The New York herald., 1921-08-16
Chief Offices Under May
0r's Control Show Consist
ent Adherence to General
Pay Increase Average.
iPENSIONS ARE PRUNED
$3.50, ,3O5,O71 Advance in Pro-
lection of Life, Health and
Property-Firemen Up
Il 81 Per Cent.
SUPPLIES JUMP SKYWARD
Street Cleaners Wages Leap
80 Per Ct, While Ash Dis
! posal Grows So, no, ,747
Over Mitchell Figures.

Mayor Hylan's policy of economy"
IN all departments and bureaus under
his personal or direct control has
meant, as THE New YORK HERALD
told yesterday, an increase of so per
cent. in the central administration"
or the city, composed OF his own Of
fice, Comptroller Craig's department,
the Corporation Counsel's Office and
other lesser though important Offices
which deal directly with the admins
tration of the city's central affairs.
The increase, as pointed out, was
from S5,471,S66 in 1918, Mayor Hy-
lan's first year in Office, to SS,176, $50
Tor the current year. Only in one
branch of central administration and
that the most important Of all, was
any economy" practised. The
cost OF running the Board of Esti-
mate and Apportionment. which in
the last analysis directs all the affairs
OF the city government, was, appar-
emily, reduced from $4S4,101 to S3S4,-
2S6. This was accomplished by
the abolition and elimination Of
the special bureaus for supervision
OF all city contracts and for grading
and regulation of salaries and of the
committees on Education and on City
Plan. all OF which had been specially
designed and trained to furnish the
Board of Estimate with full and accu-
rate information concerning every
expenditure Of the moneys raised by
city taxes.
Boosting Policy Is General.
This SO per cent. Increase, however,
was not confined to central admins
tration." AS might be expected, every
departmental head took advantage of
the lack of supervisory control over
his departmental activities and
boosted the cost of running his de-
partment just as high as and when
ever possible somewhat higher than
the Mayor and the Comptroller per-
mitted the expenses of their own Of
fees to mount.
Protection Of Life and Property"
for instance, rose under the Hylan
budget of 1921 to $45,S66,S5O, as
against $29,s51,977 provided for 1918
by the last Mitchell budget. This is
an increase of almost 81 per cent In
cluded under this classification In the
city budget are the appropriations for
the Police Department, the Fire De-
partment, the Armory Board and the
minor Offices of the Board Of Standards
and Appeals and the United States
Volunteer Life Saving Corps.
The budget provisions for Health,
Sanitation and Care OF Dependents,
which cover the appropriations for
the departments of Health, Public
Charities, Tenement House, Water
Supply, Gas and Electricity, and
Street Cleaning, for Bellevue and AL.
lied Hospitals, Board Of Child We'll
fare, Ambulance Service, Commit
ment Of Insane Persons and Payments
to Charitable Institutions, rose in
1921 from s35,532.641 to $54,S22,S39,
or something over 81 per cent.
Under Control of Mayor.
The total cost, therefore. to New
York City for protection of life and
for health and sanitation rose between
1918 and 1921 under Mayor Hylan
from $65,3s4,61S to the enormous
aggregate of s100.6s9,6 $50. an increase
for these two features of city Gov
ernment, every branch of them prac
tically IL not, as In most cases, directly
under the control of the Mayor
through his personally appointed Com
missioners, of s35,305.o71 In the three
years Of the Hylan administration.
IT is worthy of note how closely the
proportion OF increase was maintained,
as though by some carefully worked
out plan at the average OF about so
per cent
Some of the minor Offices. however,
were actually run in 1921 for less than
the 1913 cost while all OF the larger
Offices or departments exceeded gen.
erously the so per cent. increase. The
maintenance of the United States
Volunteer Life Saving Corps, for in
stance. cost only s7.795 in 1921 as
against ss,640 in 1918. This was ac
compished by drastically cutting
down this year the amounts appropri-
nted for supplies, equipment and
maintenance IN this organization.
The Board Of Standa rds and Apnaa ta
grew In cost only from s37,4s2 to s42,ss7.
an increase Of little more than 10 per
cent. The Armory Board. however, due
doubtless to war exigencles, rose from
s1s0.097 to ss33.s7e.
But In the matter OF life and property