New-York tribune., 1919-10-15
Grand Total $3l6,521,-
427 Shown in Tenta-
tive Figures Prepared
by Board of Estimate
Blame Is Put OH
Pay-as-You-Co' Act
Mayor Makes Hostile
Statement and Advo-
Gates Sharp Decreases

nounccd yesterday by the Board Of
Estimate, is 316,521 ,427 so. This is an
increase of $6S, ,495, ,99272 over the
actual budget for 1919
The Tribune on Saturday last an
nounccd that the 1920 budget appa-
rently would reach S3O0.o0O.O0O and
that the tax rate for 1920 would go up
IN consequence.
1t is the opinion around City Hall
that the tentative figure is artiiicially
high, the intention being to scale it
down to about 100000 900.
Mayor Hylan, in formal statement,
laid that unless every item that is not a
necessity is eliminated from the budget
he would not vote for it. The Mayor
voted for all of the tentative Increase s
while the budget was going through its
preliminary stages before the commit
tee Of budget and finance of the Board
Of Estimate.
Due to "Pay-as- Act
Controller Craig, commenting for
;nally on the increase in the budget
said the increase was due chiefly to
the "pay-as-you-go" act.
It will be recalled that this law
was passed during the Mitchell admin
istration at the behcst Of the bankers
who practically served notice on the
Mayor and Controller during the early
part of the war, when money was hard
to raise, that unless the city adopted
-you-go policy they would not
undertake to purchase the city's bonds
The Hylan administration last year
felt the pinch Of the operation of this
"pay-as- -you-go" plan and the Legis-
laturc passed a bill relieving the city
from the operation Of tho act Until
after the war.
The Controller directs attention to
the increases in salaries in the various
departments, to the vast increase of
S42 100000 in the requirements of the
Board of Education, of which nearly
S7,000.000 is for increased salaries
and sites. To the operation of the
"pay-as-you law the Controller
charges up about $35,o00000 in this
ycar's tentative budget.
at is entirely too early says the
Conutrollcr. "to make any predictions
with respect to the tax rate. Whether
there will be any increase in the rate
will depend mainly upon the manner
in which the appropriations for the
Board Of Education and other activi-
ties affected by tho 'pay-as-y you go act
are handlcd.'
1t is understood that the demands OF
the Board of Education will be sharply
dealt with by the Board Of Estimate
and that the tentative increase of s42,-
900, 600 will be distributed over the next
two or three years, if it is practcab e
to do it,
While the Controller is blaming the
! "pay- -you-go" law for the sharp in
crease in the budget, it seems to be 8
fact that the interest account (debt
service) payable by the city on its
bonded indebtedness decreased in the
sum of $3,l2O, ,399 Al under the opera
that the city did not issue as many
special revenue bonds as formerly.
Paving Requires Cash Now
The budget carries a total of nearly
$3,00O,000 on account of repaving in the
from the old rule. when paving was
paid for by the issuance OF bonds.
| An increase Of S225 900 in the item
| Of paying for jury service is accounted
for by the fact that the fee for juror:
was increased by an act Of Legislature
from 81 to 81 a day.
The tentative budget, as reported
yesterday, will now be discussed il
open meetings of the Board of Esti
| lldlC until IL is WlIppcO lutO l!ud
| shape After October 20 10 item il
the proposed budget may be increased
but reductions may be made up til
October 81 The proposed budget. a.
modified, must then be adopted ant
practically becomes the final" budget
subject to limited action III the way o
reduction by the Board OF Aldermen.
Varied Income Deducted
the entire total of tho budget TIL
the city receives moneys from variou
sources, such as excise taxes, mort
gage taxes, bank taxes, fraDchi5
renta, dock rents, license fees Of al
kinds, fees collected by count? and cit,
officers, interest on taxes, the city
share Of the tax on corporations. tn
new income taxes, the city's share o
MOTOR vehicle licenses and innumerabi
other items, some largo and som
smali.
"Thevc mcncys so into an sccoun
knowr az The general furd for tho re
Guctio, OF taxstion,' ana arc dcducto,
from the budget.
IN 1919 the total from these varicu
acrrcea wns estimated TO rc SA5 600,
JGC No tcuitHcrlEy estir.cts can l.
made .cr the yoar 1890 because o. th
uncortainsy arisioG from the lcss o
liquor taxes following prohibition an
The citys shnre IN the new state incom
INK.
Increase Ia Expsirt GA
The great increase Of S6S ,495. 1921
over Tho final budget FOR SO is du
chiefly to tho operation oi the pay. az
you-go act the ed,N,aton Jaw. the in
crease in compensation granted to tn
rolicc, Five and Street Cleaning de