New-York tribune., 1921-02-04
City Finance Middle Kept
Deep Secret From People

, tration was terrible scandal Charles
l.. Craig and Alfred Smith were present
and Joined In the applause which greet
ed Judge Hylan's denunciation of the
administration then in power.
Mr.. Hylan attacked Mayor Mitchell,
"the Money Trust" Especial interests, f"
"tax dodgers" "real estate rings Elm
visible government" "big interests"
"Rockefeller Foundation" "Gary sys-
tenn" and telephone wire tappings,
promising either directly or inferential-
If he and his colleagues were elected.
The candidates followed this up in the
| campaign, promising the people simon
pure economical government, with the
tax burden shifted from the poor man
to the rich and to the corporations.
Mayor Hylan said he would swing
the ak TO keep down taxes. He charged
that the Tax Department, under manip-
ulation of Big Business, had de-
frauded the city by tightening the taxes
Of the gas trust, and he said that the
malefactors' names would forthwith be
turned over to the District Attorney.
names Of the malefactors never were
turned over by the Mayor or any one
else.
How have these campaign promises
Of a reduction in the budget and in
taxes been kept?
Instead Of decreases in expenditures
there have been heavy gains. Part of
them have been due to mandatory in
creases ordered by the Legislature and
to the general rise of prices, but in his
campaign speeches Mr. Hylan paid no
heed to these factors, especially in
considering the record of Mayor
Mitchell
Budgets Of Last Four Years
The Tribune to-day gives in tabu-
lated form the budgets for the last
four years; the budget for 1918 was
prepared by the Mitchell Board of Esti-
mate. The figures themselves tell the
story:
191s-$24o,51s,s5s.1s.
1919-$248, ,025 ,434s8.
l920-$273, ,689 ,485.13.
1921--$345, ,571, ,399.77.
The increase for 1921 over 1918, the
last budget Of the Mitchell administra-
tion is $105, 5,051, ,541.69, to which must be
added the $27,oOO,000 left out of the
Board Of Education requisition, but
which must be financed in some man
ner before midsummer to keep the
schools running. This brings the total
increases IOf lSZl over l3EU TO I9S.-
881,91464, and over 1918 to about Sl32,-
100000.
According to the official statement of
the Finance Department, there was on
July l, 1920, when the latest debt state
ment was issued, a margin of debt
limit Of s32 900, but between July
1 and July 81 Of last year, rapid transit
construction appropriations totaling
S7,155,000 cut this first named margin
down to about $25,0o0,Oo0.
Realty Valuation Increased
The 1921 tax rate will not be officially
determined until about March /, when
the tax rolls are sent to the Board of
Aldermen and the rate is officially de-
clared. The assessed valuation of real
estate for 1921 was enormously in
creased, the tentative total increase be-
ing about S1,500,000,00O. automatically
increasing the debt mourning margin
by $150000,000. This increase was
anticipated by the Board of Estimate
in making up the 1921 budget.
Both the assessed valuations and the
tax rates, save for 1919, have increased
under the Hylan administration The
tax rates follow:
19l8--2.40.
1919-2.37.
1920-2.53
1921-Well over 300.
This has resulted in huge burden
on realty and great increase in rents