New-York tribune., 1920-01-05
Comptroller Would Audit
His Own Expenditures,
Violating Spirit of Law,
Declares Citizens Union
Assails Dec. 20 sClean-Up'
Shift of Estimate Boards
Committees Called Effort
to Pocket New Members

The action Of the Board of Estimate
at the "clean-up' meeting on December
~ IN authorizing Comptroller Craig to
proceed with the work of construction
OF the courthouse is declared to be in
conflict with the spirit Of the law in
an article in the Forthcoming issue of
"The Searchlight," published by the
Citizens Union. The article points out
that Comptroller Craig as the auditing
officer of the city will check up on his
own expenditures in the building of
the courthouse.
The Temmany members of the board
appointed Comptroller Craig rather
than let Borough President Curran, a
Republican, take charge Of the work.
"Searchlight" Criticism
"The Searchlight" article says:
"lt is gratifying, Of course, to have
the building of the courthouse finally
under way. But the board was ex-
tremely unwise in declining to submit
the new plans to the Municipal Art
Commission and in designating the
to proceed with the actual work of
construction. The latter is in conflict
with the clear Spirit, if not the precise
letter Of the law. : The city charter
makes the Comptroller the auditing
officer of the city government, empow-
cred to audit and inspect the accounts
of all city officers. The former court
house board, like the city departments
was subject in it's disbursements to
this oversight by the Finance Depart
ment. Under the present plan the
spending and the auditing officer will
be the same: The principle of that is
essentially bad. It could have been
avoided if, as would have been the
natural procedure, the President of
the Borough of Manhattan had been
delegated to construct the building.
The different in politics between him
and most of his colleagues on the
board should not have entered into the
matter"
Attacks Other Actions
"The Searchlight" article attacks
several other actions of the Board Of
Estimate at the December 30 meetino
as "indefensible"
For instance" it is stated in the
article, more than $1,00O,O0O OF spe-
cial revenue bonds were authorized to
supplement- the existing appropriation
for the final disposition of garbage.
and S276.OO0 Of these bonds were voted
to provide policemen's salaries for the
last half of December. To evade the
limitation of S2,000,0O0 on the amount
OF such bonds which may be issued in
single year for such purposes, as pre-
>scribed by the charter, the bonds were
voted under another provision of the
charter, which provides no such maxi
mum limitation. The explanation Is
that the 1919 budget was purposely and
improperly skimped in essential ap-
preparations; the $2,000,0OO of permis-
S1ble bonds was not enough to provide
needed additional moneys, and then Il
course of lawlcssness was imperative
II vital services were to be paid for"
Committee Shifts Assailed
"The Searchlight" article predicts
that the Totally unjustifiable" shift of
committee assignments so as to ex-
clude the new (Rcpublican) members
Of the Board Of Estimate from it's "alI
too frequent deliberations" is likely to
provoke boomerang. The article saws
1T will necessitate the public explana-
ton of matters like those which the
original board so often settled in ex-
ecutive session.
~ a. 1AS'c AC4SAS W LAC OTQcrlnX OF
the traction inquiry as much belated
recognition Of the boards duty to ascer-
tain the facts of the transit situation. /"
1t also says that the appropriation for
schools was good provided "thc Board
OF Education has not been hamstrung
by restrictions upon proper degree Of
freedom of action"
Unqualified approval is given Of the
boards action in killing the "totally
indefensible" plan of the administra.
tion to erect Health Department
building in West Thirtieth Street at a
cost of $1,O00,0O0.