The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-04-07
THE STILL CAMPAIGN.
Journal Fakes About the
City Debt Exposed By
Comptroller Hough.
MIR. ALIENS GOOD WORK.
President Edelstein Tells How
He Helped Reduce In
terest Charges.
THE o'NEILLs RATIFY.
Hennessey's Chances in the Third
Phases of the Municipal
Fight.
MIR. ALIENS GOOD WORK.
THE o'NEILLs RATIFY.

The recognized local organ OF the q. Q.
P. recently commissioned one OF It's
brightest young men to write up the f1n-
ances of the city. The reporter was
equipped with two copies of reports is
sued from the City Comptroller's Office
one by ex-Comptroller s. d. Dickinson
Tor the year 1888, and the other by Comp
troller Hongh, showing the condition OF
the city's strong box on December l, 1892.
There are many tables of figures in each
of the reports and the complex, but nee
essary system of bookkeeping they illus
trate, is liable to confuse laymen of even
more than the ordinary type. This much
concession is probably due the Journals
young mau. He had task before hlm
and evidently cid not realize how hard
the task really was. As might have been
expected, the accounts became tangled.
But he finished his assignment as every
good reporter always does, and turned IN
his copy. His summary alleged that Jer-
sey City's boDded Indebtedness amount
ed. on December l, 1892, to no less than
SlS, PAT, $50. IL, and that the said bonded
deUt mad been increased during the four
wears intervening between the two re-
ports to the extent of 81, 137. 2O7. .69! The
Journals article further lntlinated that
the city officers had received somewhere
in the neigh borhood of Sc 600, 900 from ad-
justments under the Martin Act" and
wanted to know where, in the name of
gracious-goodness. all the money had
gone to.
But the story was untrue.
Mr.. Reuben Simpson, one OF the present
Commissioners Of Appeals in Cases Of
Taxation. and the Republican candidate
for Aiderm -at-Large, however, seems
TO have taken it for gospel. He went so
far as to incorporate the figures it con-
tained in his letter of acceptance, He
dilateF dpon the horrible financial show
ing in the Journals mares nest, and an
nounced that if he was elected Alderman
at-Large and eE-06Ici0 member of the
Board of Finance there would be no
more such mismanagement- In the light
of the real facts it Is difficult % under
stand how anyone could have accepted
the Journals S statement.
| interviewed City Comptroller Hough
at his Office in the City Hall this morning.
and found him ready to assist The NEWS
in laying the facts before the public. It
should be understood, right here, that Mr.
Hough is responsible for these figures,
and tnar he 1s willing to back up the
story he told me. The Journal, or any
one Interested. can visit his Office and see
the books, and lake all the time he likes
to substantiate the facts. Here they are,
as given by Mr.. Hough:
DECEMBER !, 1888.
On December l. 1888, the outs landing General As
sessment. temporary Loans and Improvements
certificates. wnicn comprised tn entire bonded In
debtedness OF jersey City, exclusive OF the Water
Account, amounted To-. .Sl2 7o2ss "a
amount due state and County. -. S555.585 80
Amoent due c. .ty's sinking funds -
Appropriation for flsc i year I5S21SSs.. 16.509 90
Appropr iaton FOR nscal year lSss-lSs4. $500 70
Appio prfaton for fiscal year 1884 1885,. 1U0O0 W
Apr nr,ation for hscai yea lss.is56.. s4l 6S2 80
ApI ropriation for fiscal year 1855 1851 2is 4Sl IS
Appropriation for fiscal year 1887 1888. 24IUS 10
Total liabilities. exclusive Il water
ACCOUNT. Sl4, 366.Ti5 %
The city's resources, at the same period,
December l. 1888, for the payment Of the
above were as follows
Cash and securities In Sinking Funds. ST. 110361 SO
amount loaned Water Account........ lA0yU "
Amount of outstanding taxes OF 1887
Ainouhs e. Of Outstanding assessments.... 5Jssss 50
Cash in assessment account ............. 7.slO 60
Total resources, December l. 1883. >. s7ss7.ssa OF
ex iusive OF water Account - $685. 7ss 1s
The Water tonds outstanding on De
and asdesr wi, the ' due the genera
account, made total of.......9...... sisS20o0 90
Total being the net city debt, including
the watef Sll5O.i .i8S 10
This completed the story Of how things
stood December !. 1883. and was curious
enough to ask Mr.. Hough how the jour
nal had managed to compute the same
figures SO as TO show total city debt of
sic. 6.445. .3SS.34 for the Identical period.
Il don't KNOW" was the City Comp
trolier's Lerse response. Mr.. Hough Is a
mild-mannered man, very mild-man-
pered.
snow this report shows how Jersey
City stood at the close Of the last fiscal
year." resumed Mr.. Hough as he took up
mis- latest report and showed me the fol
lowing
pEcsMBER ], 1922.
On December ], 1892, the General As
sessment, Temporary Leans and I'm
prosement Certifcafes amounted 10 SIS Iii $50 II
Of 1871 5T74o 10
To:al, being net City debt exclusive Of :
on tSe sae DAT, the ctys for the
payment of the above were as follows:-
ss s
Cash and securities in Sinking FUNDS,
Certificates OF sale for property pur-
ch aied by the city under the Martin
act.-..-- ..-..-....-...--. .--...-..- o9V'Soa ~
Total resources December /, 1892. s7056,427 90
Balance, being amount OF net city
Gobt. exclusive OF water account. $eil2,6o2 %
The Water Bonds outstanding on Pc
cember :, 1872, aggregated $5.iSoVSA
IS held N the Water sinking Funds,
gives tho net water debt as....-..... 4s66 ~ u
Grand Total. being entire city debt, in :,
cluding Water Account. ~
.How then did the journal manage
to make o total OF sis, ,247,85 to repre-
sent the city debit" asked Mr.. Hough.
II don't know" was his reply. my
figures show decrease OF S276, l205s in
bonded debt, exclusive of the water ac-
count for the four years in question. There
certainly has not been any increase OF
ST, 1877 ,207. SO as, the Journal states. Some.
body got things mixed up and that's all
there is about it. Even the Water Ac-
count has held its own during the same
period, for all though the outstanding
bonds have increased, the amount In the
Water Sinking Funds offsets this increase
AID shows a net shrinkage OF liaoilities
amountipg to SIS. .202.SS. 1t should be re-
membered also that Jersey City makes
no appropriation whatever for new pipe
or repairs, nor even an allowance to the
Water Department for water pumped Tor
public use or fire purposes. under
stand that most large cities pay tneif
Water Departments for water furnlsned
for public use but Jersey City does noth-
ing OF the kind.
THE ADJUSTMENT WORK.
s.Therc is another important matter that
would also ike to refer t0,' continued
Mr.. Houeh, s.aud that is the results Of
work OF the Commissioners Of Adjust