The New York herald., 1921-01-25
EXPECTED TO RELENT
Sinking Fund Commits
sion Gets Shock in Shape
of a $250,0O0 Menace.
COURT ORDER SLIGHTED
Spectacle of Trying to DO
City's Business Without FL
nancial Officer Near End.

After spurning two overtures of
peace yesterday from Mayor Hylan
Comptroller Charles L. Craig last night
virtually had won hands down his
fight for control of the city budget
making power in the Board of Esti-
mate Committee on Finance and
Budget. from which he resigned a
week ago as chairman and member
when the Mayor took the 1922 budget
away from the Comptroller's committee
and placed it in the hands of the COM
mittee of the whole, of which the
Mayor is chairman.
Apparently finding running the city
too stupendous q task without the as
sistance of the Comptroller, whatever
his lack Of love for that official, the
Mayor named himself last night as
head of an official delegation of his
own creation from the Finance and
Budget Committee to call upon the
Comptroller, hat in hand, and invite
him back to the head of the commit
tee.
Whether the Mayor is ready to offer
to the Comptroller again the powers
which his committee took from the
Comptrollers committee could not be
learned. but one member Of the COM
mittee expressed his own readiness to
rescind the resolution taking the budget
away from the Comptroller. and there
were indications that others might do
likewise, in order to relieve the imprac-
ticability of transacting the city's busi-
ness without the cooperation of the
Comptroller.
The Comptroller refused all negotia-
tions yesterday and busted himself with
a new attack upon the Mayor and his
ally, F. H. La Guardia. President of the
Beard of Aldermen, taking them from
the unexpected quarter of the Sinking
Fund Commission.
Comptroller Is Obdurate.
The regular meeting of the committee
on finance and budget yesterday pre-
cipitated the first efforts of the Mayor
to approach the Comptroller. when the
committee was faced with the proposal
of meeting without chairman and
without the certainty that II would be
welcome or even allowed in its Gus
tomary quarters in the Comptroller's
suite.
William J. Flynn. Commissioners of
Public Works of The Bronx. represent
ing Borough President Henry Bruckner
Nd TO aH xvtf
the Comptroller two minutes, returned
to City Hall and later said:
after my talk with him. however. I
advised the committee 1t was my judg-
ment that II ought to meet somewhere
else than at the Comptroller's office"
Upon that advice the committee met
in the anteroom of the Board of Esti-
mate chamber in City Hall and trans
acted its business with the Mayor presid-
ing in the Comptroller's absence.
1t was learned afterward that the
Mayor introduced and had adopted a
resolution for the appointment of dele
CATION to wait upon the Comptroller and
try TO, prevail upon him to reconsider his
resignation, which, unless he consents to
withdraw it, will be considered by the
Board of Estimate next Friday. Indica-
tions were that the delegation will be
headed by the Mayor, while other men,
bers will be Messrs. Reigelmann and
Bruckner, the boards three strongest
exponents of Tammany Hall.
Comptroller I'm New Attack.
In the midst of these negotiations the
Comptroller sprung his new attack by
accusing the Mayor and Mr.. La Guardia,
as members of the Sinking Fund Com
mission. of delaying compliance with n
court decision. thereby threatening the
city with n loss of S250,000. The
Comptroller demanded meeting Of the
Sinking Fund Commission and appro-
pirate action Immediately. The COM
mission met promptly and acted with
despatch. though with loud protests
against the Comptroller's charges
In 1917 the Sinking Fund Commits
sion entered into contract with the At
lantic. Gulf and Pacific Company con-
veying TO the company certain lands
within the bulthead line Of Mill Island
while the company was to convey to the
city certain adjacent lands under water.
with the understanding that the city
should dredge n channel at cost OF
approximately s25O,0O0.
In 1918 the Sinking Fund Commission
of the new administration. deciding the
old commission had made a bad and
illegal bargain. undertook to rescind the
contract. which move resulted In n court
action and a decision relieving the city
of digging the channel provided Il COM
piled with the judgment by next Satur-
day.