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

the public schools and other municipal
departments"
second-That such assumed financial
condition is due IN part to "ineficiency,
waste and corruption" III the various
city departments
Third-That, because Of alleged un-
stated practices. there is dem oraliza-
ton in the administration Of various
departm ents
Fourth-That the alleged financial
difficulties are due in part to duplica-
tions and defects in the city's charter
resulting in lneficiency and waste in
administration.
Each of these charges the Mayor de-
c(ared to be without foundation and
charged that much Of the cty's debt
was due to the mandatory legislation
passed in Albany, some Of which had
been introduced by Senators Lusk and
Meyer, of the committee, and by As
semblyman Ullman, also Of the com
mttee
increases due to mandatory legisia-
ton in 1921 resulted in an advance over
1918 of about 1926, 607.49,' said the
Mayor. "Some examples OF this group
of bills imposing this burden are cited
below. They are examples CT the exer-
else of power without responsibility by
the Legislature. They are a burden
from which the Legislature has the
power to relieve the city.
Chapter III of the Laws Of 1921
was introduced by Senator LusE. This
law assumes to create a liability upon
the city, in favor of certain private in
terests, which has been estimated at
5000 900, but which may run up as
high as $4,000 900 When this meas
ure was introduced in the Senate it ap-
piled to the entire state. In the Assem-
bly, it was amended so as to apply only
to the City of New York and thereby
exclude upstate from its provisions.
ever, was retained so as not to make it
city bill, and, therefore, subject to the
veto of the Mayor. A similar bill passed
by previous Legislature was vetoed
BY me.
Unnecessary Judicial Employees
"Chapter 461, Laws of 1921. was in
tloduced by Senator Meyer in regard
/ to classification of confidential attend
ants tC Supreme Court Justices The
effect OF this is to permit incoming
Judges to appoint confidential attend
ants outside the civil service and at
the same time continue on the pay roll
the confidential men of the retired, re
signing or deceased judges and place
them in the civil service. This Will
result in added and unnecessary en-
poyees on the occasions when Supreme
Court judges resign. retire or die. This
was in form a general law that die
not come to me to permit Of my veto
ing it.
"Chapter Ais, Laws of 1921, intro
duccd by Assemblyman Ullman, pro.
vides for the employment of tempo
rary stenographer when the oficia
stenographer fails to attend the Gen
eral Sessions Court Formerly the
court stenographers paid for substi-
tutes out of their own salaries OF
5000 year when they did not attend
TO their duties This bill did not come
to me to permit OF my vetolng IT.;
"However, companion bill (Senate
Int No. 1116) of similar character
for the City Court of New York, IN
troduced by Senator Meyer, did come
to me because it was city bill and
vetoed it because it improperly added
/ to the budget.
Salary of Court Librarian
"Chapter 100, Laws Of 1921 intro
duced by Assemblynan Mckee, takes
/ the power from the Board OF Estimate
and Apportionment to fix the salary
| OF librarian OF tne lily Sou. i0ceA'
ing $4,000 and enables the judges OF
the City Court to raise it to $4,000
Chief Justice O'Dwyer, Of the City
Court, in writing protested, SO under
stand, against this blN.
"Chapter GAO, Laws of 1921, intro
duced by Senator Karle, increased the
budget by adding to the number of
/ employees in the office of the Commits
sioner of Jurors Of Queens County
and also deprived the Board of Esti-
/ mate and Appointment of its former
discretionary power in respect to en-
ployees in the Same Offices in the four
other counties.
"There is still a further group of
such legislation, the additional cost
Of which cannot be determined at this
time.
This demonstrates that if the city
were left to its own devices and not
subjected to Legislative interference
its revenues would be sufficient for
its needs"
ITO the claim that the alleged finan-
cial difficulties are due in part to dupli-
cations and defects in the city charter