New-York tribune., 1896-12-25
PRICE THREE CENTS.
FOR GREATER NEW-YORK.
WORK OF THE COMMITTEE ON DRAFT OF
CHARTER COMPLETED.
OUTLINE OF RESULTS PREsENTED-sEvERAG
DEPARTURES FROM THE PLAN OF THE
ORIGINAL DRAFr-THE FULL coMMfs-
SION TO HOLD HEARINGS BEFORE
PASSING UPON THE CHARTER
AND MAKING 4 REPORT TO


AND MAKING A REPORT TO
THE LEGISLATURE
Copies OF the report which has been made -
the Greater New-York Commission by Its Com
mittee on Draft were distributed 10 the news
papers last evening b. George NJ Pinney. jr'
the secretary of the committee, together WIN
copies OF several chapters of the draft OF tns
Greater NewYork charter as revised by the
committee. The report Is comprehensive. iuc'o
and carefully prepared digest of the dratt OK
the charter which is to be discussed ana
passed upon by the Greater New-York Commits
sion. and it is published in full in The Tribune
In order that a clear idea OF the draft OF the
charter may be obtained by the general Pubic
The chapters Of the charter distributed yester-
day would FIJI several pages OF The Tribune.
The work Of revision has occupied the time or
the committee since September the preliminary
draft having been made last summer by William
C. De Witt. the chairman Of the committee. as
sisted by Assistant Corporation Counsel David
j. Dean Many changes have been made after
long discussion Of the original draft by John y.
Dillon Thomas f. Giroy Seth Low. George NJ.
Pinney. ir.. and General Benjamin f. Tracy.
members of the committee.
THE BOROUGH PLAN REVISED.
York into boroughs for administrative purposes
has hean retained hy the committee. the whole
scheme Of local government upon that plan mas
heen changed The new scheme gives TO each
p,rouph various boards through which local I'M
nrovements NAV he initiated but reserves TO the
Municlnal Assembly the right to authorize con-
,r.cts involving expense Members or the
Nunicipal Assembly will also be members OK the
local boa IDS in their OWL districts. and thus the
salaries of Independent local boards VIII ne
saved The five boroughs into which the
greater city is to be divided at the start are the
following:
Manhattan. which consists Of the island OF
Manhattan and the outlying islands naturally
related to it.
. The Bronx: that is 10 say. all that part OF
tho nregent city Of New-York lying north or tne
Harlem. territory which comprises two-thirds
of the area Of the present city OF New-fork.
g. Brooklyn.
Queens consisting Of that portion OF queens
corrtv "a he incorporated into the Greater New
York.
: Richmond that is. Staten Island
SEAT OF LOCAL LEGISLATION.
The Municipal Assembly is to consist OF two
houses a Board OF Aldermen. consisting OF l'A
man,hers elected from the Senate districts. ana
. Council or upper house. consisting or tnirVy-
ssven members of whom the President snail oe
e,ected on a general ticket and the remaining
.hir,,-six shall be elected from Council districts
designated in the second chapter OF the act
creating the charter. All members OF the Mu'
ricipal Assembly are TO he elected TO serve two
years.
The draft Of the charter gives to the Mayor the
nover to appont all heads of departments with
or Her
them at Will in the first six months of his term OF
os,ce which IS two wears. After the end OF six
months from the beginning Of his own term OK
onica he can remove heads of departments only
q, charges and with the consent Of the Governor.
In revising the parts of the draft Of the charter
dealing with heads OF departments the COM
m,ttee adopted the view that department.
whose work was chiefly executive should nave a
single Commissioner, while department whose
work was chiefly discretionary should nave as
its head a Board of Commissioners A biparu-
san Board Of Police Commissioners was re-
tai1ed on account of the Election Bureau, wnich
Is left in the Police Department The Controler,
who is TO be the head OF the Finance Depart
ment. is to be elected on a general ticket for the
term Of four years.
pI-EIIC WORKS CONTROLLED BY BOARD.
For the control of the important works In the
CITY the draft Of the charter makes provision for
the crea ton of a Board of Public Improvements
TO consist of the heads of six departments-of
Water Supply, Highways. Street Cleaning. Sew
ers. Public Buildings and Bridges. Each de-
partment will have a single Commissioner, ana
when the Commissioners meet as Board OK
Public improvements they will be presided over
by the Mayor or by President appointed by the
Mayor. The other heads Of departments ap-
pointed by the Mayor are the following:
o.. at haa 81 ha ~
Department.
The Police Board consisting of four Commits
sioners. head of the Police Department.
The Board of Public Charities consisting OF
three Commissioners. head OF the Department
Of Public Charities
The Commissioner OF the Department Of Cor
recton.
The Fire Commissioner, head of the Fire De-
The Board Of Health. consisting Of two Health
Commissioners. with the President Of the Police
Board and the Health Officer OF the Port as ex-
officio members, head of the Health Depart
ment.
missioners of Parks. head OF the Department OF
Parks.
The Board of Buildings. consisting Of thres
Commissioners or Buildings, Eeau or tne Depart-
ment Of Buildings.
The Board Of Taxes and Assessments. consist
Ing Of the President so designated when ap-
pointed and three Commissioners, one OF whom
shall be learned in the law, head OF the De-
partrnent of Taxes and Assessments.
The Board of Education. members Of which
at first shall be the chairmen OF the School
Boards of the various boroughs, ex-ofhcio. and
four members OF the School Board Of the
Borough Of Manhattan. three members Of the
school Board OF the Borough OF Brooklyn, and
one member of the School Board OF the Bor-
ouch Of the Bronx. To be elected annually to
serve as such members of the Board Of Edurd-
ton by the School Boards OF the boroughs
named head of the Department OF Education.
The Board Of Docks. consisting Of three Com.
missioncrs OF Docks. head OF the Department OF
Docks.
The draft OF the charter also provides for the
creation Of "A separate Civil Service Commission
for the greater city and for the establishment OF
a Bureau OF Municipal Statistics The report Of
the committee deals also with methods for max
ing the collection OF taxes uniform throughout
the entire territory OF the city. and with the city
debt ard questions OF municipal ownership.