New-York tribune., 1922-05-19
Advises Chamber of Com.
mcrce That Violent Up.
heaval in Its Present
System Is Dangerous
Improve on What
You Have, His Idea
State Tax Saving Offset
by Local Extravaganza
That Should Be Curbed

'oNerhor MllIcr address last hi ght
before the Westchester County Cham
Der of Commerce at the Hotel Commo-
dore delighted the opponents of the
scheme to create city out Of tho
scattered towns and villages of West
chester. The Governor said changes in
the existing forms of government
there were necessary, but he advised
against too much Capitalization.
The Goveror was the guest of honor
and was the only speaker, talking with
one eye on his watch, out of respect
for the commuters time tables that
harassed his audience. In that connec
tlon he spoke of suburban transporta
ton, which he said, was almost beyond
the saturation point. A distinct sys-
TEN of suburban traffic, separated
from long distance transportation and
freight traffic, Is necessary, he said.
William l.. Ward, chairman of the
Republican County Committee of West
chester, did not attend the dinner. He
mas long been regarded as the moving
force behind the city of Westchester
scheme. l he leading opponents of this
proposal were represented at the din
ner by Leslie Sutherland and Ulrich
Welsendanger, of Yonkers They fire.
qnently led applause given to remarks
ny the Governor interpreted as un-
friendly to the city of Westchester
idea.
Old System Outgrown
u am inclined to think" began the
Governor, that wholly apart from
your peculiar conditions we have out.
grown some Of our old methods of
township and county government
throughout the state. This administra.
tlon has laid claim to have saved the
taxpayers Of the state a considerable
sum in direct state taxes, but ! founc
when looked into the subject that the
state taxpayers did not know it, ane
that the reason they did not know il
~ss that that saving in the state take:
IN most counties was more than alb
sorbed by increases in the cost of loca
government.
"Now, it is quite true that the cos
creased and necessarily will continue tt
increase, because with the expanding
needs and demands of society the locali
ties have constantly to take on new ant
additional work but I am impressed
with the belief that our town ant
county government systems need re
VISION; that we are continuing SOM
unnecessary work, and that there i
much overlapping work.
II am not suggesting that there shal
be any diminuton in the powers o
local government, because local self
government is absolutely indispensable
to the maintenance Of our representa-
tive institutions
"And let the local governments b.
impaired in their efficiency; let Their
be too much centralizaton of powc
either in the state or in the Fedora
government, and the result will be t.
destroy the capacity of our people 70
government, because we learn hoy
to govern ourselves first by ATTENDING
to our own local affairs, but that doe
not initiate at all against the PROPOSE
tion that we should make our local gov
ernments just as effective and efficien
as it is possible for them to be.
State Saving Summarized
'[ am going to tell you how muc
that has meant to Westchester County
Your state taxes last year were re
duced nearly $550,000 and the taxes t
be levied by the Legislature will be re
duced, as compared with 1920, S680,O0
and more. Now that is a reduction i
two years of 81 ,250,Ooo, very substan
tial sum even for a large and wealth
county like Westchester, but your ex
panding needs have been greater tha
those probably of any other county i
the state outside of the cities, becaus
you have all of the problems of tn
city and your local expense burde
| necessarily has had to increase
Now you have got, as | said, pc
culiar problems because of the fac
that you are metropolitan in fac,
Your health problem, your problem O
police, your problem Of fire protection
of water, of education. of social sery
ice-all complicated by your rapid
growing population and your proximit
to this great center, and those grea
problems cannot be efficiently deal
with as they have been dealt with j
the past by your separate township!
municipalities and your county govern
ment.
"That much is plain; that much wa
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