The evening times., 1900-02-09
4 GREAT CITY'S EXPENSES
Over Ninety MilIiDnS included in
New YOrk's 1900 Budget.
Items which swell the Cost of Gov
ernment-Sinecures for Politicians
a Man Paid SG4 "A Month as Tender
OF Draw bridge which Is Never
Opened-SHInry List Well Filled.

expenses VIII De Slt oto.@O4-5f greater tiilS
year than were the running expenses Of
the territory included in Greater New
York during the year preceding consolida-
tion. The excess Of !he cost Of goteru-
ment for three years over the cost in 1897
amounts to S37. .497 .6O2.23.
For paying the expenses Of government
in 1900 the budget provides $9O,77S,SI2lS.
The total amount Of the budgets made in
1897 by the cities. towns, and villages
which were welded into Greater New YOrh
when the charter we0r into effect On jan
uary /. 1898. was S79,4OO, 726.14.
This sum represented the estimated eS-
penses Of the new city on the basis Of what
the cost of the several city. town. and VIII
lage governments had been in the past
The various officials OF these municipal di-
visions who, before consolidation, were
charged with the duty Of providing for the
public expenses were required by law 20
make such provision in 1897 as would be
sufficient TO pay those expenses in 1895 II
there should be no consolidation. They
were required TO proceed as though the
charter had never been passed, and il was
expected that the sums so raised, taken
together, would be sufficient 10 meet the
expenses Of the greater city in the first
year OF lis life
1t has been asserted and generally be-
Iieyed that the cities, towns, and Villages
that we're about tn be merged in New YORK
city kept joAA their estimates 10 some
extent in The nope Of shifting thu ncces-
sity for raising the money upon New York
county. which was looked upon as a DO
nanza bv the outlying districts. II is also
true that the salaries Of some Of the pub
Ic officials which are now paid out Of
taxation were then paid out o. fees.
Allowances for these and similar items
might raise the actual cost OF government
before consolidation TO SIS 900 600. The
figures already given, however. are the on
/ ly official cnes available. and in the alb
sence Of supplementary statements must
be accepted as fairly representing the run
ming expenses Of the FIVE boroughs before
they came under single government.
/ They were used as a basis for action by the
board Of estimate in lSSS.
Even in the first year OF consolidation
! the sum that hat been found sufficient %
meet the needs Of the people before they
became citizens Of Greater New York was
found insufficient Revenue bonds TO the
amount OF S7,175. .S50.SS were issued % be
paid Tor out OF the budget Of 1899.
This table shows the increase in eXpendi-
7 lures year by year. since consolidation
Z took place. assn ming that the disburse-
ments Of 1897 OF which there is no total
record. were practically the same as the
estimates for the following year.
1899, SSG. .344 pills: 1900. 800. as. .s72.4S
While S17.37S. .24634 more will be raised
and spent in 1900 in Greater New York for
public purposes than was raised and spc.it
I in 1897. il does not follow that the entire
amount can be credited TO eNtravagance.
/ On the cOntraTy a very large part OF it
represents the cost or extending 10 tr- 9TH
| er boroughs the methods that were ,sIIow-
| ed in the old city Of New York before tke
other boroughs were joined 10 Manhattan
and the Bronx
Among the more considerable OF the
/ items which have added 10 the cost OF gov
| ernment is the increase in the salaries of
/ the police and street cleaning departments
/ and the advance in the salaries OF their
I employees 10 the Manhattan level. the ex-
! tension Of the courts. the increase IN sink
| ing fund payments for the redemption OF
/ the city debt and the natural Increase in
/ expenses IN proportion with the increase
/ in population.
In Queens before consolidation. there
| were so paid firemel and 100 policemen.
/ There are now S3 iremen and go police
men Formerly the police courts we're
| also civil courts. and many OF them we're
/ Self-5uStdlning. Now the police court at
/ Far RockaWay alone costs about SIG 600 4
/ year, and three new municipal courts have
/ been established.
In one village in Queens the police prior
! to consolidation cost $500 a year. while
now for the same territory the detail costs
| $50, 900 a year
| Extension OF metropolitan machinery Of
| government to the thinly settled districts
/ taken into the city by consolidation has
| furnished q golden opportunity for loading
! the payrOlls with men drawing city sala-
\ ries who have little or nothing TO DO This
/ has been taken advantage Of as fully as the
/ civil service law will allow 90 provide a
! livelihood fOf Political leaders with claims
/ upon the parry IN power A case in point
/ is that OF George + Murray OF Edgemere.
/ l. L. who draws $Cs a month as tender Of
/ a drawbTidEc the draw Of which is never
! opened, owing 10 &c fact that Norton's
| Creek, wiz cH-it spans. IS closed to naviga-
! ton hu.dreds Of such sinecures might
be found in the lis, CT the 40 900 employees
OF the city
But IL Is not in the outlying boroughs
alone that consolidation has been made the
excuse for distributing places Of which the
pay is good and the duties light among
political favOrites. The Municipal COun-
ell which meets once a week. has a force
Of sergeants-at-arms which cost the city
81. 600 a year Michael c. Paddeu, who is
influential in Patrick J. DIVERS district
is the chief sergeant alarms. and his
/ assistants are appOrtiOned between Man
haitian. Brooklyn. Queens. and Richmond
As one or more policemen are always in
attendance when the Council meets, the
need for such a force is hot apparent.
In the departments OF highways. sewers
| bridges, water supply, public buildings
health, and in fact In nearly all the de-
partments OF the city government. are
positions Of a similar character, existing
under the charter and filled by legal ap-
pointment which might be abolished With
out in the least crppling the public ser
vice The complaint among the heads OF
/ the departments. however, IS not that they
/ are too many. but too few TO supply the
| demand and meet the pressure Of the place
/ hunters
] In every department there is a waiting
/ list. and the effort is to keep the salary
list filled without exceeding the appropri-
alton rather than to save money by dis
| missing employees simply because there
/ happens to be nothing for them to do.
OPPOSING oLNEY'S BOOM.