San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-18
SCRIPT BASIS
SEEMS CERTAIN
FOR THE CITY
Refusal Of Council to Sane
ton Loan Leaves Cues
ton Unsettled.
SPENT LARGE SUM
Mayor and Street Commits
sioner Find Selves
Without Money.
SPENT LARGE SUM

With a total budget allowance Of
some S2.50O,CnO. the largest in the
city's history. San Antonio, before the
end Of the current fiscal year faces
the possibility of going on a script
basis.
Failure OF the city council at a
special meeting Saturday morning. to
adopt a plan suggested by Mayor
Black whereby he expected to borrow
an additional 100000. with delin-
quent taxes as security, makes the
script menace loom up as almost in
evitable. Even if this is prevented.
it is certain that every department
must be operated on the strictest econ
omy basis and it may be necessary TO
dispense with certain work which is
considered vital to the city's interests.
Blame for the chaotic condition of
the city's finances was laid at the
door of Mayor Black by two COM
missioners at the meeting Saturday.
Commissioner Phil Wright, in declin-
ing to vote for the loan, charged that
the mayor and street commissioner
had been evtravagant in their respec-
tive departments and also charged
that the mayor had failed to exercise
the duties imposed on him by the
charter, when he allowed the street
commissioner to expend more money
than be had been allowed. Commits
sioner Wright declined TO vote for the
loan on the ground that he did not
wish TO further burden the taxpay-
ers Of the city and that the back taxes
already are pledged to the local banks
as security.
Pfeiffer Blames Mayor.
Commissioner Pfeiffer, although he
did not vote against the mayors
proposition, left the council meeting
with the remark that the mayor had
gotten the city into a financial mud
die and that he could solve the prob
lem himself. The tax comm: SsiOner
took the position that he had kept
within his budget, that he had repeat
eddy warned the mayor to curtail his
expenditures and those of other de-
partments and as his warning had
not been needed. he was not obligated
10 take upon his shoulders RESPONSE
bility for negotiating an additional
loan. Commissioner Pfeiffer, at the
same time, admitted frankly that he
had no solution to offer, but made
it plain that he held the mayor re-
sponsible for the financial middle
and expected him to soly, it, if he
could.
The Saturday morning meeting was
very turbulent one and brought out
very forcibly the bitter feeling exist
ing between the mayor and tax COM
missioner. Exception also was taken
by Commissioner Wright to remarks
made by the mayor in which the word
politics" was injected. The police
commissioner openly charged that too
much money had been spent by the
mayor and street commissioner and
that he, for one, was opposed to giving
either of them any more to spend.
Mayor Chides Commissioners
Mayor Black, in ehiding the COM
missioners for their refusal to vote
for his 100000 loan, charged that
they. as members of the council, were
equally responsible for the lavish
expenditures, as they had voted for
the various appropriations. Commits
sioner Wright retorted that he had
done so because he had supposed the
commissioners submitting such appro-
priations knew what they were doing
and had the money available. He also
charged that Commissioner Rieden had
been tearing up streets since he found
that his budget was exhausted, his
purpose being to force the council to
appropriate money to finish them.
This the street commissioner denied.
The mayor also pointed out that re-
fusal to vote for the loan would mean
that the commissioners were keeping
city employees out of work Several
hundred men were laid off when the
street commissioner budget became
exhausted. Commissioner Pfeiffer,
however, refuted this charge by point
ing out to the mayor that every cent
of the 100000, if it had been Dor
rowed, would have an required to
meet deficiencies already existing and
TO operate the various departments on
a strict economy basis for the remain
der Of the fiscal year. Not a single
man who has been discharged, the tax
commissioner asserted, could have been
put back TO work if his pay depended
on the S200.000.
No Division Of Funds.
As 1t now stands, Commissioner
Pfeiffer said Saturday, the mayor
needs 100000 in his contingency fund
to pay interest outstanding. Com
missioner Rieden will require $4,000
TO operate his department with a min
imum force during the remainder of
the year. Commissioner Lambert has
coming to him some $4,000 out of