The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-09-18
HARVESTING CITY BUDGETS TOuPLIFT WORK
How is Our Money Spent? More Important Municipal Question Than "Who Is Spending Itg''-New York ssShort Cut'' Model for Civic Reforners Elsewhere

taking the stitch in time that saves nine by showing that a. day of intelli- gent talk about city expenditures in October before the annual budget is voted is worth more than a month of indignation the following January or July They are harnessing the city's millions to their mites in the fight for health, cleanliness, safety and equal opportunity. What they are attempt ing for New York city can be done for any city and will be done, too, wherever a few interested citizens ask officials to give them the knowledge about budget plans which is now ob- tainab1e in New York.
 If you want to study in detail how New York city's officials take our pub lie into their confidence, perhaps your own Mayor or Comptroller or editor can tell you. The Bureau of Munici- pal Research New York city will be glad to answer questions from officials or Chambers of Commerce or editors. If you are a social worker, or trustee of a benevolent society, you would do well to ask Michael M. Davis secre- tary, 1O5 East 22d street, New York, to tell you how the 1910 Budget Confer ence is stirring up and. expressing the agencies.
 But in your own home, you can do more good by asking few questions of your city officials than if you were lO eluOW d pT1VdIe nOSp1Idl.
 l. When is your budget, or annual expense bill, voted? It is surprising how many good people fancy that money is voted when they pay their tax bill. The time to settle the amount Of your tax bill and the good and bad things it shall pay for, is be- fore the budget is voted.
 2. Do your city officials write out a careful explanation of the purposes for which they ask funds? Probably not. In many places they say ''miscellan- eous' or health or schools In New York city they say, "to stop tuberculosis in tenements-to cure tuberculosis in hospitals-to inspect dafries-to run the division of child hygiene-to maintain an out-of-door school for consunptive children, or children predisposed to tuberculosis.
 3. Do your officials tell what was spent for each purpose last year? This is your short cut to knowledge of new things undertaken or extensions of old work.
 4. Do your officials show salary in creases requested? Probably not. You will never take much interest un- less budget estimates tell which sa1ar- ies are to be increased. You can then ask why. When trying to get a med ical inspector for school children, you may want to show that it is far more important, to have this officer to help a thousand children than to increase the salaries of ten clerks. Or you may be able to convince your town that cheap service in a tenement de- partment isn't necessary, if salary in creases are refused for stenogTaphers of the departments who are already receiving $1,500 or $2,000.
 5. Do your officials print budget es- inmates in advance? Probably not. Only one or two citizens can study estimates if they are not printed. The two budget committees above re- ferred to can get reprints of all the more important estimates to take home for study. They plan particu- larly to study the ''sociaI service items. There will be no excuse this year in New York for writing letters to officials full of guess-work, because facts are at hand.
 G. Do your officials explain and de- fend their requests in public? In