The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-10
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JOHN G. FISHER,

G1orIy
Preferred to the Committee on Finance.l
From the Board Of Street and Water
Commissioners
Resolution adopted Nov. %, 1888, order
ing paid certain claims.
Referred to the Committee on Concur
rent Resolutions)
From The Mayor
The following communication, presented
nv His Honor the Mayor, was received
and referred to the COMMITTEES of the
Whole, on the motion q Mr.. M-dlige;@
| To the Honorable the Board of Finance.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES the charter Of this
city, the fiscal year commences on the
! first day of December The tax levy i5
made ia July. These two facts, while
well known, have u bearing upon the re-
~sponsibility of the Mayor, who is charged
with the duty Of appointing the members
Of your Board, except the ex-officio mem
Der. tina is not often considered. For
nearly a year the Evening Journal Of
ibis city has devoted q great deal or us
more or less yaluable space to crying that
the expenses of the city government have
Increased under the present administers
ton. It has insisted that the cost OF city
government has been greater than It was
under my immediate predecessor. In its
issue of the 18th inst, that paper says:--
THE present city government spends
about S5G0.GVg q year more than its prede-
cessor did" That statement is not true
| and its partisan utterance by the Jour-
nal' would be unworthy Of serious at
tention if confined to Jersey City only.
But there is another aspect of the case:
The statements of this paper are copied
by othess, in ana out OF the state, ana
the effect is injurious to the reputation
of our city. This fact is sufficient 10
justify me, IN behalf of the city, to take
exception 10 such untrue and reckless
statements. ! took Office in May. 1897,
Tn tax levy for the year ending De-
cember !, 1897, was made by q Board of
Finance appointed by the Hon. F. 2.
Office Of Mayor. He approved the budget.
The lax levy for the year ending De-
cember i, 1898. vas made by a Board of
Finance appointsd1, with = a,s sln aftb keep
Der, Mr.. Midlige, voted against the
budget.
every appropriation fixed for each and
every department of the city government
from the day / took office until the fist
day of next month vas liked ana appEo5
priated by a Board of Finance appolrted
by Mi. Wanser. The amount that can
be expended by the city Boards fixed and
limited by the Board Of Finance, ana tne
prIation ct which can be charged against
the present administration viii be ex-
Penoe ses 9a 1I Is wrong = but It exists. It
viii. also be seen that if it was true that
the city had been expanding S500,000 a year
more thar it did prior to May, 1897, II
would have been doing so under the d.
rection ard control of those who We're ap-
pointed to your Board by my predecessor.
The tax levy recently sent to the isisy
Collector. and now in process of ~:ollec-sI
ton is the first one made by this admin
istration The amount Of money eN-
Thursday was placed by. the law be-
yorld my control. My only power has
been to see that it was not illegally ex-
pended. This ! have done, giving e rs
detail oil disbursement the same care and
attention that q prudent man gives TO 5le
incidentais Of his private business. TIE
total amounts to be expended by the Gift
ferenf denartments being beyond my cons
troll, / have had only 10 secure 70 the
cir3 good weight and measure for g = ere in1e
ings Of the tax levy made TO support tie
government during the fiscal year ending
December Il i 1899 ssna ! am Wllling 70 Was sne ere
acted on lines of economy, and its oliy.
points of increase are in the mater OF
of debts Incurred under previous dmin
istratiors. To those who object to the
increase for educational purposes ! have
to offer neither excuse ner sympathy ms
Investments are good ones and the. diyi-
bends will be IN the shape Of sound citl~
zenship. -
that the cost Of the city government
since May. 1897, has increased $500,0o0 a
wear would be chargeabls, if true, to the
administration whose Apprentices, MAGE
fhe tax 1evies of 1867 and 1878, it might
serve a partisan purpose to agree with
the Journals statement. But that
statement is SO wholly devoid Of truth
that it deserves contradiction by every
honest citizen. While / protested, be-
fore my election, against the levy OF
1867, and refused to approve. of the
| did so because they were not, IN my
opinion, drawn on the best possible lines
st economy: tb ho e say ina, saysr rney 1neT TsM aa
& year wouiH be to brand as criminal the
Gentlemen Wtn made thpsa leYies. This
The ..Joaarnaia has gong. ign q a.l Is over a
true. It would be a reflection only upon
the administration of the Mayor who APP