The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-07-15

bonds tor deciencies, bones FOR increase
| OF salaries or power 70 issue tiiese aa
| libitum mas been had Tor the asking. Ii
| seems tnat the Legislative mind Is I'M
bted with the idea tilal the royal road to
| municipal prosperity is paved with bonds,
and that no consideration is given to the
| fact that there must come day OF pay
ment.
| No better illustration OF this plan of
mortgaging the future presents itself than
| is >fould in the recent purchase OF
Park sites" In each case site was
| selected in a part OF the city where no
rational man will say thar there is
congestion of population. These parks
are to be ornaments They are not called
for by any necessity. Those who visit
them will not do SO to lind relief from
the air of crowded tenements. We could
well have waited for the time when We
could afford parks. while neglecting mat
I ters more essential to the advancement
these ornaments and the amounts thal
will be necessary for their maintenaiee
could have been far better applied IN per
fecting our sewer system or repairing
streets or paying our debts. am satls-
| fed that the expenses of the government
of this city can be greatly reduced Wlth-
oiIt interference with efficiency.
The growth of expenditure has tar out
| run increase in population ana ratapies:
| You should abolish every sinecure anu
Sc that the city receives from s rs +saar sili5
| would have to render to private employ-
| crs The cost of every department should
| | . rendered The custom mas BToNil VI tp-
plying to the Legislature to fix minimum
iigures for the salaries Of pubic olncers-
Than this nothing can be more unWiss-
/, Every city should be allowed to deter
| mine, through its municipal officers, what
| salaries shall be paid. A CONSIDERATION
of the statutes, passed for the purpose OF
taking from our municipal government
power to regulate its own expenses, SHOWS
that if economy is to be effected these
statutes must be disregarded. | therefore
suggest that in fixing the above appro-
priations for any department you deter
mine fully considering the burden of our
public debt, the amount of money with
which an economical Board, desirous OF
advancing none but the common interests,
can have performed the duties of its de-
| partments. Appropriate this. and let
statutory restrictions be made a matter
to friction with other departments the
result will nevertheless be beneficial 10
the people, who have recently demanded
in very certain tones that the costs of our
municipal government be decreased.
1t has been generally announced il the
public press that the Legislature of 1897
to be received by Jersey City this year
from the taxation of railroad and canal
property. This is not true. What the
Legislature did was to give us stones in
stead of bread, and the receipt of even the
pittance granted by Chapter 50 of the
Laws of 1897 will not come this year, as
Der, 1897. This means that the first
money under this act viii not be received
by Jersey City until after the. first. of
make the appropriation for 1S97-9S as
though this act had not been passed.
The appropriations for your own Board
cannot be greatly reduced. but some re-
duction can be well effected by careful
revision. During the past three years
extra counsel. These could have been
saved. I find that. last year. and during
several previous, your Board and other
Boards frequently violated the law in the
following manner
The annual Appropriations are made for
the fiscal year commencing December l.
To pay out of any annual appropriation
any claim for materials furnished or SER
vices rendered, in the ordinary manage
meat of city affairs during the previous
fiscal year is crime for which severe
penalty is fixed by statute. Disregarding
this statute it has grown almost to be
custom to exhaust appropriations con-
tinue to contract indebtedness and pay
the claims out of next years approprla-
tions. In view of the fact that the doing
of Just this thing has been held indictabie
by the higher courts of the State. and that
its doing must have attracted the atten-
ton of d properly managed law depart
ment I am surprised that the practice
has been SO long continued ExamlnaCon
having disclosed the offence l am IN
doubt as TO my duty in the premises II
it had occurred it would be clear that 1t
was my duty to take steps toward the
removal of the officials who voted for
Sucn Illegal QdyIIlSillS- DAl WilCtbSA tAie.e
has been done is to be reviewed or not,
the practice must stop. The government
must each year be run WITHIN tne ap-
preparation for that year and 1t VIII pe
nv duty to interpose a veto TO any
future evasion of the law. Obedlence 70
the law will produce inconvenience TINS
year in at least one department, the ap-
propriation for which is nearly exhausted.
but this does not offer an excuse for
further violation of the statute.
In performing your duty, you VIII Pc
met with the OBSTRUCTION OF JournaIhs,lc In,rs
regret that the present ADMINISTRATION
would not allow sng Tenmeea3fn of that "a ' rate IS
concerned there is not any change IN the
administration"
The same article stated that @ the apppo++ pro-
would have to be largely increased: put
omitted to say that this increase IS de-
manded TO meet the faet lhat iast year ax,
of items to reduce the city debt, the IN
sertion of which is demanded by law.
In the demand ct outlay a. r, Ior city yea IN q
ant. The City Comptroller gives the cost
of improvements made in the five years
ending May 1887 at sas's5Sss Tae as to
s766, 2I4.44. and the Improvement + certiH-
Gates outstanding sum up $652, ,260. 80. 1t is
plain that Of the cost Ct the improve. We
dollar of the amount to be paid by the
city at large has been paid or provided
for. This is not cheering legacy, but it
is one upon which the people must be in
formed Other improvements ordered be-
fore last May will largely increase this
floating Indebtedness, and as these
amounts cannot be put in the tax levy,
1t is evident that to meet expenditures
made during the five years ending May
T. 1897 the bonded debt of the city will
eventually be largely increased.
To find that not a penny of the city's
share of the cost of improvements during
five years has not been paid or provided
for is startling. This could have been
avoided by proper management. There
has not been a levy made in the past five
years in which there have rot been in
cluded unnecessary allowances to the
different departments more than sufficient
floating indebtedness. If improvements
are to continue, and there are many that
seem imperatiyely necessary, we must
learn to pay as we go.
In the performance of your duty in
voiving scrutiny of all claims of other
efficiently aided by consultation with
many private citizens who are largely in
tereSted in our municipal government. 1t
is impossible that you should between
the presentation of estimates and deter
mination, give the careful examination
would therefore be no impropriety in ask
ing the aid of fellow citizens to COM
mittees of whom the. requested appro-
priations might be referred for examina-
tion and report.
If in order to guard the city's credit it
is necessary to insert items omitted from
previous levies, let the fact be frankly
stated SO that the people may know just
how the budget is arrived at I cannot
- - T1<>,r f. 49,