Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 14.djvu/603

NEW YORK. Each borough has a bureau of buildings, the superintendent of which is appointed by the borough president, and is subject to removal by him. In the smaller districts there are local boards of improvement, consisting of the president of the borough as chairman and those members of the board of aldermen who represent the districts within the area subject to improvement. The resolutions of the local board upon certain subjects must be submitted to the Mayor. Most of the offices in the departments are filled in accordance with civil service requirements.

The police commissioner appoints all members of the force from the eligible lists furnished by the civil service commission, and has power of dismissal. He is assisted by three deputies. The department includes also 15 inspectors and one captain to each 50 patrolmen. The total force in February, 1903, of men and officers was 7679. For patrol service the city is divided into 80 precincts, each having its own building with quarters for the men, cells for prisoners, and lodgings for homeless persons. Each precinct is in command of a captain under whom are several sergeants.

On January 1, 1902, the fire department of New York City had an active force of 2602 men. There were 137 engine companies, including 5 fire boats, and 44 hook and ladder companies. The companies constitute battalions, each under the command of a chief of battalion. The chief of department is at the head of the entire force.

The health department is administered by a board of health, consisting of a commissioner appointed by the Mayor, the commissioner of police, and the health officer of the port. The sanitary superintendent is chief executive officer of the board. A corps of medical inspectors is employed for the detection and prevention of disease, the inspection of tenement houses, and the enforcement of the sanitary code. There are also a vaccinating corps, a corps for disinfection, and one for the inspection of milk, meat, and other food products.

Manhattan and the Bronx have an excellent water supply, derived from the (q.v.), supplemented by the Bronx River. The Croton River, which is nearly 40 miles north of the City Hall, includes in its basin a number of small natural lakes and three artificial reservoirs, the largest of the latter being Croton Lake, in the main stream of the river. From this lake the aqueducts lead. There are a small receiving and a large retaining reservoir in Central Park, and a ‘high service’ reservoir at High Bridge. Another large reservoir is under construction on the site of Jerome Park, and plans have been made for a large distributing reservoir at 135th Street and Tenth Avenue. The storage system has a total capacity of more than 40,000,000,000 gallons. A new dam, the central masonry portion of which is 600 feet long and 260 feet high, is being constructed across the Croton River. This dam will add 21 square miles to the drainage area and increase enormously the storage capacity. There are also three smaller dams in course of construction. The supply reaches the city through two aqueducts, an old one with a capacity of 75,000,000 gallons a day and a new one with a capacity of 318,000,000 gallons a day. The average consumption of water in 1902 was more

than 250,000,000 gallons a day. The Brooklyn water supply is obtained from small local streams, ponds, and wells. There is a large reservoir in the eastern part of the Borough of Brooklyn and a small one near the entrance to Prospect Park. The daily consumption in this borough is about 100,000,000 gallons.

The budget of New York is considerably more than three times that of any other American city, and greater than that of any other city in the world. The actual income for 1901 was $118,740,596, including $1,285,821 received from the State for schools. Of this amount, $76,886,091 was collected from property taxes; $5,557,593 from liquor licenses; $5,048,788 from special assessments; $8,050,900 from water rates; and $2,571,584 from docks and wharves. The total expenditures for the same year were $102,946,573 for maintenance and operation, and $53,451,000 for construction and capital outlay other than loans repaid. The principal items of expenditure for maintenance and operation were: schools, $19,731,629; interest on debt, $13,693,155; police department, $10,199,206; fire department, $4,739,993; hospitals, asylums, almshouses, and other charities, $4,754,380; water-works, $3,000,990. The principal items for construction were: streets, $8,109,494; schools, $5,471,460; ferries and bridges, $4,458,739; water-works, $3,450,870; docks and wharves, $3,322,938. There is a bonded debt of $426,174,823 and a floating debt of $6,306,472. Against this indebtedness there is a sinking fund of $121,340,920. The city's legal borrowing limit (exclusive of the water debt) is 10 per cent. of the assessed valuation. The basis of assessment is legally 100 per cent. of the value of both real and personal property. The valuable franchises which have been granted to private companies return an entirely disproportionate income to the city treasury.

The expenses of Greater New York are much larger than were the combined expenses of the various component municipalities before consolidation. The increase in the first year after consolidation amounted to $15,000,000. This is due largely to the creation of more salaried offices and to increases in salaries. The salaries paid are the highest prevailing in any city of the world. There is a board of estimate and apportionment, consisting of the Mayor, Comptroller (elected by popular vote), president of the board of aldermen, and the five borough presidents (the presidents of Manhattan and Brooklyn having two votes each), which annually submits the budget to the board of aldermen. The board of aldermen cannot insert new items, increase the amount specified, or vary the stipulated terms and conditions; but there are certain items which it may reduce. The financial department is in charge of the Comptroller, and is divided into five bureaus. All officers in the department except two, one of whom is the city chamberlain, or treasurer, are appointed by the Comptroller.

Greater New York has about twice the population of any other American city, and is exceeded only by London among the cities of the world. This has come about almost wholly in the nineteenth century, during which time the city grew at a rate never equaled. In the colonial period New York ranked below Boston and Philadelphia. In 1790 there was a