New-York tribune., 1908-03-20
METZ EXPLAINS AGAIN.
Combats Storm of Kisses Before
Brooklyn Iudience.

IF tho PEOPLE Of :iis city are Wiling l" haHe '0
surplus sinking fund revenues invested IN suoM~s ~
contract bonds said Controller Metz d ft"Spe''
Han Tsroosiy-n last night. This would yield many
millions annually that now go TO the reoucSoi u
taxation. II 5ust as well To can your ''''eii'
TO the fact that using sinking fund revenues i'i
,he reduction os taxation is in mind q 7uo'ei-
fuge for deluding the people as 10 the reh Sost
of 4re;r government. II .hese funds are used ior
subway construction we can go right ahe"o Oh SeN
oral lines at the time. but II must oe p"i''V
in mind that the amounts used. 1T taken hoii
,he general fund. will have to be raised IN taxes
annually and in the last analysis it is the tax
paver and rentpayer who has 10 pay Tor every
dollar that IS spent by the city
Tho meeting was called by the Business Men
and the West End boards of trade, representing me
,, ;,,,o-ests of the south Brooklyn and sub
,,r,an sections that will profit by the proposed
Fourth avenue subway
The first speaker on the list Borough Presi-
dent Bird s Colcr. He demanded that me 'u"e
he constructed. and produced figures TO sho" 'hat
The city had more money than it could ueceli'H
,,se and needed 2 proper investment for the sur
lalusagc He said that Brooklyn was always 'eihS
sighted any way. and THAI New Jersey was s'oN
ing up into 4 rival that threatened to give bioof
1,n = hard rarl to save reputation as the city
Of hones and churches He said that the ci'H
po,,la have a borrowing capaoity Of &9t"t."" III
the corning wear and could build all the suo"a|S
needed.
Mr. Metz came last. and it Was iminea2'ei! oieat
that iae was facing hostile audience. ailef d
fe1c minutes however. The cheering drowned ont
..ec. misses and the Controller began his talk Al
various stages be declared that he was foF ti'e
building of the Fourth avenue subway ana had
always been fer il The crowd replied;
Hot &i-. Hos air.
Among other things he said:
When few weeks ago. The asi;2iion III IN IN,
l,ronx for = new subway the East Side 10 coSt
<67 asaee became acute and demonStiauNt, $50 sa1S
thai the city had not the nlargin to authoIiL Sui
a contract besides it pledged I" the on ~ -.
avenue subway; thai that snoui9 9e i marks
TIC Mayor. at that meeting of the Board o. f-S.i
,e1tifv to the Fourth avenue subway CONTRACT:
which amounted to se3,efft@o toid MIN - No, !,
Iaren on > - .',eSar,- improvements such
a schools etc. TO be taken care o.. coo oo,
never said or could have said. that the S-soJY, ~,
asa lad been appropriated, and any one who Gd
So 50 did not krow what ne was talking abou !;
einlplv said that the money was a' -,
it was available to octobef When ,iI e1rrfu a. in
heads Of departments and borough pieSi''7 "
Istaad ,f observing the Mayors requests and
my warnings within thirty days over $1,000 g t OF
contracts were piled Up IN my my a for NOT certi-
circumstances the people living in the
5ist-ir5s which are affected by either the sun
g., rorteS or ct her lines also nave SOIL IlSi
and tbcre has not been day on which h;tle ;to'
=, leaet one delegation from some such localtl'
asking TO pass some contract i"i '-'' P
Di Then is no use quoting figures to-njeht light, f 9o
,-carzinr Won with statistics Simply want ~
Iol ven tonight where stand ana tt Hpn - ~
self without regard to what olleIS nc H,o,,,e
,,,,,r,-- I repCat tonight what Sald lTeNIotlSs
fha1 under existing condlilonS lo me ~ si,.-ay
register a contract for the fo1fih a VENUE
ar any other subway. in lis entirety -, -,,,a
When the contracts for the otIi -, =, ~,
,rarror- I shall move. l did last fi-9da. tii =
i,a.- he referred committee collSls sliiE 80
- ,-an,roiIer Corporation Counsel and ciltL
engineer os the board. for the purpose oI ~" s II !
,llera considered and reported upon 80 l1i - a !
srs concerned | viii vote 10 approve tltS ~,
o. sections immediate construction W., - 81 y
me the best interests OF 1i,S -
81 large and the section 10 be oeIeH%.tu, oeIite,H % 81 81
are now or VIII ~,
80 r. 1,lly under the constitutional llinl a
Ions as that limit may be determined pH @ ue
enra1 a3,-borfties of the city. and VIII con
10 vote 50 long in once Tor ne Sl t,eil
contracts for such routes aS MAY ~ H,iI
'.,-+r-1eIioD IN make them complete ard aEali-
.l,le for service at the earliest possloie ud.e;
,,l,ieb means fuat work shall never cease uIlt'I
nc largest available amount shall nave htti P..a
aside every year for that purpose at.H H"u az
-art,rallv riding through the entlre route.