The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-08-19
Mayor Hoos Emphasizes the
Weak Spot in Our Fl
nanciaI System.
LETTER TO THE FINANCIERs
Bitter Replies to the Points
Made in Answering His
First Communication.
FUTURE TAXATION MoRTGAGED
Why Sinking Fund Securities Are
saleable at Par-More About
Salary Reduction.
FUTURE TAXATION MoRTGAGED

Mayor Hoos sent to the Finance Board
this morning another long communication
criticizing the financial policy OF the
Board 1t was sent in yesterday and was
opened and read by Clerk Martin f1nck-
President H Brautigam and Commission
ers Simpson. Kellers and Midlige were
present The communication is as 1oi-
lows
August IA, 1897.
To the Honorable the Board of Finance
Gentlemen-In letter Of the second in
stant, four members OF your Boaru sisSf of
my communication dated July a. Inc
only lines in that communication lldt WI
support the assertion that II WAS na s a,s' 81
with partisanship are those in which com,
nent was made upon the unsupporleu
claim that this city had been well govern
Vote considerable space to the fact that
my immediate predecessor Qld not GnaAs1
the political complexion OF your boaru'
The record supports this assertion You
give as the reason that ne aHoWeu -. -
perience and not polities 70 pc 1ns Mss paSi fhis
the reason that my ''immediate prede-
cessor'' refused to reappoint Mr. warren n
is E generally Hsii credited that these gentlemen:
both of them experienced and trustworthy
in the highest degree, Were not reap
water contract, subsequently declared red
Illegal by the Supreme Court. AS the
terms Of two members OF your Boara 3a q eha he
regretted that my Immediate pfede-
cessor" did not pay more heed to the The; Re re- :
as it did a demand that the manner Of
governing this city should be changed.
The campaign was conducted on open
lines. 1t was charged that the manage,
ment of the city was extravagant ana
that its fiscal policy was not SOUND. both
these charges were true ana @ the r,na reag- ~
after the election, was simply declara-
ton that the policy DENOUNCED should be be
Of the Whole, printed as an accompani;;
ment to your letter, you say AS a Board
and as individuals the welfare Of the city
joy Now, it is part of the imperfection
Of mortals that when they gave upon oa
their y0s Spesa With Pga are 50 ant 20 be
little blind to its faults. My wish is that
might join in the crowning OF your
your Board had done nothing praise
worthy in many years. You have paid no
regard to the cries of a burdened people,
and when you are called to account you
charge that the call is the voice of parti-
sanship. You say that you have done
fI9 Of record and LEI chalienge M You to produce
from the minutes of your Board, single
resolution showing that you have ever ad,
l.
that the city had been robbed right and
left. you would have been indignant.
did not say it + + limited il the hint was
If you want to know just what could
have been said. call your attention to
the first column of the Evening Journal
of the 4th instant. where it is charged
that your management has not been
proper basis for unbounded Joy and
pride. Alludingxt to- the criminal prac-
tices in the matter of awarding contracts
that paper says:-s1y
.-rhe old methods by which favorite
for supplies, although they were not the
lowest bidders, are of long standing
Heroic measures, it is claimed. must be
fourished under Mayor Cleveland, they
thrived under Mayor Wanser's admins
tration. and they are now trying to per-
The city's treasury has leaked long
enough, and there iS 2 popular demand
for the eradiction Of the evils that are
No half way remedies are likely to meet
the requirements of the hour.
rroaned and wared na aboa
the makeup of the budget and the gem
eral order goes forth, that the appropria-
cut down The Boards great desire
seems to be to keep the levy at as lew a
figure as possible. In declalming against
missioners seem to have overlooked the
holes through which the city's money
has flowed steadily all tfie year round. only
vored contractors and corrupt officials.
Thousands of dollars might have been
apeq u acd so c an eae pase cnnoy u ,mls
In July had been just little more rigid
during the remaining eleven months of
the year."
You will note that this article is taken
from the columns of a paper which is
ever deslrous of presenting the side most
favorable. to the Tate admins tration .
valuable series, exhibiting the work
which has received your concurrenees.
You say, Our experience in this Board
has shown US that while it is usual for
the disgruntled critics to tear down, it
has always beeF the province OF the Off
r. 1'e facts and gures et a
suggest that you confine your Joy" re-
press your pride ard devote a few days
you seem to have builded up is the tax
rate. YOU devote a couple of newspa-
per columns to telling how the tax rate
Tax Commissioners fix the rate. and that
all you have to dol is to fix the appro-
priations You say With t the tax r rate e
without sense. You fix the tax rate when
you. say how much money is to be ex-
pended IN the next fiscal year: The Tax a,
clerical. They divide the budget by the
clerical They devide the budget by the
found total of ratables, and If you can
throw the blame on them, they can throw
it upon their clerks. who as they make
out the tax bills, are the proximate cause
of woe to the tax payer.
You defend the manner In which prop
erIy Is assessed. and say that values have
not been inflated toi keep down the. tax
made by the assessment of new buildings.
Let me suggest that you pass resolu-
ton asking the Tax Commissioners - to
ing how much OF the increase of ratables
between 1872 ana 1913 is e be credited