New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-08-10
The Hylan Administration

lkC idil NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
-. The relations of the Hylan admin
istration to Tammany and Hearst
and what these relations imply
% ought by this time to be so plain to
the public as to need no further
emphasis.
Likewise plain and not needing
.e.stress are the ignorance and inca
- pacity of its head and the cheap
. gauziness of its demagogy. Since
consolidation there have been four
Mayors elected by Tammany votes
Of the quartet Hylan has been
the most inadequate. Compared to
him even Van Wyck was highly in
telligent.
:. But leaving out of view for the
moment the Tammany-Hearst con-
.nection and conceding for argu-
ment's sake that the Mayor has
meant well, let US consider the prac-
teal consequences of his election
four years ago.
80 AS a candidate John f. Hylan de-
clared that the city government, as
then conducted, was wildly extrava-
giant. He pledged himself to reduce
taxation. What has happened?
Taking together the rise in assess
fnents and the increase in the tax
levy, he has doubled taxation. The
average citizen of New York paid to
the city about $25 in 1917. He now
q gives up $50 With $500 to $3.50
collected from property owners, who
pass the bill on to tenants, is it
strange rents are up? The Mayor
has complained of profiteering
: His administration has itself prof
iteered by charging 100 per cent
more for an inferior sort of gov
eminent.
Next to reducing taxes, Candidate
i, Hylan promised better schools. Not
one new school building has his ad-
! Ininistration opened. The army Of
- half-time pupils was never so large
H. as now. The schools are pitifully
-disorga There has been DELHI
. crate refusal to provide money to
meet S32 100000 of authorized school
expenditure. At best this years
proper burden is passed on to next
year, and at worst many schools are
threatened with closure.
Next Candidate Hylan pledged a
- solution of the tripartite Death
Avenue, Riverside Park and ter
minal problem. He would scrap the
lnatured project on which years Of
labor had been spent and devise
something much better. The scrap
: ping occurred, but that's all. Death
Avenue continues to take its toll and
lack of terminals continues to in
crease the cost Of living. Incl
dentally it may be remarked that the
Hylan administration has created
. practically no public improvements,
such as even the worst of Tammany
administrations have not heretofore
- neglected.
The traction record of the admin
istration is equally barren and harm
full. The candidate said great things
were to be done. What we have re-
ceived is a stoppage of developments
and disintegration of the traction
systems which compels thousands
and thousands to pay for transfers
e and double and triple fares. The
claim that fares have been kept
down IS false Not only are there
double and triple fares, but by
landing on the city treasury the
burden of paying interest on trac-
ton bonds the actual subway fare
Is now about seven cents-fve cents
- paid by the passenger as a passen
ger ard two cents as taxpayer.
=. The only users Of city rapid transit
who escape the seven-cent fare are
:. non-residents.
IL IS not necessary to prolong this
! review. The hand of Hylanisnn is on
{ practically every city department
Ihe public pays more and gets less
:. The Mayor presents himself as the
poor mans friend. If this is the
case, God help the poor.