Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: [v. 96, no. 2480: Articles]: September 25, 1915

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REAL ESTATE AND NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 25, 1915 FOR A MORE ECONOMICAL ADMINISTRATION I Departments Which Could Be Combined and Sinecures Which Could Be Abolished, as Recommended by the Real Estate Board .■■■liM^^^^^^^^^ THE interests of taxpayers in this city are being defended at this time as never before. The several real estate bodies are doing intelligent and effec¬ tive work aud co-operating with the city administration in behalf of more econ¬ omical government and a fairer distribu¬ tion of the ta.x burdens. During the week the Real Estate Board sc;it a number of pertinent com¬ munications to the sub-committee of the Board of Estimate which is now engaged in making up the annual city budget. The following was in relation to possible economies to be effected by the city: Possible Economies. "The Real Estate Board believes that Ihe Tax Budget Corairiittee is doing ex¬ cellent work and is making a serious effort to eliminate unnecessary positions and to pay for city work the same scale of salaries as is paid by successful busi¬ ness corporations. It must be 'assumed that, after a lon.g period of investigation and standardization, this committee of your honorable body is in possession of facts and details which ta.xpayer organi¬ zations are not able to secure. The board believes that the city should abolish sinecures and pay only the cor¬ responding commercial rates for services rendered. "It wishes, however, to emphasize the point that such reductions should not be confined to the rank and file but should he applied wherever employees are dis¬ covered to be overpaid or to be unneces¬ sary for the proper conduct of the city's affairs. It believes that if the investi¬ gation along these lines has been as rigid as that to discover over-payments and sinecures among minor employees, a very iinportant saving could be made even though many favored office holders should have to be dropped from the city's pay roll. It suggests, for instance, that the city might be able to get along with a much smaller number of en¬ gineers than it has in various depart¬ ments, bureaus and committees and in the Public Service Commission. The Beard wishes to repeat its recom¬ mendations made public a year ago and conveyed in various communications to your honorable body as follows: City Record.—That the powers of the Board of City Record should be enlarged and that it should be made a central purchasing bureau. A measure to ac¬ complish this, but giving such power under supervision of the Board of Esti¬ mate, was passed by the last Legislature and was supported by the Real Estate Board, but was not signed by the Mayor. City Chamberlain.—That the office of the City Chamberlain be abolished and tjiat.the legitimate functions now falling t-oLthe City Chamberlain be vested in the Finance Department. That all claims a,gainst the city be audited only by the Comptroller's office or, if in the form of a contract, by the Bureau of Contract Supervision.as well as the Comptroller's office. Water Department.—That water taxes be collected by the Comptroller at T MPORTANT suggestions in line ■^ with the administration's policy of retrenchment were made in communications -to the Budget Committee of the Board of Esti¬ mate by the Real Estate Board of New York this week. The aboli¬ tion of sinecures, the consolidation of certain departments, the en¬ forcement of the eight-hour day rule, and the payment of only the prevailing rate of wages to city employees, were among the recom¬ mendations. Business principles seem to be governing in budget making this year more than ever before. periods during the year when such col¬ lections will not interfere with the work of collecting otiier taxes. Board of Education.—For a Board of Education, small in number with paid members to have absolute control over all educational matters subject only to the State Board of Education, the Board of Estimate and the Board of Aldermen. In this connection the Board endorses generally the recommendations for econ¬ omy in the Board of Education recently made by the Comptroller, at the same time believing that some of the technical details must be left to the discretion of the Board of Estimate. Department of Bridges.—For the con¬ solidation of the Department of Bridges and the Department of Docks and Ferries. The Board believes it to be quite impossible that the large force and the large annual expenditure of the De¬ partment of Bridges can be warranted now, when all our expensive bridges are constructed. .A. Bureau of Brid.ges under the Dock Commission should be suf¬ ficient. Charities and Correction.—For the consolidation of the Department of Charities and Department of Correction. Hospitals.—That all hospitals be under one administrative head. Parks.—That there be one administra¬ tive head for parks. Libraries.—That there be one admin¬ istrative head for public libraries. Hours and Pay.—That all city em¬ ployees, except administrative heads, work the legal eight hour day and be paid only the prevailing rate of wages. "With respect to the present activities of the Board of Water Supply, the Real Estate Board understands it to be the opinion of some city officials that the present attempt of this Board to extend its work to Schoharie County and in other ways to perpetuate its existence, should be promptly checked. The Board heartily endorses this position and be¬ lieves that in\ eslitation would prove that the affairs of the'Board- of Water Supply could be wound up and its duties. transferri(:4 to- the Department- of Water .Supply, Gas and Electricity. The Real Estate Board will be glad to co-operate HI so far as it is able, with the Board of Estimate and Apportionment in ac¬ complishing this and in carrying out the other recommendations made herein." An Unnecessary Commission. The following from the Real Estate Board of New York to the Tax Budget Committee is with reference to the Commissidliers of Accounts. It suggests that this office be abolished and that the work be done by the Bureau of Muni¬ cipal Investigation in the Comptroller's office. The recommendation follows: "The Commissioners of Accounts ask an appropriation of $264,565.30. Last year they received $260,329.07, the aniount for 1916 being $4,236.23 above that allowed for 1915. The request for salary increases, which make up a large part of tiie requested increase, should be carefully scrutinized, also the request for two new positions with salaries totaling $3,750. More than a thousand dollars is also asked for office equipment and $1,233.50 for contingencies. "The fact which the Real Estate Board wishes to emphasize, however, is that the Board of Estimate should seriously consider whether the Commissioners of Accounts might not entirely be dispensed with. The Commissioners of Accounts are appointees of the Mayor, and it is suggested that it is within the province of the Mayor to discontinue their serv¬ ices, and that it is also within the prov¬ ince of the Board of Estimate to deny the appropriation. "The reason for this suggestion is that the Comptroller's office maintains a well equipped and efficient investigating plant, namely the Bureau of Municipal Investigation and Statistics, and in this connection it might be well to refer to investigations made by the Bureau of Standardization and the Bureau of Fran¬ chises." Business Principles in Budget Making. Tlie United Real Estate Owners' As¬ sociation, through its secretary, J. Bleecker Miller, has raised an interest¬ ing question in the proceedings before the Budget Committee under Section 149a of the Charter, concerning the right and duty of the Comptroller to submit to each department or official drawing pay from the City of New York a blank form showing the amount of work done during the past year by such department or official. This has never been done; the only reports on which the Budget is based show the money spent durin,g the past year and- the money desired during the coming year; but the amount of work done for the money expended during tli.e past year is not shown. A suit will be brought to test the right of the Spanish War Veterans to receive money from the city for life- saving stations and swimming instruc¬ tion; this suit will be a test of the right of many other benevolent institutions to draw money from the city treasury in return for services not wholly under the city's controlr .