New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-03
"Big Chief" Heads Move
ment in ROCkaWayS
for Secession.
WOULD CUT DEBT
LIMIT MILLIONS
Crafty Citizens Propose New
York Shall Capitalize
Their Plan.

Financial consequences of the most
serious character to New York City
would follow the passage of the bill
fer the withdrawal Of the villages Of
Far Rorkaway, Arverne and Rocka@ay
Beach from the greater city and their
establishment as separate municipal
ity under the name OF Rackaway City.
According to an analysis OF shn bill,
which has already been reported out OF
the Assembly Cities Committee. such
separation under the terms proposed
would cut the debt limit or borrowing
capacity of this city down to about
s12,000,000. Not satisfied with proyid.
ing that the new city should have sll
the public Improvements and other
property of New York City within its
limits, the crafty citizens OF this ter
ritory also propose to start business
with about 100000 in the till. which
would come out of New York City.
bill" Devery, "the best Chief Of
Police" New York City ever had, who
ia now one of the leading citizens OF
Rockaway, is pushing the bill in all the
WAYS he knows from long years OF ex-
perience. Recently he headed dele
cation to appear before the Assembly
committee, which promptly reported the
bill out. II.
The bill provides for setting up the
new city on July l. Speaking OF the
clause that In the opinion OF the Con-
troller'sa expert would establish the
financial position of the new city and
deal the old terrific blow, the report
says: .L..
the value of all the real and personal
property owned by the City OF New
York within and without the corporate
limits of the city would be determined
bv appraisal, and on such appraisal the
division would be made, based on the
relative assessed valuation of taxable
property. ~ ,rr
"The result Of this would in all likeli-
hood be that the credit to the new
Rockaway City would be much in ex-
cess, perhaps two or three million dol
lars. of the amount OF debts 1t Would
have to assume"
II would seem that the Catskill water
supply system, Prospect and Central
parks indeed, all the property OF the
city, valued at billion and half OF
dollars would be compared proper
tionally with such property as the city
owns in Rockaway. The assessed yalu-
ations Of taxable real estate within the
boundaries of the proposed new city
amount to S4S, 1877, S85-about six-tenths
of | per cent of the assessed valuation
of all taxable real estate now within
the greater city.
This fraction would approximate the
share of the city property which would
fall to Rockaway under the terms of
the bill. In cash value it would APP
proximate 100000, which would be
partially Offset by Rockaway's share Of
the city debt, amounting to about 81
100000. This would leave credit
for Rockaway against the city of about
50 100000, to which must be added
Rockaway's fraction OF whatever loose
change the city happened to have in its
clothes at the time the bill took effect.
Separating from New York City as
sessed valuations in real estate in the
Rockaway territory amounting to s48,-
877,S85 would take just one-tenth that
amount from the borrowing capacity OF
the city, which is one-tenth the as
sessed value of real estate. This would
cut the debt limit fixed by Controller
Prendergast on January . at Sl9,l57.-
3l2 down to S14,269,524.
And from this the S2,O00.OOO debt
that the city would owe to Rockaway
City under the provisions of the bill