New-York tribune., 1921-02-04
Craig Dodges
Verbal Attack
BY La Ctnartlia
Comptroller Quits Session of
Women Voters After His
Speech When Aldermanic
President Enters the Hall
Assails City Government
Says Budget Could Have
Been Sliced IL Millions;
Audience Takes Up Fight

1t is of record that Comptroller
Charles l.. Craig, while yet ON speak
ing terms with Mayor Hylan, suggest
ed during noisy Board of Estimate
meeting that His Honor bounce his
gavel off the dynamic dome of Fiorello
H. La Guardia, President of the Board
of Aldermen. The gavel at last nights
Town Hall meeting, where Mr.. Craig,
Mr.. La Guardia and other city officials
appeared to render an account Of their
stewardship, was in the hands Of Miss
Mary Garrett Hay, and it may have
been the Comptroller's innate disin-
clination to request lady to do any,
thing so strenuous that led him to take
his. departure before the Aldermanic
President took the stage.
In any event, MIR. La Guardia used
up thirteen of the fifteen minutes al
lotted him in fiery denunciation and
satirical criticism of the Comptroller
favorably impressed some Of the au-
dience by his own address, or else had
friends in the assemblage, for several
persons arose at the conclusion of Mr.
La Guardia's talk and subjected him to
considerable heckling,
The meeting was under the auspices
OF the League of Women Voters, which
was recently chided by Governor Mil
Ter for organizing for political action
without affiliating with either party
a number of indirect illusions to the
Governors remarks provoked laughter.
VIII Urge Tax Advancement
Comptroller Craig said he was pre-
pairing for in PRODUCTION in the Legis-
lature bill to advance the payment
of the second installment of city taxes
from November to July 1, in order
to obviate the necessity Of the city
borrowing about $100,O0O,OO0 on the
last-named date.
Before the war" he said, "the city
could borrow money at from 2h to ~
per cent. Now the Federal government
has to pay 5A per cent and the city q
few points higher. If the Comptroller
has to borrow 100000 900 on July i
and finance $90,0o0000 more for docks
and schools it is going to freeze up an
enormous amount of capital
This will have direct bearing on
the housing situation, for nobody is
going to lend money on real estate
mortgages when they can lend it to the
city at q per cent on tax exempt cer-
tlhcates. The legislation I am going
TO ask will, if enacted, materially ease
the money market and ali the hard
snip Will be distributed among some
100000 real estate owners VINO viii
have to pay their second tax INSTALL
ments four months earlier"
lac Comptrole er gave his side of the
controversy over the S27 ,000G00 school
und dehcit in the budget and declared
the remedy for that also Law in the
Legislature imposing an additional
state tax on the city's rateables 10
make up the sum next year.
Some one in the audience asked Mr..
Craig why the teachers were always
the last city employees to be paid their
salaries. He answered that the as
sumption was net strictly true. but
that ''one of the Comptr oilers greatest
troubles was his inability TO get the
bureaucrats in the Board of Education
10 send IN the payrolls on time
He also charged that the Board O.
Education had failed to expend n1uct
OF the money appropriated for tht
schools and declared school affair
never would be satisfactorily CON
dueted until paid Board Of Education
succeeded the present one (which
meets one hour a week and is dictated
10 by the bnreaucrats and professional
educators"
Chamberlain's Office. Useless
A woman asked the Comptroller if
the City Chamberlain's office wasn't a
needless expense and he replied:
The Chamberlain is not only an en-
tirey useless functionary, but costs
the city about $500.000 year This is
Lecause he has power Co designate citv
repositories and the Comptroller can't
EargaiE with the banks to obtain favor
able interest rates on borrowed money.
Next week I'm going to send bin to
the Legislature abol,snfng this Office"
Another questloner wanted to know
how much Of the current BUDGET If
1856, 100000, in the Comptroller's opin.