The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-23

]
Perhaps IL IL well to say here that the assessed
valuation of real estate in this city to-day is less
than so per cent. Of the real value. But " is in
| the valuation Of personal property that the
! largest advances have been made during Mayor
s sT Tna may Of ss
1898 were unable or unwilling TO compel the
owners q personal property to bear their cir Just
in round plumbers. only sja,o0o, 600. or at the
tween 1855 and 1894, OH the other hand. is close
on S14O, 900. 900, or at the rate Of say S23,0O0,
property assessed for the present year. over
S232, 900 900 represents the assessments NJ rail-
ianeous corporations, resident and non resident
shareholders Of banks, and nonresident owners
Reporter Specific allegations Of extravaganza
have been made g. shown; for example In the
Pubic Works Il has been ~" eesed that the
city's sewerage system Is no better than IT was
Mayor Gilroy That must have been said by
some very ignorant person. The truth is that
the expense of cleaning and maintaining our
per cent in the last five years, and II Ia difficult
TO imagine inefficient work in this respect in the
usually healthy condition OF the city, The out
let sewers which formerly emptied into the
piers, and now empty into the tidal current,
thus abating fruitful source of disease. The
paving OF the streets OF New YORK even seven even
ing the last six years its Improvement has
been systematic, energetic, and rapid, as u
has been at no other time in the citys
1858 inclusive. there were, i,on7, 4C9 square
yards of new pavements laid In New York. or
these 293, Og3 square yards were OF the now vir-
tualy discarded trap blocks. leaving for the
yards or at the rate OF 20l ,O57 square yards per
annum. In the still uncompleted six years sue
Serds Of 'p new psyemsnts. of which but
were trap, leaving 2,n9"1T4 square yards, or
yards PER snF OF se o9 ss Saas
of granite asphalt, and macadam payements In
this city $4,000 square yards or within 10000
of reform administration. This work has
been done at a steadily decreasing rate Of cost
year, ror paid sa45, and this Year ri il Is pay.
he average y rate for granite on con,
crete vas StnS PR v square ysrd last yess
the. average price paid for asphalt pavement,
with five years guarantee. was 1915 per square
os Al iSs beginning Of the Seo six n years. term
OF Tsmmany administration the Department Of
Public Works had to pay 1901 per square yard
guarantee; it has been. able to reduce that rate
to $3.50 per square yard. The cost OF sewer con-
year as low as 1901 per foot, The cost OF clean
SEQ 484 was last year s1s a4a, or just about half
the amount paid under Mayor Hewitt; On , the
the city treasury from sewer permits, vault
permits, auction sales and other MISCELLANEOUS
BY the sss ons e Sbs
1893 they were $3.50. 74O. The average daily
water supply. which In 1883 was 113,5oOOO9
the total revenue from the water service. WHICH
in 1888 was ,ssSs os2 yielded s last year the
and tagging new streets. there has been a sensi-
Excavation. which in isss cost 81 40 per cubic
yard, costs to-day only 9s cents; curbing. which
ii cents. and tagging, which was "a cents per
square foot In 1883. is in 1894 only ls cents |
don't think that these figures suggest either ex-
travagance or inefficiency.
Reporter-The appropriation made to the
Street Department Is. In many quarters, deemed
Mayor Gilroy-Then 1t is reform legislation
at Albany which Is alone responsible. The bill
Reporter-The expense OF the Department Of
mates OF the Island institutions.
Mayor Giroy-People who make that charge
should compare notes with those who have been
attacking the Commissioners of Charities and
6oss Under their sshSTse Y IS Es1sray aS
mtted that our municipal charities are the most
extensive and liberal II the World BSt S3 ~ S
last report: While this item OF expenditure
deserves the most generous treatment within
The excessive literally of New York. as compred
with other cities, does not result in max ing this
and insane non-residents. who otherwise would
become charges upon the counties t Or state Of
compelled by Albany legislation to contribute
over 5000, 900 per annum to the support OF the
PEELED TO maintain our own insane. This is true
also of the public schools OF the state and OF all
New York city absolutely pays over two millions
Of dollars year for which she does not receive
directly or indirectly one dollar OF return, and
which goes TO tighten the tax burdens OF the
rest of the state.
governed city in the world.
Mayor Gilroy-I have yet to see the authorita-
tive set of figures to sustain that assertion.
kept as a curiosity an article written some two
years ago, in which was cited Sir John Lub-
of the great cities of the world, with the remark
That 9nT si,y mas ne unhappy
the list, with the annual burden OF six pounds
1aTss shnss AND f -four per head OF the
there was time when these figures were cor
rect, buEthat was under the rule OF reform In
when the per capita rate OF taxation was 81 %
nor even In 1880 which is the year TO which
SIS AE In tire matter H Of the barSsn
or taxation, the city of New York is unique.
sponded to ths cali Of Aps Ply per cent r
on the assessed value OF his properly
self would appraise 1t for purposes OF sale-he is
quit OF overy obligation which the state and
local Governments Impose on MIN Tor the year |
1904. Here city and county charges one
and the same thing, and the state tax appears
as part OF the city budget. Provision Is also
made every year in the budget for the creation
by installment OF a fund for the redemption OF
the city debt and for the payment of the interest
on the same, so that SLID covers everything.
In no foreign city does any such state OF things
exist Schools. courts. and police may be, and
are, supported out OF the taxes levied by the gen
eral Government; the relief of the poor may he
represented by one rate, and the paving of streets
by another, each collected by different author
ity. | should like TO have some OF our amateur
critics who write glibly on secondhand infOrma-
tOn try extract from the reports of the London
County Council for the last three years any in
formation which would show the total tax or the
per capita tax of that city for all purposes. |
assert, without hesitation, that the whole bur
den OF what We call municipal taxation is both
relatively and absolutely lighter in New York
than II Is either in London or Paris; that New
York s revenues are carefully husbanded and |
its affairs as intelligently directed as those of
any great city in the world. Let me add that IL
Is a remarkable circumstance that in the midst |
of all this clamor about police crimes that have
existed. according TO the testimony before the |
I.eXOw committee for the last twenty years, not |
a single specific charge has been made against "A |