New-York tribune., 1910-07-28
CANCELLED METZ ORDERS
Controller Prendergast Demands
$4,000, and Not $33,5 800.
HITS FIVE CORPORATIONS
Metz Disclaims Responsibility
Approval Only Given by
Law Clerk.

Orders issued by Controller Metz FOR tne
settlement of taxes. assessments ana "ate'
rents amounting to about HH,eee, WIN HI
! tarest, were cancelled yesterday by Con
troIler Prendergast. Controller Metz nae
agreed to accept s33, SIS Sc for the city IL
| these cases. Controller PrenAergast yester'
! day said he could fiud no legal or equiIaoie
/ justification for the settlements made by ms
/ predecessor.
| Documents on file in the Finance Depart'
| ment according to the Controller ONCE
| do not show that these cases ana the ofuSi
/ relating to settlement made by Metz were
passed on, either by the legal deputy OF
/ the chief of the law and adjustment
| m1reau When the doubts harbored by
/ Controller Prendergast were called to MI
Metz,s attention q short time before he
went to Europe, he practically threw W
! his hands.
| IF there is anything irregular IN any OF
| these papers, wrote Mr. Metz, or any
| others q beg of you to disregard my sig
nature entirely, because my approval OF
| them was only formal.
| "If there is any one who directly or tnd1-
| rectly secured my approval of any ques-
| tionabe transaction. l trust you WIZ see
! to it that the matters are Withheld ana
those who may possibly be guilty of having
done anything of the kind be summary
dealt with.
Must Pay in Full.
The nronertv owners who got these favor
| able settlements from Controller Metz were
the brighton Pier and Navigation Com
psnv. the Prospect Park & Ceney Island
Railroad the New. York, Brooklyn & Man
haitian Beach Railway, the Brighton Beacn
Racing Associa ton and the a. c. Sehlenhser
COMPANY q realty concern. They nave
been notified by Controller Prendergast thaI
they will be called ON to pay the amounts
held to be due TO the city in full, with &C
crued interest. less the sums paid unoer
the order of settlement issued BY Metz'
The Brighton Pier and Navigation Com
pany owed the city A9497 0S for taxes, Wltn-
out interest, Settlement in this case was
made by Controller Metz under an op'H'oli
from the Corporation Counsel. put thers
we're no opinions in the other cases, as re-
ouired by Law. Metz settled the clry S claim
for 81 COS 80 on December 80. 1898.
In the case of the Prospect Park & Iofley
Island Railroad Company there were two
orders of settlement. one March IS, 1863, Tor
taxes water rents and assessments aggre-
eating $1,000 q. settled for 1855 II; the
second. supplernenting the first, for s1.54 s.,
settled for SIP a.
Petition Not Sworn Ic.
Taxes assessments and water rents
against the Brighton Beach Racing Asso-
ciation asgregating ST. ass 50 were settled on
September II 1909, for ss,727 80. The asso-
ciation was represented in the case by
William \. Engenan. who, it would seem
from the documents. declined to swear 10
the petition.
The settlement IN favor of the a. (
Schieltnger Company was for taxes, assess
ments and water rents amounting TO 80
a7e 4s The settlement, made on October II,
1909 was for S56l9 L.
Investigation in the Finance Department
by Controller Prendergast showed that the
only approval given to these settlements
came from c. s. Wilmington. law clerk,
who had no authority to pass on the docu-
ments. Mr.. Prendergast is sure neither
DEPUTY Controller y. Taylor Philips nor
jeremiah T Mahoney. chief Of the law and
.44,,etn,an+ bureau. was consulted by Con
troller Metz regarding these cases