New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-27
REALTY WIEN RAP
BUDGET PRIMERS
Suggest Useless Bureaus
as Fruitful Subject for
House Cleaning.

The Board Of Estimate has practi-
cally failed in delegating the Bureau OF
Salary Standardization to make up the
city tax budget is the statement made
yesterday by the Real Estate Board Of
New York. The Board of Estimate, the
statement continues, by law must pre-
pare a budget, and in deputizing others
70 do the work has resOrted 10 means
not provided for by law.
"The members Of the subcommittee
are but human" reads the statement
1.-TWO Of them are directors Of bureaus
of the Board of Estimate. How could
they be expected TO abolish their posi-
tions and the places Of those under
them in accordance with the terms Of a
resolution introduced by Controller
Prendcrgast in the Board of Estimate
and Apportionment. who set an ex-
ample by abolishIng the staff Of the
Port and Terminal Committee, Of which
ne was chairman. ana then asked the
board why K should not do likewise
with other committees;
"Besidcs, the Board Of Estimate 8
deputies are interested parties as place
holders, and loyalty TO the chiefs may
lead them TO involuntary favoritlsm, as
is instanccd in the revision Of the
budget estimates of the Board Of Alder
men The subcommittee cut salaries
in the City Clerks department from
10 per cent to 90 per cent, and left in
violate, rs If sanctiied, the personal
staff Of the President of the Board Of
Aldermen. 1t is worth mention that
Leo Arnstein, assistant 20 the President
of the Board of Aldermen, is a mem
Der Of the subcommittee on budget re-
vision.
"Cut Out Useless Boards"
1.-THE result of the committees work
would have been more gratifying if it
had begun housekeeping at home by
wping out useless and unnecessary
subcommittee Of the board who nave
been city planning and making social
/ studies and surveys in the interests
of efficiency at a cost of 100000 q
year. without any apparent benefit 20
the taxpayer. The Bureau Of Stand
ards has expended 100000 in devils
ing a system of Standardization which,
unlike the rain, does not fall on every
body alike. Is it not time that costly
experiments should cease?
when the reforms proposed by the
present administration were first criti-
cised the answer was that judgment
should be withheld because there was
no precedent TO Judge them by. But
they have gone far enough to convince
the taxpayers that the experimental
stage is passed, greatly TO their finan-
cial loss.
"The Real Estate Board looks to the
Board Of Estimate to exercise its full,
lawful authority to make a fair and
square revision Of the estimates itself.
There Is probably some justice in the
complaint of heads of departments, the
borough presidents, for instance, that
it is an insult to their dignity to be
compelled 10 appear before their owa
subordnates and TO be told how much
money they can have TO run their do
partments. There should be no such
financial gap when the Board Of Esti-
mate takes up the budget, and IT IS
expected that it will make a just and
equal salary revision, and also get rid
of some Of the dead wood, like the
Bridge Department, the Board of Wa
ter Supply and bring about the CON
solidaton of other bureaus and Of
fees. In other words, cut down the
number of sinecures and make two
blades of grass grow where one blade
grows now for the taxpayers.