New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-06
MAYOR CHAPIN'S MESSAGE.
HE AVOIDS ALL REFERENCE TO THE WATER
SCANDAL
He CONCENTRATES THE CITY on ITS FINAN-
GAL CONDITION, AND MAKES sUNDRY
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IN

| 1S9l yesterday, the nineteen MEMBERS al vi WYNN
| hold from last year, reelected John Mc'arty'
Democrat reprssentng the Twenty second Ward,
president for the fourth time. Edward W. Price was
reelected chief clerk Of committees at salary OF
1900, and d. b. Farrell and John Daily clerks AT
81 800 year. Philip TObin, +. b. Van Koran and
Henry j. Jordan were again made sergeants~atarms
at ~ 200 EACH All the salaries of clerks were in
| creased.
\ committee Of three waited upon Mayor Chaplin
and returned with his fourth annual message 1t was
long document and set forth in detail the financial
condition OF the city, the growth of the city IN build
ings and population, the need Of more fhlltles LOT
Bridge travel, the increase in school facilities, and
| the progress Of paving, sewerng and laying water
mains. No reference made to the recently eX-
posed swndle the proposed purchase OF the property
! OF the Long Island Water supply Company. The I'M
portant suggestion is made that bonds should be issued
to pay for Bridge Improvements. The Mayor says
lie will prepare a bill authorizing the issue OF bonds
for IL 900 900 complete the work Of LAY Ing granite
| block pavement.
The city debt was reported at the gross sum OF
81 1872, 100 90, and the in the Sinking Fund at
1000 05 -, leaving the net debt at S|7l3lo 80 49,
Til, shows increase Of 1892 023 - over last year.
The gross debt has been decreased by %2'3llO 90,
| but the sinking Fund llas been decreased by So
SOB 66 10. Under authority Of the law passed last
year the Sinking Fund Commissioners paid OF &c.
49, 49, - during the year, ard bonds for $ls9305 45
were paid and cancelled. The bonds issued amounted
to S4.3l7,0 MI were sold at par or above, the
| premiums amounting 10 $7,9ij The ASSESSED valua
Of the real and personal property Of the city is
75oGO1, Incl cJsc Of 5l91 i92,6J1 or ~ 80
| per cent since I-r2. while the net debt has been
decreased S375j 80 I'm the period. The message
that the destruction of bond, under the law Of
last year decreased the gross debt. but not the net
debt the securities held were the property Of tho
city. But il permitted reduction Of the TAX rate
the rate this year being the lowest since 1852, and
| Will fotr Tho since no
The message continues in regard to the general
financial condition Of the people
| In view OF the present financial condition Of the
country and Of the o0vous difficulties now confronting
the bushes, and industrial world. Will gainsay
| tendency Of ALI mankind and the marked Tendency
81 our own cOuntrymen, TO set pace in times OF
| prosperity which cannot permanently b. kept up.
must be followed now, IL has been heretofore. by a
period Of moderation. If not by Of confusion and
disaster. Whatever may b. true OF the condition OF
The country at large it seems TO be reasonably clear
D DerI anS obIos eyiSenccs Of e%travafancc
and rckc-nc~- either in the conduct Of business
in The manner Of life prevailing here, such a may
easily D." observed cl>eWh"r The III" of the people
disclosed in their relation to the city government.
doe, not yet. at all events, indicate such cause for
caution or complaint a, known to exist throus hout
many quarters of the Union. our taxes are largely
paiH by people OF small! means Ihe prompin ss,
far hecn paid equals II doe, not srpaSs that Of any
previous year.
In regard to arrears Of taxes rhe message says that
the percentage is small The principles underlying
the Arrears are forth detail and the following
conclusion +, reached
The prosperity Of the city hangs upon strong
arrears law. II there be no effective means for the
collection OF de0t' the course of private business
crippled. If parayzcd, for credit is end blu,
n a municipal corporation have not effective means
for enforcing IT, imposts Of schools police and trt
protection ana the Ike, experience mas shown that he
future j. bankruptcy and her destiny financial ruin.
weak a1clr, law encourages delinquency, increases
arrears mutplcS tax sales. and makes the real estate
market stagnant \ strong arrears Law insure promp
frum the cloud Of buck taXes. assessments and taS
sale, and encourages a heahful and active market
The building permits for the year ending November
80. $500 numbered 4,-16 against 5.O74 in the pre-
viou' year, aud the value estimated at f,2i7,3OO
against S26.570 iO5 the previous year. NOtwihstand
ng th, decline the operations Of the department
larger than In any other year 1-S0. and the
number OF permits for important buildings not
dwellings greater than usual. The dwellings
will contain accommodations for 1851 families
though there /, room for doubt as to whether the
actual Increase Of the city keeps pace with the build
INK done. The census taken by the police showed
population OF s53045, increase Of about 1000
ia two years. on this point the message says:
may be asserted safely that Brooklyn enters upon
The last de, AIDE # The century with annual growth
Of considerably more than 80 per cent Is entirely eX
c"ptonal II compared with the cities Of the East. and
I, not surpassed by any large city In the Union. ex
cept chicago. Neither Is II surpassed cquaed by
any city OF tho Union. except by some Of u much
The Bridge carried 40 S0S4s4 persons last year. and
the rcVcnuc from tolls 81 l27.O0O, and from all
, -ouroc, ~ "30.493. The suggestion Is made that
money further TO improve the Bridge facilities should
be- raised by selling bonds, bearing low Of in
tcrcSt and having ten years or morn 10 run. The
question Of improvement Is IN the hands Of a commlS
sion Of three engineers. on this point the message
continues:
Nevertheless, such plan. when reported and &C
copied Is valuable 10 the people in proportion ~ II Is
| 1ty.t i'm bet
suggest enactment provldng that continued bridge
expenditure In the nature of construction shall be met
by bond OF the character already specified. and
that surplus revenue of the Bridge. after the cost N
be paid the city authorities. To H. by them applied
reduction. first. Of the interest charge imposed upon
IN" city account II the bonds issued for original
constructions and second in payment o the principal
NJ such bonds, The adoption Of a proper plan Of en-
largcmcnt and the simultaneous paNNagr 81 sum an
enactment aS have just referred 10 will drrctyen
crease and facilitate the city' growth and Will M the
time tighten rather han augment me ouriTnT
1t tbc. objects shed be attained because the city
! without proper means of transit would suffer from
strnngation while tn Bridge itself having ALREADY
demonstrated il, large earning capacity Shodid be per
| mlttcd to pay for its own cost
The fact, in the message regarding educational mat
ter, are summarized Pom the report of the boarn OF
Fdnc,ton There are 362 more seats than pupils
gi,tcred 10000 more than tie average attendance
fut not all the seats arc where they wanted In thu
pas wear additions were made To five schoolhonNeS and
t,,r now. ones were completed. with 1852 NttingS
Nine new building, have been ordered. with additions
IN two Others and sites for fifteen more have been
purchased or contracted for
The civ Works Commissioner reports that forty
sevcu miles Of granite block pavement have been laid
I'm three years making sixty nine miles IN all IN the
CITY, with five more miles under contract To com
pctc the thorougfarc system about thirty miles more
are needed and the Mayor that he Will 0ave a
hill ,on submitted 10 the Legislature 10 authorize The
isuc If of bonds for ~ 100000 for laying granite
block pavement. In the Twenty sixth Ward twenty
six mile, Of Belgian pavement have been put down
work in ,ewcring grading and paving the Eighth Ward
has bcrn begun and the Greencav relief sewer, from
thtlty.two to eighty feet under ground IS beng bnt-
For additional water supply the new thirty SIX men
I ,i, ma. I,cn laid from the storage reSer-
vojr ZOO feet to smiths pond. and tine new forty
cichtinch main is laid from the storage reservoir to
the Forest stream station. six and one half miles, thus
obIinc the water supply of the city In conclusion