New-York tribune., 1908-02-06
COMBINATION PROCEEDINGS.

Controller Metz. in his letter TO the Governor,
rails attention once again 10 condemnation pro
ceaiinys one of many elaborate devices for
making government honest at whatever cost
Condemnation proceedings were invented 10
safeguard the public treasury. Under them
simple stealing by collusi0n between the pur-
chasing official and the political real estate
dealer is impossible August representatives ot
the law interp0se themselves between buyer and
seller Hearings innumerable are held by com
mssioners of incorrigihle patience. and into each
transaction the full light of publicity is let for
q period varying from months to a decade. En-
perts testify with infinite detail. and elaborate
and endless precautions are pursued TO cuaran-
tee that the transaction is open and aboveboard
We pay very handsomely for this careful pro
lection against colusi0n-SO handsomely, n
fact that we are often moved TO wonder that
our ancestors thought ii was worth while to
abolish stealing n so tremendous cost. How
great it is the Charter Revision Commission :
report tells in some detail The cost Of pro-
cecdincs 10 acquire land for street opening pur-
poses has recently been 30 per cent Of the value
Of the land taken. The cost of proceedings to
take title 10 lands needed for the extension of
the water supply system averaged from 1898 10
1903 more than - per cent of the value of the
lands while the cost of proceedings TO obtain
same period was 81 per cent. The cost Of con
dernning park lands is also high. bat that Of
condemning other lands for general city pur-
poses. especially such plots as have few owners.
has been comparatively moderate. It would.
therefore. he unfair 10 assume that the con
demnation of the S100000o00 worth of real
estate whose purchase. according 10 the Con
trolIer the municipality has now under consid-
Grafton would cost about SD 0O00fO. but if
considerable portion Of the lands IS in the water
supply district or consists of park lands or is
required for street openings the expense viii
mount toward that imposing figure.
Now. If this expense We're saved through
lowering of the price paid by the city for real
estate no one would have cause for complaint.
but when the figures examined It becomes
evident that nothing is saved. The extent to
which the city is mulcted in its real estate pur-
chases is notorious. In the Riverside Drive
extension the commissioners award was 81
oe0.Oo0 a sum so scandalOusly high that the city
forced a reduction 10 100000. It is not often
SO fortunate. When the operation Of the system
is examined # discloses why. in spite Of its ex-
pense. il affords the city little protection from
eXtorrion- Without condemnation proceedings
lands would be sold directly by Tammany men
out Of office to Tammany men in office. obviously
with great opportunities for collusion. The con
demnation proceeding. however practically only
inTerp0SeS Tammanv Intermediates between the
Tammany buyer and the Tammany seller. in
theory" says the Charter Revision Commission
the judges appoint commissioners who must be
entirely disinteresfed. In fact the commission
'ers are generally appointed from lists prepared
by some city or political authority" They
have friendly political relations with those who
have the land FOR sale. They have the custom
airy Tammany notion that the city can afford 10
pay handsomely for what il buys from Tam
many. The appraisers whom they call 10 testify
come from the region where the property is sit
uated- They are generally Tammany men per
haps friends of the Tammany owners: AT anv
rate. they have 4 local interest in seeing thai
tn sale does not injure land values in the neigh
horhood by establishing price below that fixed
by speculative holders thereabouts. We paw an
absurd and ruin0uS price for the services of this
wolf who guards our sheepfod. but his right TO
exercise his unnatural protection is fixed in the
state constitution.