New-York tribune., 1909-04-02
NEW CHARTER FOR CITY
J. HAMPDEN DOUGHERTY
EXPLAINS FEATURES.
He Says Manhattan Pays Many Of
the Bills for the Other
Boroughs.
THIRD ARTICLE.l
By J. Hampden Dougherty. a Member of the Charter
,iEsiOU

By J. Hampden Dougherty a Member of the Charter
Commission
Is greater New York a unified city fedora
ton of cities? be five cities, city, each
separate city ought to pay its The vote
for consolidation vote for a unified city The
charter trainers Of 1897 declined 10 accept "the
proposition strongly urged from one locality that
every borough should elect its own commissioner Of
public works who should have control and be
responsible for public work of all kinds within the
limits Of the borough. :" II would mean dis
integration, consolidation.
But. unfortunately. the Charter Conlmission OF
1900. yielding to decentralizing sentiment each
borough the right to elect its commissioner of
public works under the title of borough president
it committed another grave error in giving borough
presidents seats in the Board of Estimate and Ap
portionment. thus making money spenders money
appropriations. This vicious doctrine has no de-
tenders in the present commission and has
friends even among the borough newspapers. A
minority of the present commission believe that
the commissioner of public works should be bor
ough president, elected in his locality: the
jority believe that he should be appointed by the
Mayor and be removable at the latters pleasure
This is not question Of sentiment rather of
borough politics-falsey called home rule. Those
who want home rule should pay their bills.
The younger sisters in the partnership. who came
Into the new city without any dowry whatever.
have benefited at Manhattan's expense Unless
they are prepared to be pecunarily independent OF
their wealthy sister. the less said home rule
the better.
SOME STUBBORN FACTS
In deciding between so-called autonomous. but
highly prodigal government and government by
commissioner directly responsible 10 the Mayor
consider these facts:
First-In 1907 BROOKLYN the home Of ultra-au-
tonomous sentiment contributed $4,000 TO taxes
against SL644ooO contributed by Manhattan. but
received through the budget for current expenses
and maintenance more than double the amount of
her frfh In -0pa0.
Of a budget Of 1856. Oo000, but paid taxes only
about S3.00O0. AS Controller Metz declares
Richmond gets s. for every dollar # pays into the
city treasury. The citys loss in the operation OF
the ferry to Staten Island is about equal 10 tho
city's revenue from Richmond's taxes Both
Queens and The Bronx are vast gamers by con-
solidation. II the Borough President system has
proved failure II does not lie with boroughs
which profit by the system to insist upon its con
tinuance unless they prepared to guarantee
that it will be Improbable Manhattan OF the
city at large.
Second-Borough maladninistration has been al
most universal. Richmond being about the only ex-
cepton. In the last five years the judgments paid
by the city OF New York at large for damages BY
the overflow OF sewers in the Borough Brooklyn
amounted TO S5ssof7 ls The Judgments paid by the
city in 1908 for personal injury claims due neg
lgence in Tat borough amounted to s47527 p
These figures, which taken from the Control
Ier's records will give idea OF what the whole
city Is paying for borough autonomy in Brooklyn.
II maladminstratlon involve the city Ia heavy
judgments for defective sidewalks distractions
and unguarded openings IN streets and for
flowed sewers. the Mayor should De able TO get
rid OF the official wrongdoer the borough itself
should pay all such judgments OF its
property and not put the expense upon the city
purse.
OTHER BOROUGHs EXPENSIVE.
Third-The Borough Presidents oflces have been
making borough maps FOR years past expense
in some instances OF upward OF S.0Joc00. yet the
maps complete. Some idea OF the OF
the borough system may be CLEANED from the fol-
lowing table compiled from The city Record.
which shows how much it costs to
Borough Presidents office in Brooklyn. Queens or
The RronN fhan Il dog In Manhattan