New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-11-30
THE LEGISLATIVE TNQUIRY.


The legislative commission which is 10 begin
tomorrow an investigation of the cifys finances
has before II task Of alnost endless variety.
There are great many different aspects of the
nrohIem The running expenses Of the city may
be examined into in diversity of ways in order
10 find out how muCa the city is getting TOT the
money it spends for administration and main
tenance The municipal debt may he taken up
in order 10 ascertain how much Of the money
that is supposed to have been spent upon per
manent improvements has been wasted. the
Tribune has recently shown enormous waste on
the Greensboro Bridge: how much Of the $780,
100000 recently added TO the city debt has SINH
lsrlv gone for nothing through mismanagement:
Of that debt moreover how much has actually
gone into pern1a nent improvements and how
much has been expended upon what are properly
running expenses? These are the larger aspects
OF the problem How much more is II costing TO
run the city than il ought 10 cost if the govern
ment were economically administered How
much greater is tae actual cost than the ap-
parent cost through the use of corporate stock
TO pay running expenses? How much more do
rbe permanent investments Of the city cost than
they ought to cost: And what is the existing
state of tie city's fnances-the claims outstand-
ing against it and the demands which will be
made upon it in the next few years. with the
prospects Of meeting them?
These are large questions and it is certain
that no legislative investigation, unless very
protracted and thorough. could produce an ade-
quate answer. The utmost which is TO be ex-
pected is that the present investigation will
bring out facts bearing upon all of them which
will give the public further light. The COM
mission is reported to be intending an inves-
tigation into the cost of city supplies and the
cost of purchasing land under condemnation
f:,l ardi mo
which the production of additional facts will be
easy 1t will probably not be difficult TO show
that the citys supplies cost not far from twice
as much as they should and that land bought
under condemnation costs at least twice as much
as it ought TO. Reform in the methods of buy
ing 9th land and supplies will be comparatively
easy 10 suggest. But the supplies bought are
only a fraction of the budget and the cost Of
land purchased is only small part of the city
debt. SO if thoroughgoing reform were &C
complished in both particulars tie city would be
only slightly better off. To investigate these
TWO sources Of waste is merely TO scratch the
surface.
A very large part of the budget goes to pay
wages and there is undoubtedly just much
waste there as in the purchasing Of supplies and
of land. There is need Of an examination that
will show how tae city can be administered
with a third fewer employees. The relation Of
the city to contractors needs illumination. The
contractor apparently has as much to say about
the way in which city work is 10 be done and
how much it shall cost as the city officials them
selves. Then there is the combination Of con
tractors which puts in fake bids and the politi-
cal contractor with a pull-doubtlesS taken al
together they are as greac source OF waste as
is the purchase of land and supplies.
There is also The question whether the public
accounts tell the truth not. Is the city'S
financial condition favorable even as il APP
pears on the surface: No one knows what the
city debt is. That is admitted Does any one
know that the city meet the bills which,
through past extravaganza are going to be pre-
scented against it: Does any one know that its
money has gone for the purposes for which it is
said to have gone: There is constant tempta-
ton for the municipal administration to keep
down its apparent running expenses. To what
extent is the citys present inability 10 pay for
Subways and other needed improvements due 10
the use of its borrowing capacity for current ex-
penditures: Have funds raised for one object
been borrowed" and expended others: To
answer all these questions in detail would take
months Of work. but il is TO be hoped that the
present inveStig cation will be sufficiently general
to throw little light upon them all