New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-06-29

The Board OF Estimate ana Apporuoh-
ment, when the Legislature does not in
terfere, has the first and last word TO
say regarding city expenditures. The
Board of Estimate is in very definite
sense the board Of business directors
in the city corporation. The Mayor has
jurisdiction over twenty-seven depart
ments, whose budgets for 1914 total
SCI 100000. This is 81 per cent of the
total city budget. The five borough
presidents control the five borough de-
partments wholly without the jurisdic-
ton of the Mayor, and are responsible
for administering budgets totalling 3d.
212,781 II. The Board of Estimate and
Apportionment controls the allowances
Of funds, determines how much shall
be spent, and in large measure how
it shall be spent. The Board of Esti-
mate and the Board of Aldermen FIX
salaries, establish the payrolls of the
city, control, through regulation OF
specifications, expenditures for sup
plies. These boards authorize public
improvements and control very close
ly the manner in which money may be
expended for them. The Mayor IS
only one factor in the great organiza-
ton Of the city, and by no means does
he have undivided authority in the nv
nicipality.
1t would be impossible, therefore, to
conduct successfully the business of
the City of New York without intimate
cooperation between the Board of
Estimate and the Board Of Aldermen
on the one hand and the Mayor and
the Mayors departments on the other
hand. 1t would be impossible to esta5-
lish economy and efficiency or to carry
out constructive improvements for the
city if the Mayor and these boards,
particularly the Board Of Estimate, did
not work in close cooperation.
The Board of Estimate and Appor-
tiOnment ReOrganized.
At the outset I realized, therefore,
that one of my principal obligations
was to work in close harmony with
the Board of Estimate and to join with
its other members in placing the
boards business on an efficient basis.
One of our first undertakings on TAX
ing Office on January l was the reor-
eapjzation of the boards work. We
had, on December 81, seventy-tive spe-
cial committees composed Of the differ
cnt members of the board in different
combinations considering the great
number of questions with which the
board is week by week called upon TO
deal. We found that the work of these
seveuty-five special committees fell into
fifteen groups. We, therefore, or
ganized fifteen standing committees 20
deal with these subjects, and an ad-
ditional committee to take up charter
revision. Among the fifteen commit
tees are committees on such impor-
tant matters as the following:
Port and terminal facilities.
Franchises.
Transit.
City plan.
Markets.
Social welfare.
Tax and corporate stock budgets.
We next adopted definite rules 10
govern the business of the board. This
has neyer been done before. Now all
business coming before us passes
through the channels of the standing
committees, which carefully consider
il and are able to report intelligent
and well -thought-out suggestions to
the board for its adoption or rejec-
ton.
In this way we have brought system
ont Of chaos and laid a permanent
basis for intelligent and harmonious
action. The board no longer operltes
as a gro1p Of Independent units, log
rolling. or working in opposition, as
the case may be, but as well organ
lied business body.
This is a matter of great satisfaction
10 me and of great help in carrying
on the work Of departments. We lose
no time in futile discussion, in SQUAD
bling or in locking horns because Of OPP
posing ideas. All differences are
thrashed out in committees. The re-