New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-27

Economy" "Retrenchment" These are
the issues upon which Judge MCCALL
Tammany candidate for Mayor has been
concentrating Controller Prendergds''
who has been at the head of the FINANCE
Denartn.snt for four years, and knows
what ne is TALKING about, in talk VIII"
q Tribune reporter yesterday sho"eu
how false is the pretence OF lah''''"'S
Mr.. Prendergast who is candida'e 'o'
reelection. pointed to the record oil ram
many administrations and the whole sys-
tenn Of Tammany government to prove his
case.
on the other hand, the Controller
showed how he had economical in the
CONTAMINATION of his own department
under the charter as it stands. and de-
c,ared that similar reorganization OF
other observation-disclosures now III the
hands of the Mayor-would release wv
oo or s4OOoO00 a year TO be spent tor
other purposes.
The Controller then brought out the
point that the largest economies couIu
be made only after a thorough revision
of the charter. In other words tne
budget may be kept from increasing un-
duly by more efficient handling OF the
present departments. But radical ana
important retrenchments could be maze
after proper changes were made IN the
charter.
The only economy that Tammany
knows" said Controller Prendergast, lis
the economy of effort for the public wei
fare; their only retrenchment, curtain
ment of the number of hours work they
give per day to the city service; their
only efficiency. that which they manifest
in loading up the payrolls with poilucai
camp followers. Tammany never has
lowered the tax bills in the past ana
there is no possibility that 1t would IN
the future. should that organization again
control the city government
Tammany Promises Come Late.
"Tammany Hall is talking about these
reforms during the campaign. We have
for the last four years. Much OF our
time at the start and large amount OF
our financial resources has been devoted
I'm correcting the conditions which Tam
many Hall left behind four years ago.
Tammany has the same effect on city
administration that a bad tenant has
upon house long repair job is in
evitable after the bad tenant moves.
Asked for an illustration. the Controller
continued:
"One of Tammany's requests to fusion
was floating debt of 100000 carefully
concealed behind the worst system Of
city finance possible to conceive. This
debt was scattered among hundreds OF
accounts and showed balances where they
did not exist. Bad administration was
conspicuous in almost every department
Of the city. Overloaded payrolls were
the rule and not the exception.
II could 90 on telling the shortcomings
of Tammany as a city administrator, but
there is little use of celebrating on fact
which pretty nearly everybody in New
York knows to be true"
Controller Prendergast was asked TO
suggest the most direct means for effect
ing the largest economies in the admins
tration of the City Of New York. His an
swer was direct and to the point. He
said
Through intelligent. but sweeping,
changes in the city charter and other laws
which affect the city. l mean changes
which have for their sole purpose econ
omy and increased efficiency and not those
made for political advantage, for the
concentration of graft or for the personal
advancement of some one person or group
Of persons at the expense of others.