Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-06-29
Mandatory Appropriations
Are Large Items in
Boosting Up Total.
ENTIRE AMOUNT $7,SS2,5OO,
AFTER CUT OF $500, 600
City Plan Commission Practi-
caIly Wiped Out by Finance
Committee.

A jump of over 81 1,0OO,O 900 in the tax
budget and the practical elimination
of the City Plan Commission were two
important results of the meeting of
| the finance committee Of the Common
Council yesterday afternoon. The
budget as finally adopted totals ST.
SS2, 800 The budget for last year was
s6.S12, ,64054. This years budget is the
largest in the history of the city. OF
the budget 81 500 will be taken
care of by the contingency fund. The
total cuts made by the committee
amounted to about 100000.
The tax rate, figured from the
budget, will be about 2.30 on the
whole. raise of close to Is points
over last year.
When the budget was first put be-
fore the committee the amount re-
quested totaled $S,1S4, $3.50. Slashes
were made in practically every de-
partment in order to bring the budget
down to somewhere near last years
figure, but despite all efforts of the
pruners the total increase climbed
over the million mark
The increase over last years budget
is 81, ,069, $50 46. OF this amount $685.
208.40 is due to mandatory appropria-
tions over which the council has prac-
tically no control, as they are regu-
lated by law.
In the case of the City Plan Com
mission 1t was voted by the finance
committee to appropriate $4,000, half
the amount asked. This will pay the
current bills up to about August l.
after which the commission will not
be permitted to spend any more
money
Alderman Thomas j. Lee declared
that the work of the City Plan Com
mission was practically at an end, as
the city engineering department could
do the same work the commissions s
engineering department is doing. He
moved for the $4,000 cut with the stip-
ulation that no more money could be
paid out after August J.
Mayor Raymond In Conference.
Before the adoption of the budget
by the finance committee confer
ence was held with Mayor Thomas L.
Raymond, Aldermen Mark f. Phillips,
Thomas j. Lee, jr., John Fitzsim-
mons, e. Garfield Clifford, Charles w.
Littlefield, John j. Walsh and Michael
Pagan, City Comptroller Tyler Parm-
ly, City Counsel Spauldlng Frazer,
City Auditor James A. Rowe and AS
sistant City Auditor Andrew K. Brady
present.
During the conference the mayor
called attention to the needs for funds
for child hygiene work. He said that
he has been repeatedly approached
by organizations and individuals in
terested in this work, and that he had
promised to aid them. He told the
members of the conference that he
had looked into the work and had
found that in the sections. where the
work was being done a saving in the
lives of number of children had re-
suited.
The mayor was Informed that
about $4,000 had been provided for
this work in the public health budget,
but that the use of it was entirely in
the hands of the Board of Health
1t was voted by the committee after
completing the work of pruning the
budget that no more appropriations
be allowed In the event of an emer-
gency call the fund could be taken
from the contingency fund, 1t was
declared.
Board OF, Works First Hit.
When the conference session opened
the first department to come under
the pruning knife was the Board of
Works. The total budget was slashed
s1S,000 The largest cut was in the
street and highways account The
board requested $4,000 They were
allowed $S60,000 In making the cut
1t was stated that in the winter Of
1914 the city had experienced heavy
snow, whereas in the winter of 1915
there had been practically no snow.
with the result that where $4,000 had
been paid out for snow removal in
1914 only $4,000 had been expended in
1915.
After the pairing of the Works
Board fund the committee took up the
fire boards request, which was $685.
S51.75 Assistant City Auditor Brady
told the committee that In 1914 the
fire department had bought about
$4,000 worth of new equipment,
which expenditure would not be nee
essary in 1915. The committee then
4, voted to cut this account $50, SOL 10,
and 1t was stated that even with the
cut the department was receiving
more this year than last. This was
one of the largest cuts Of the budget.
The police department came in for
a cut of $4,000, while the public health
budget was slashed from $21S $780, IS to
s17S,000 and the provision made that
of this amount $4,000 was to be used
for child hygiene work. The Shade
Tree Commission lost $4,000 In
making this latter cut it was de-
clared that the men working in this
department had altogether too much
latitude.
Armorles Suffer, Too.
The other accounts to feel the edge
of the pruning knife ware the City
Home. reduced by about $4,000; City
Hospital $4,000 Recreation Commits
sion, for Fairgrounds, $4,000, and for
public baths, $4,000. The rent of the
First Regiment armory and the Essex
Troop Armory, for which the city has
been paying $4,000 annually, was done
away with by the elimination of these
accounts from the budget
When the committee came to the
poor and aims account several of the
aldermen said that. although a cut
should be made in the account as a
whole. no deduction should be made
from the money allowed the overseer
of the poor for outside work. 1t was
said that this was one of the most
important works of the city, the care
of the poor, and to take even a few
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