New-York tribune., 1921-01-22
Craig, in Huff,
Quits asCity
BudgetChief
Resents Hylan Action in
Curtailing His Power il,
Framing Estimates at
Secret Board Meeting
Minutes, Held Up, He Says
Declares He'll Not Act
on the Committee Again {;
Shock to Administration

on the Committee Again (;
Shock to Administration
| Comptroller Charles L. Craig threw
wrench into The machinery Of the
Hylan administration yesterday by re-
signing as chairman Of the finance and
budget committee of the Board Of Es-
innate and giving notice to the board
that he would refuse to serve on the
committee in any, capacity. The Comp
troller's resignation was read at the
meeting of the board and came as a
surprise to the Mayor and other mem
bers..
Mr.. Craig acted in retaliation for
what he deemed the high-handed meth
DDS of the Mayor and other members
in passing a resolution last week cur
failing his powers as a budget framer
by transferring the preliminary work
on next years budget from the finance
| and budget committee to the commit
tee of the whole.
Charges were made at the Comptrol-
ler's Office. that the minutes of the
meeting of the committee of the whole
week ago last Monday, at which this
resolution was promulgated, had been
| suppressed.-,
Minutes Are Kept Secret
Notice Of the committee meeting was
not served on the Comptroller in time
for him to find out Its purpose, 1t was
said, and neither he nor his repre-
sentative was present The following
day, when representative of the
NJ 1QE 1L% L%cs
the minutes of the meeting, he was in
formed by the official stenographer Of
the Board of Estimate that the Mayor
had instructed him not to take any
n otes on the discussion at the meeting,
according to MI. Craig. The Comp
troller declared that it was the first
time in the history of the Board of
Estimate that record of the board
had been suppressed.
| The Comptroller's withdrawal as head
or as. member of the budget COM
titude, spells trouble for the Mayor
and the other budget makers, as he is
| the one official most conversant with
the city finances and the intricate work
Of preparing the budget. While the
preliminary work on the budget might
be done by the Board of Estimate as
a committee of the whole, without
the Comptroller's assistance, ultimate
ly the budget will have to come before
the finance and budget committee, and
the. absence of the Comptroller would
be severely felt.
Mayor Hylan and the other members
of the board, with the exception of
MajoH La Guardia, President cf the
Board of Aldermen, refused to accept
the Comptroller's resignation yester-
day. The Mayor said he thought the
Comptroller must serve on all COM
mittees to which he was appointed by
the board, and moved the resignation
be placed on file.
Deputy Comptroller Henry Smith,
who was sitting in the board for the
Comptroller, declared emphatically that
| the Comptroller had resigned and re-
| fused to serve on the committee. Comp
| troller Craig said, later there was no
provision in the city charter or else-
where in the law which compelled him
to serve on the finance and budget COM
mittee.
Dire Consequences Seen
Borough President Curran of Man
haitian declared that the Comptroller's
resignation threatened to disrupt the
whole city's business. He said that
the Comptroller's services were needed
and that it was the one committee of
all others where the Comptroller
should be.
at is unfortunate for. the city that
things have prsdrt come to this pass" rd
finance committee is urgently in need
of all the help that the Comptroller
and his staff can lend. This is the i'm
mediate result, of the boards action
last week, which actually did not clip
the powers Of the Comptroller. hope
he may be induced to reconsider his
action. The whole city's business is in
danger of falling to pieces if the
Board of Estimate breaks up in this
way.
Aldermanic President La Guardia
while Borough President Riegelmann
moved to lay it on the table. Borough
President Connolly of Queens moved
that it be referred to the committee of
the whole. No attention was paid to
any of the motions by the Mayor and
| Major La Guardia declared that the
question was serious, as ii might block
city business If the Comptroller didn't
act.
La Cuardia Would Accept
ut may be-" said the Aldermanis
President, "that no meetings Of the
committee may be called. think the
resignation should be accepted so tina,
the board may appoint another chair
man and take control Of the calendar
We can't have the committee dormant
and Inactive" =,
Borough President Riegelmann said
that the board had power to call
meeting of the committee at any. time
and he moved that the committee hold
a meeting Monday in the Comptroller's
cffice, where the meetings have usually
Keen held. His motion was adopted.
The Brooklyn Borough President met
the Comptroller later in the day in the
Municipal Building. and asked him il
his door would be locked when the com.
rnittee came to his Office to hold meet
ing Monday.
"That can only be determined by in.
spection," was the Comptroller's reply
T,l.~ C:. C1~rcboe Rnhhod