New-York tribune., 1908-06-06
THE CONTROLLERS FORECAST.

Controller Metzs figures put forth yester-
day as a warning TO the Board of Estimate
and Apportionment To be careful about appro-
priationS wear the aspect of another demon
stration that the city has no money for subway
building The board which has already voted
for the construction of the Broadway and
Lexington avenue line and the Fourth avenue
(Brooklyn) line, will shortly have before it the
question of appropriating funds for this years
work on the Brooklyn contracts. Under these
circumstances the Controller has prepared
figures TO show that the city will have demands
upon it, without undertaking any new project.
i'm the next two years aggregating twice what
il will he able To borrow in that time. Accord
ing to tho Controller. provision will have TO he
made for various work which the city has in
hand or must undertake during the coming
two years to the amount of about Sll5.Ooo,oo.
In addition to this. unforeseen demands occur
annually 10 the amount of S100ooG0. so that
S2noa00G0 must be added. making total of
S1S5 100000 In the next Two years the citys
borrowing capacity will increase only about
S7onotsf0 Therefore without making any
allowance for subway construction the city will
he able TO appropriate only half the sums
needed 10 carry on all these necessary works.
The Controllers statement may prove that
il is impossible for the city tn undertake sub
way building. for it is a pretty portentous
showing of the extent TO which the board or
Estimate hy IFS extravagance has disposed of
the city's borrowing capacity for years TO come;
but it does not Justify the administration in its
past policy of not providing for suhways. Who
viii say that all of these things for which MIR.
Metz declares provision will he necessary are
imneratively needed while s1lhways not!
Fifty millions in Mr. MetzS statement. are to
he provided for public buildings of one sort
another in the next two years. Is oil of
that expense of such character thst the city.
being under compulson TO economize some
where, should 60 without subways rather than
without some of these buildings or rather thar
have them constructed on less elaborate and
expensive scale? Fourteen millions are pro
Tfded in Mr. Metz'S statement for bridge con-
struciion. Are all these expenditures Of such
a character that ma iority Of the citizens
would agree that they Indispensable while
suhways can wait: The street and park opening
requirements for the two years amount TO S22.-
100000 Is it imperative that streets and parks
in the suburbs should he opened while no way
is being provided for reaching those sections:
These items alone amount tn SS65O00H of the
S115!0o0G00 which the Controller specifies. Is
it clear that they or the other calls for S2S,
100000 are of such a character that the public
would agree that the Board of Estimate was
justified in providing for them and leaving the
city without subwayS?
The administration has known all along that
under the law the city would have no subways
unless it kept margin Of funds available for
their construction. No doubts that the
Board Of Estimate has spent the city's money
and effectively disposed of its credit for years
to come. Mr. ATetzs figures are not necessary
10 prove that. but that is all they DO prove.
For any other purpose they are no more CON
vincing than the accounts of a spendthrift who
hv showing YOU his champagne bills seeks to
prove that he Is too poor 10 pay his rent