New-York tribune., 1910-07-26
The CONTROLLER IS
PAYING OLD BILLS
Half Yearly Statement of City'S
Cash Shows Much Financial
House Cleaning.
TABLES GIVE THE DETAILS
$4,000, 1000 of Land Liza
bilities Settled - Unpaid
Budget Bills Cut
S16,790,s67.

ol11S Sut
s16,79o,s67.
a%cizI figures taken from the cash
,-couuts OF the City Chamberlain sum-
r,srizing the financial transactions of the
ritz treasury for the first six months OF
-he present wear indicate that the new
broom in the Finance Department has
been doing = commendable amount OF
financial house cleaning
Liabilities incurred in previous years
fo- lands required for public purposes to
,he extent of S14oo0Oo0 have been liqui-
dated during the last six months. In
spite Of this large payment. the records
chow that the ordinary work Of carrying
cur permanent improvements during the
hsF@ year was not interfered with
The receipts for permanent improve
ueut purposes, principally from proceeds
of the sale of fifty-year corporate stock
bonds. were 50. H. SOC less than in the
corresponding six months Of last year.
while the expenditures show an increase
this year Of S7,412 a34.
T-rpaid bills Of former years budgets
amounted AT the end of last year 10
so. 15l.}-526. Those of last years budget
alone constituted s12.1o6,745 of this
amount During the last six months
Controller Prendergast has paid S16, 790.-
So Of these old bills. so that the unpaid
budget bills al the end of June this year
we're only 81. a62 659
L IS true that something over 5000
fsoo Of these old bills were for light sup
pied the city by the Consolidated Gas
Company. and their liquidation was q
partial offset to some s.. 100000 Of spe-
cal franchise taxes which the company
settled early in the present year But
even the remaining S10,ooo.OoO approx
uately vas q large slice Of OLD bills for
rhe administration to pay in q single
half year
Last Years Unpaid Bills.
The large amount Of unpaid bills Of
last years budget. which the present ad-
-7inistration was called upon to pay, was
one of the financial legacies left by the
Mcclellan Metz administration.
In its review of the conduct Of the
c7rvss finances for last year The Tribune
7pinred out that former Controller Metz
had increased his cash balance at the
end Of that year by the very simple e1-
-adienr Of leaving budget bills unpaid.
Those bills at the end of 1908 we're only
&. .7o3 s91 AT the close Of 1869 they
vere so. 153.526.
Perhaps the most important fact
which the figures disclose is that Con-
troller Prendergast has kept the promise
made by him last March that the gen
e-aI pot'' practice of diverting the pro-
reeds Of the sale Of fifty-yea1 corporate
stock bonds to paying the cost of run
ming the city government would be dis
continued.
This practice in past years resulted in
the piling Up Of q deficit Of S39oo0o0O
n corporate stock accounts. which the
present Controller is refunding ct The
rate OF S5o00.Oo0 a year.
Il Is also worthy Of note that the new
administration has abandoned the very
doubtful custom. introduced by former
controller Grour- Of raising money by
5se sale Of revenue bonds issued in an
ticipation Of the collection of arrears Of
taxes Of former Years levies. During
rhe last six months all revenue bonds
issued we're against taxes Of the current
year
Half Yearly Comparison.
The following table gives q summary
of the actual cash transactions Of the
city treasury for the first half-yearly
periods Of each Of tie years 1909 and
1910.
RECEIPTS
accounts .-.----,.---- SIS. .2s7. .ses se2 17O.357
z-nrleu5 accovrfs .. 2s.o15. 90 s5e14. .ss7
N7T receipts from he sale
~ e-Cs bonds .-. 6s a41 500 81, $50. AL
-o,al receipts .---.- $3.50. .2a4. 47e s1sa SIS
oc each vesr .--,1-...-. 5.as7. .45a 125ss.oas
-9ra- available -....-. sls4. 1sl ss5 si7sco1 Sal
NPEHDFTTRES
accounts -.---....---- *. So SO s45 o75. 77e
-ae7- accounts So. $3.50. .ss3 s77o7. .sss
~ expenditures for
Cer7pfion Of revenue
bonds -..--.-..-. .------ 1851. 500 u sos. $50
Total expenditures S139. 20, sos sl45. es9 o07
5a Of cash on hand
TIre 50 OF each year -s44 e46.sc7 s52. .s54
Against the cash balance Of S32912,-
IN hand in the city treasury at the
close Of June this year, there were out
standing at that date 1852 147 Of un-
paid warrants so that the cash avail
able al the end Of the first half Of 1910
was 50. $50 0S7. Of which S25,24 .0SS be-
longed % permanent Improvement ac-
counts. and S3l29a9 belonged to budget
accounts.
Against the cash balance Of 1916
81. which the ID bic shows was on hand
n he -ltv treasury at the end Of June
ly@Ha. there were outstanding at that
date - s57 10 of unpaid warrants, so
that tie cash available at the close IF
too first six months Of last year was
k3S SGS947
Old Bills Paid.
: re f-aCsa ctiorS OF the "a rioUs Z-0uLs
o accounts which re7ecr the actual ~
come ard outgo Of the cit treasury
show that the receipts applicable 10 de-
f7aylrg tie cost Of permanent improve
Hients and assessment work, the greater
pa-t os which were obtained from the
sale of Nsty-year corporate stock bonds,
eere s., liz. 500 less fn the first six