New-York tribune., 1919-12-31
Committees Shifted to Re-
tain Control at Last Meet.
ing of Estimate Board
as Held by Democrats
Transit Rule Wiped Out
Borough President and AL
dermanic Chief-Elect Are
Barred From Real Power

The Board of Estimate met yesterday
for the last time as an exclusive Tam
many body Tomorrow and for the
ensuing two years Major +. H. La
Guardia, as president of the Board of
Aldermen, and Major Henry H. Curran,
as Borough President of Manhattan,
will sit as members Of the board. Both
are Republicans and defeated Tam
many's candidates at the last election
on a straight Republican ticket.
When the board met yesterday the
first thing it did was to alter the make
up of its various standing committees,
so as to deprive the two Republicans of
all chairmanships and, in some in
stances. to drop them entirely from
committees which the Tammany incum-
bcnts hold
important Committee Dropped
The Committee on Transit. Of which
the esident of the Board of Alder
men has always been chairman, was
abolished. Another committee abol-
lshed was Port and Terminal Facilities,
and the President of the Borough of
Manhattan vice chairman.
ne Committee on Assessments,
which has been headed by the President
of the Board of Aldermen, was revised
80 that Borough President Riegeman
of Brooklyn was made chairman. Mr..
La Guardia will be merely member
Of this committee.
Another committee which the
President of the Board of Aldermen
has always headed-Salaries and
Grades-was also made over so that
Mr.. La Guardia won't even have seat
on 1t. Borough President Con4olly
Of Queens received the post that would
have gone to Mr.. La Guardia. The
latter was also dropped from the Com
mittee on Franchises
Curran Shunted by Action
The Committee on City Plant and
Fubilc improvements, heretofore headed
by the Borough President of Manhat-
tan, was reformed so that Major
Curran will merely be a member and
The craftsmanship go to Borough Presi-
dent Bruckner of The Bronx
lhls attempt to deprive Mr.. Curran
and Mr.. La Guardia of power in COM
mittees where traction and other i'm
portant matters will be discussed in
secret by Mayor Hylan and the other
lammany members Of the board will
not succeed, however. Mr.. Curran and
Mr.. La Guardia intend to have such
matters threshed out in public at the
weekly meetings Of the Board of Esti-
mate.
Money Given for Schools
Other matters acted favorably on
by the board were: Approprating
S7.o0e.o0o for new schools, as a first
instsllment of 81 900 900, to carry out
the recommendations of Comptroller
H'ale. which were published yeater-
day; "ppropriatng $7000,000 for the
ncW heXagonal Court House; ncreas-
ing the "a aries of Aldermen from
5000 to $4,000; appropriating $4O,O59
>lor school luncheons.
On behalf Of the Real Estate Board,
Lawrence Mcclure. its president, sub
mitted plan for the simplification Of
the city government, which will entail
favorable Legislation from Albany The
proposals, six in number, would give
to the Board of Aldermen the power
to consolidate departments doing SINH
lar work and to abolish unnecessary
city departments and Offices; empower
the Board of Estmare to fix all city
salaries, except of elected officials !;
abolish the Parole Commission and the
Board of Inehriety abolish the De-
partment of Markets and the Depart
ment of Weights and Measures and
vest their function and powers in the
Eomptroller's office; transfer the col
lection of taxes. assessments and
water rates to the Comptroler's Office
The proposals we're referred to the
committee Of the whole.