New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-12
ASKS HOME RULE ON
CITY'S PAY CHECKS
Board of Estimate Wants
Power from Albany to
Fix Salaries.
PRENDERGAST WOULD
HAVE ASKED MORE
Action Not Result of Threat of
Legislative Inquiry Into
Finances.

By resolution the Board Of Estimate
decided yesterday to put it squarely up
to the Legislature to give this city
home rule on matters Of salaries. One
OF the great burdens on the city treas
ury is the large mandatory salaries for
county officials and others saddled on
it by the Legislature.
This is the resolution:
Resolved, That the Board of Esti-
mate and Apportionment hereby re-
quests the Corporation Counsel to pre-
pare for submission to the Legislature
at the earliest possible date bill
granting to the Board of Estimate and
Apportionment the right and power to
fix the salaries or wages of all officers
or employees paid from the city treas
ury, including the counties, the courts
and the Department of Education. but
excepting elective officers, and further
granting the said board the power to
determine the number Of all such Off
GERS or employees to be so paid from
the city treasury"
The bill would have been even
stronger, but the Borough Presidents
feared that in the form suggested BY
Controller Prendergast it would i'm
peril borough autonomy. In that stand
they were upheld by President Nc
Aneny OF the Board Of Aldermen.
Mayor Mitchell was for the Controllers
proposition, but that made only six
votes out Of sixteen.
1.-THE bill which would have been
prepared as a result Of my resolution"
said the Controller after the meeting,
would have meant absolute home rule
for the City Of New York Evidently
some people prefer partial rule from
Albany TO complete municipal indie
pendence.
"The mere power to fix salaries does
not go far enough. Unless bureaus and
departments can be eliminated and
radical changes made, no policy of re-
trenchment that can be undertaken
will be as thorough as it should be.
"Who can blame Albany for govern
ing the City of New York when the
city's own elective officials fear to ask
for the same authority to govern them
Selves"
This bill which we will send to Al
bany, while not as fsrreaching as |
would have desired" said the Mayor,
"will test the good faith OF those who
express a desire for retrenchment
here
Both officials wished it understood
that the Prendergast resolution, for
which the one passed was a substitute,
was prepared two days ago, before
there was any intimation that any
legislators wanted to investigate the
city's finances.
All the city officials united in the
view of the Mayor that any investi ga
ton that was made in a fair spirit
would be welcomed; that it would show
that the city officials here were doing
as we'll as they could, in view Of the
mandatory legislation saddled on them
from Albany, and that any inquiry
would show the Legislature that this
city needed home rule.
Albany, Feb. 1.-THE chief topic of
discussion here to-day was the pro-
posal on the part of certain legislative
leaders to investigate New York City's
finances. Regardless of political faith,
state solons were of one mind that the
citv's finances were IN such shape that
heroic measures must be resorted to.
"Of course" said Thaddeus c. Sweet,
Speaker of the Assembly, "the initia-
tive would not be taken by the Legis-
lature, unless the financial condition of
the city is such that it affected the
credit of the state. If some New York
official. such as the Mayor or Control
Ter, asked the Legislature tc investi-
gate il would do so gladly"
Alfred E Smith, of New York, mi
nority leader of the Assembly, said:
Legislative investigating commit
tees are not very popular in New York
City, as great many people have
been led to believe that the Legislature
is in some way responsible for the
present condition. Without going too
deeply into the causes, ! would say
that il the present city administration
were half as active in keeping So
called efficiency experts off the payroll
as in throwing laborers off, there
would be considerable saving in this
alone"
Senator Robert F. Wagner, minority
leader of the upper house, said that
the people of New York City would
Justly resent any legislative investiga-
ton unless a request for such an IN
ouiry came from the city authorities.
However, I believe the city has been
extravagant in the money which it has
paid for many of our public improve
ments. The last tax rate has no doubt
aroused the people TO the conviction
that something more than mere
speeches at dinners must be done to
reduce our expenditures, and II no
stems are r. ken by the local authorities
to make these necessary reductions, the
people might then even invite legls-
jative committee to take up this task