New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-04
Inquiry
To Hunt Better
Borough Plan
Continued from page enc,

ence in this matter, it is reported, re-
suited in saving of upward of $4,000
to the city.
Senator Meyers announcement that
the committee would consider charter
revision this summer Indicated that
it Is to be the committees chief con-
structive work
"Of course, our committee has not
yet reached any determination on so
momentous problem" said Senator
Meyer eve shall give it the closest
study possible. But meanwhile, it is
interesting to note the attitude adopted
toward it by the various charter re-
vision commissions, beginning with the
first WINS commission of 1907. Boz
ough autonomy, as is generally known.
| think, was device nit upon by the
drafters of the original charter Of the
greater city, the charter of 1896, to
reconcile the conflicting jealouses of
the boroughs, and especially of Brook
Ign. There can be no doubt that the
five separate borough organizations
make for a considerab Bile increase in
municipal expenditures. Yet it may
we'll be that upon close examination of
all the facts the devolution of powers
and responsibilities secured through
this system will counterbalance its ex-
travagances.
con this question Of local autonomy
the commission of 1907 remarked that
it has worked very well in some, very
badly in others, and really satisfacto-
rily in none Of the boroughs While the
Mayor is regarded as the responsible
head of the city government, he is
werless-except to the extent of his
three votes in the Board of Estimate
and Apportionment-in eli matters of
public Improvement
The WINS commission, apparently
was disposed to doubt seriously the
value of borough autonomy but it rec
ognized the difficulties which would be
offered by weaker boroughs to any prop
osition to centralize municipal admins
tration.
Leaned to Capitalization
Consequently, the WINS commission
reported for it's continuation, but in a
modified form. Either the city must
become, in fact, metropolis or it must
sink to the position of mere confed-
GRAFTON of localities. The commission
conceives the difficulty of arriving at
satisfactory solution of this problem.
but it is convinced that economy, proper
civic pride and the interests of the city
as whole will be best encouraged and
promoted by devolving a large part of
the powers of the present separate bor-
ough governments upon central govern
ing departments
''The Twins commission emphasized
very strongly the unwisdom of giving
Borough Presidents, as administrative
officers, the right to sit in the Board of
Estimate as approprlatIng officers to au-
thorlze their own expenditures. 1t sug-
gested in place of this system that each
borough should elect representative to
sit in the Board of Estimate, whose
functions should be limited to that pur-
pose. The opinion of the commission
of 1907 was reiterated by the commits
sion of 1908, which drafted a charter
along the lines drawn by the first COM
mission This second commission
summed up in its report accompanying
the new charter its views on the whole
system of representing the boroughs in
the Board OF Estimate through the Bor-
ough Presidents as follows:
The experiment of electing borough
representatives as financial officers 10