New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-08-14
Brown Fears
City Ruin i'm
H,ylan Waste
Mayors Failure to Sug-
gest Remedy for Crisis
Forces Probers to Turn
to Other Officials

10 other Officials
Elon R. Brown, chief counsel to the
Meyer legislative committee inves+i-
eating the Hylan administration. an
rounced yesterday that the city was
at the end of it's financial rope.
From the vague testimony of the
Mayor during his three grillings before
the committee Mr.. Brown said he was
convinced that the administration
financial affairs were in a sad plight
Mr. Hylan, he added, has failed to
offer single concrete suggestion for
the abatement Of the municipality
troubles or the reduction of it's stead
lily mounting running expenses.
City's Most Important Problem
Mr.. Brown insisted that the most
important problem now before the city
is the squaring of it's revenues with
its expenses. In this connection he
takes a position directly opposite to
that of the Mayor, holding that as the
state and national governments have
been able to effect economies, the city,
too, must and can cut its expenditures
He points out that under the law next
years budget cannot exceed this years,
and that unless something is done TO
correct conditions additional millions
will be added to the city's deficit.
Mr.. Brown sees remedy for the
situation in the definite limitation of
funds available for administrative ex-
penses and the still further reduction
of these expenditures to enable the
city to obtain money for public i'm
provements. How this can be done will
have to be learned from facts turned
up through the inquiry.
Mr.. Brown concluded with the belief
that he would be more successful in
getting light on the situation from
other sources than the Mayor when the
hearings of the committee are resumed
in the City Hall on Tuesday morning.
He already has signified that Comptrol-
Ter Craig will be put on the stand.
From him he hopes to obtain some real
knowledge Of the city's affairs.
Tracing Budget Expansion
Mr.. Brown will make an effort then
to learn the underlying causes that
have brought the city's budget this
year up to the unprecedented figure of
$345 100000 and forced the city, as he
charges, to exceed it's legal tax limit
and debt incurring power by S24,000,-
600 and $120,000,0 600 respectively.
In this connection it was reported
yesterday that Comptroller Craig will
seek to show on the stand that the
city has in neither instance exceeded
its constitutional powers 1t was also
declared that he would point to a pro-
vision in the Penal Code which mikes
the spreading Of unsustained reports
calculated to discredt the financial
stability of institutions misdemeanor.
Friends Of the Mayor and the Comp
troller point to the fact that the city
placed S22 100000 worth of bonds on
the market a few days before Mr.
Brown made his charges, but that the
bonds were disposed of the day follow
ing the publication of the counsel's as
sertions.
Mr.. Browns 5 statement reads:
81 find there is a good deal of dis
position yet to look for permanent re-
suits in the preliminaries. The inquiry
has only just begun. 1t has been CON
fined down to this time to an examina-
tion of the Mayor and to purely con-
structive iderations The Mayors
attention was directed to four impor-
tant issues:
"First-Has the city incurred more
debt than it has right to incur?
"Sec cond-Have the provisions for the
payment of the debts through the sew
eral sinking funds been used to reduce
the city's debt?
"Third-Has the city made higher
tax levy for city purposes than it has
a right to make?
"Fourth-Can any savings be made
in the several departments by cutting
out duplication Of service and by re
ducing either the cost of salaries and
expenses or by reduction in the num-
ber Of employees?
Little Help Given Committee
"While these are all obviously Of the
first importance in laying the founda-
tion for an improvement of the citys
condition, / must confess that very lit
tie aid has been given to the committee
thus far by the examination OF the
Mayor on any of them. His testimony
upon the subject has been published at
length, and it is unnecessary for me to
comment upon it's effect or value upon
the questions raised
"I have no hesitation, however, in
saying that no solution as to any OF
them has thus far been suggested, and
was unable to discover from the
Mayors testimony any concrete in
stances where the administration feels
that expenses could be curtaied or pre-
vented from mounting higher than at
present.
"The most important problem for the
City of New York is to make its reve-