The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-10-27
CUT OF Ss4,OOO,OOO
IN BUDGET PLANNED
Craig Would Leave Out Items
for New Schools, Paving
and Jamaica Bay.
HIGHER SALARIES TO STAY
Mayor Said to Have Given In
to Department Heads on
Many Increases.

Comptroller Charles l.. Craig officially
stated yesterday the only hope for the
reduction of the budget 1t is the same
that has been unofficially limited ever
since the original tentative total was
announced at more than $4,000. 900.
It Is the deferred financing of the items
Tor new schools. paving. and possibly
the dredging in Jamaica Bay, amount
Ing In all to s34,0o0,0Oo. reducing the
budget to about $2S3,0O0, 900.
AL the same time II became evident
that Mayor Hylan had abandoned the
straw man fight which he began when
the first figures were announced. A quiet
meeting of the heads Of various depart
ments was held in the City Hall Satur-
day. Yesterday 1t became known that
the Mayor had practically surrendered
to the department heads. He is quoted
as saying that he will stand for most
OF the increased salaries throughout the
service, provided only that the depart
ment heads concerned can submit re-
spectacle case for the increase when
the public hearings begin tomorrow and
the provisions of the budget are sub
mitted to public attack for the first
time.
In beginning a complicated discussion
of the relation of the education and
pay as you go statutes to the budget
Mr.. Craig says of the assertion that items
for schools and paving were inserted and
the budget was artificially inflated in
order to reduce 1t with a bang: Nothing
could be further from the TRUTH His
explanation says in part
The education law since 1917 has
been pay ms you go statute. The effect
of including in the annual budget the
costs OF public improvements that were
it not for pay as you go laws would be
financed by corporate stock or serial
bonds would be to swell the tax rate to
alarming proportions. One OF the causes
that induced the Legislature, at my in
stance. to pass the act of 1918, super
seding the pay as you go act for the
period OF the war and one year there
after. was the great burden of war tax
alton and the pressure that was being
placed upon everybody to purchase Lib
erty bonds and war saving stamps to
| finance the war. These were causes not
allowed for when the pay as you go act
was enacted.
The principal items contained in the
proposed budget, which. in my judgment.
| may be properly financed by corporate
| stock or serial bonds, are those to pro-
| vide for the acquisition of new sites and
| the construction OF new schools and the
repaving of streets. The total requested
1
mately $1,000. 900, while $4,000 has
| been included for repaving the city
| streets. Possibly the item of 1000. 200
| for the Jamaica Bay improvement might
| be included in this class but in any
| event 1t may be financed largely. IL not
entirely, by tax notes"
The Comptroller's statement IS con-
| cerned with those increases in the budget
not attributed to personal service. They
| aggregate s45,000.O00. For the most
part. says the Comptroller. they are due
| to the increases in construction costs
| sustenance and clothing at city institu-
tons and fuel. with the necessary or
mandatory extensions of various works
| and the return OF institutional work to
pre-war activity.
Yet included in this increase OF s+5,-
| 900, 900, which the Comptroller says is
\ due to the above causes. is the $4,000
900 which he proposes to take care oil
on the deferred payment plan, leaving
the actual sum for increased costs and
activities at 100000.
| Among the largest of the increases
are $s95.11l for museums, gardens and
libraries: $4,000 for teachers PEN
sions, s550,00o for police persons. $780,
| 900 for widows and dependent children
and s336. 900 for other city PENSIONS
total increase OF a million and three
quarters for this purpose charitable
| institutions for the care Of detectives
and dependents get s1,1ss,5ss more
increases described as mandatory. for
elections. the Bronx Parkway. armory
| improvements and repairs, and the fees
and expenses of jurors, are 1851 900 the
total increase for fuel is $4,000. Other
| increases on a similar scale are scattered
through all OF the departments under
the Borough Presidents and the city
government, in each instance beginning
with a tidy little sum for new automo
bile equipment.