New-York tribune., 1907-01-08
THE MAYORS MESSAGE.

Mayor McClellan's annual message TO the
Board OF Aldermen is. in the main, summary
of the work done last year In the various mu-
nicipal departments. Yet ii contains not a few
recommends tions of general interest. The city's
activities are enlargng yearly. its investments
are rapidly increasing and its debt Is growing
even faster than its debt paying capacity. The
tendency Of the times is all toward an expan-
sion of municipal functions and new expert
ments in public ownership of public utilities
1t is evident therefore. that the standard of
administration should be raised and the munich
pal service be put on more efficient basis.
Mr.. Mcclellan believes that though the city's
budget must continue to Increase the field
Of municipal operations widens 1t Is still pos
sbe TO effect a material reduction In the cost
OF administration by abohshing useless offices
and equalizing compensation. The various city
departments. like the departments at Washing
ton, have developed more or less at random
without any check on the duplication OF work
or the arrangement OF salaries. Special legis-
lation has been procured to fit individual cases.
and salaries have never been duly standardized
The Mayor is right in urging a revision OF the
pay list which will bring all the departments
into harmony, fix definitely the status Of all
employees and put end to the abuse Of carry
ing extra appointees in grades III which the
number Of appointments is limited by law
thorough reorganization and reclassifcation
Of the municipal service.
Another suggestion will appeal to the tmag-
ination and stir the gratitude of every New
Yorker who has suffered the plague-lasting
from three months to fifteen months-of mining
operations conducted under his front windows
The constant tearing up Of the streets IS one
of the heaviest crosses which resident OF
this city is called upon to bear, and with the
multiplication Of wires. pipes and conduits re-
quired by modern city life, the installation and
repair Of underground conveniences by opera
tions from the surface have become almost
intolerable nuisance Mayor Mcclellan ad
vances the idea that It will be as economical
in the end TO build complete underground streets
through which to carry the sewers water mains.
gas mains and telephone. telegraph and cleo
trct light conduits. Probably, he argues
our present annual repair bill would meet the
interest on the cost Of these subterranean pas
sageways and a device of this kind would
have the enormous benefit of restoring the
upper streets TO cleanliness and sightliness as
well as freeing them for normal uses. Trans
portation is going more and more underground
ard the city of the future is likely to find in
suhcear construction many advantages as
IL has found In the erection Of skyscrapers
AS for our two most battling municipal prob
lemsfor the police force and comfortable
transit-the Mayor notes their existence and
then dismsses them. Probably he saw no point
In inviting the Board OF Aldermen to help solve
them. for we are more likely to have to go
10 Albany for the solution. Governor Hughes
and the Legislature have already taken over
the second problem, and they will shortly be
asked to consider the question of police refor-
nation. The Mayor suggests, finally, that the
city charter be subjected to revision. 1t can
do no harm to have this instrument overhauled
and amended in any respects in which it may
seem obsolete. The Legislature at almost every
session makes some change In It's provisions
AS a whole the charter has worked quite as
well as 1T could have been expected to work
What we really need is a more genuine and
widespread desire to make the most of the
powers of sef-government which we enjoy
under It