn%f .<E t.ir IL
rate is to 60 down how much are the val
uations to go up2 That's the question,
an no one, not even His Fraudulency's
Tax Commissioners themselves, can
answer it. They submitted some figures
to the County Tax Board the other day,
but they were merely guesses and esti
M ates.
They are still Juggling with the assess
ments. They may juggle with them
away along into September, and when
they are finally fixed they are more likely
to be S7S,00O000 or $79,00o,000 than any
thing lower.
Every dollar added to the values of the
city's taxable property sends up the in
dividual tax bill, no matter what the rate
is. Tell us what the valuations are and
we can tell you whether the rate is low
one or high one, and not till then.
There are just two interesting facts
furnished to the taxpayers by the budget
prepared yesterday.
The first is that already stated-that
the city expenses next year are to be
$150,000 more than they are this year.
IT DOESN'T COVER.
The secondhand a startling fact is
that even with this great increase of the
public burden, the budget does not cover
the expected and intended outlay of next
year.
Some items are picked out for the elu-
cidation of the second proposition.
Begin with the Street and Water Board
appropriations. Last year it was known
that $35. 900 would be needed to clean the
streets and to remove the garbage. Only
$4,000 was appropriated. The financiers
intended TO piece out the shortage by the
issue of bonds; and legislation to that
end was secured last winter. The de-
ffciency is provided for in the item Of
$50, ,S54 for the payment of bonds" In the
Board of Finance schedule. But, is
$685. 900 were needed last year it will be
needed again this year; and yet only 500
600 is allowed. The juggle of last year
must be repeated this year.
STEALING A SINKING FUND FOR SINE
CURISTs.
Then the same Board asked for $40. 600
for the engineering bureau. The money
is really needed to pay the salaries Of the
stnecurists who have been put upon, the
city pay roll AS a sample, one man used
TO investigate the complaints made to the
Board by water consumers about their
water service. Twelve or fifteen men
are assigned now to do that one mans
work. The Board actually needs $4,000