New-York tribune., 1921-10-11
Budget Must Be
Cut 100000,
Craig Asserts
Temporary Estimates Exceed
Legal Levy, Comptroller
Says, and Refuses TO
Vote at Board Meeting
Adopt Report Tentatively
Rate Will Be Lower, but Tax
payers Will Pay More
Oh Increases in Valuations

Comptroller Charles I. Craig refused
to vote to adopt the tentative city
budget for 1922, as presented by the
5oard OF Estimate yesterday. giving as
his reason that it exceeded the legal
tax levy by about s450O,O00 The ton
tative budget is SS54,446,46S Comp
troller Craig declared that S349 ,95l,211
was the utmost that could be legally
appropriated for next year.
Il am not voting for this budget
now said Mr.. Craig. because it con
tains about $4,000 600 too much Tho
utmost we can appropriate for next
year Is, roughly, S349, 1000, 900. The as
sessment valuations for 1922 NAV be
taken at about $10,500 .000.0 600. The .
per cent levy tax on this sum will Weld
- .Vo0,0 900. The general fund. as near
as | can compute it at this time. Will
yield $61,o00,000 moro. The debt serv-
ice. computed outside the tax limit. T
estimate at $64,520, ,69S. The state tax.
as revised by Governor Miller at nv
request, will yield Sl4,430,5 ,5l2 By add
sag sa g tnese hgures you get the total of
so+s'97 III, the limit we can go"
Inc Comptroller insisted that tho
tentative budget would have to be cut
S4,5Oo,O0O to meet the legal require
ments. Mayor Hylan called attention
to the fact that no one was VOTING on q
nhal budget at this time and that
changes could De made up to October
81 When the final budget must be an
proved by the Board of Estimate. The
comptroller, however, still declined 10
Noie. Inc law requires majority Of
all the sixteen votes of the hoard in
favor of the budget before i can he
adopted tentatively.
hen the Mayor called for the roll
on the vote for adoption the Conn
troller and Clarence II. Fay. Comm},-
sloner OF Public Works for Nfanhat+an
representing Borough President Henri
H. Curran, declined to vote. The tallv
stood voting to adopt ard not
voting Affirmative action was thus de-
iayed ana 1t looked for q time as
though the board would have to settle
down to an item by item discussion of
the huge two-volune document
hlnally Commissioner Fay turned to
'he Mayor and said he had declined to
vote supposing there would be enouyb
votes TO adopt the tentative budget.
while | am not ready to vote for
this budget" Mr.. Fay explained. "r d.
clined to vote merely because thoueb4
you had votes enough to adoDt it. Max
ing all due reservations on behalf Of
the President Of the Borough of Man
haitian, and because have not vet
had time fully to study the budget, yet
that the work may be expedited, | will
change my vote"
Mr.. Fay, therefore, by changing his
vote, made it possible to adopt tne
tentative budget and facilitate public
business, which otherwise might have
been dc eiayed lnterminably.
Comptroller Craig then volunteered
the statement that the tax rate, TO,
1922 probably would be lower il, al
tive boroughs He declared it wa sure
of being points lower in Manhattan
] point, or perhaps 2, in the Bronx
Brooklyn and Queens, and possibly
point lower in Richmond.
You may say this with certainty
said the Comptroller, that the ia,
rate in Manhattan Will surely be
/ points lower than it was this year. The
other boroughs OF the Bronx, Brooklv,
and Queens certainly VIII have a rate
at least point lower, and possibl,
= points, depending on how the frac
! tions break. Richmond will have .
rate the same as last year, or possibl,
/ point lower
The fact that the tax ravs, NAV be ;
point or two lower. according to the ta2
experts, does not mean that the tax.
I payers bills VIII be less. On the con
trary. the increased asses.ed valuation,
Of property VIII make the tax bill
/ higher.
Prior to the meeting of the Board O
| Estimate the Finance and Budget Com