The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-02-18
The Board OF Audit-The Claims or u
Clerks and Laborers.

The Board OF Audit-The Claims OF 6n'
Clerks and Laborers.
The demonstration of popular feeling made
at the meeting of the Board of Audit yester-
| day, although reprehensible, was not alto
gether inexcusable. The State Legislature
passed law some three weeks since for the
purpose Of insuring the immediate payment Of
clerks, laborers and other honest creditors OF
the city who have been kept out of the money
due to them last year in consequence Of our
recent municipal troubles. There could be no
question or doubt of the intention of the Legis-
lature or of the spirit of the law; yet as soon
as the Board of Audit met technical objections
were made to this and that provision, and
after number of vexatious delays, which
ought never to have taken place, it was
deemed expedient that supplemental law
should be passed explanatory of the original
act. This was done, and there has been time
enough since then, 1t would seem, to settle the
more pressing claims of the clerks and
laborers, who are the greatest sufferers for
the want of money, and whose accounts can
be paid as soon as audited, under the provi-
sons Of the law. The Board has, it is true,
done some work; it has made the apportion-
ments for the several departments of the city
government up to the 3Oth of April, and has
disallowed number of claims of doubtful
honesty or of unquestionable dishonesty,
and it has paid the STRENGTHENING con-
tractor, who never cleans the streets,
and has reimbursed some banks and
trust companies for money lent to
the Comptroller; but it has paid but few
of the clerks and laborers whose families are
suffering, and, in some instances, in actual
want, although the urgency of their cases was
cited at Albany as the most powerful argu-
Audit bill. These were the parties who yes
terday made some riotous demonstrations in
presence of the Board, and it is scarcely sur
prising that angry feelings should have been
excited when the announcement was made
that the Board would adjourn until Thursday
next, without having made any provision to
meet the claims of those who should have
been the first to receive their pay.
1t is to be hoped that no further delay will
be made in the payment of these men, in
whatever department of the city government
they may have been employed. The examina-
ton of pay rolls may take time, and a small
army of claimants cannot be paid in day ;
but the law was passed specially for the i'm
mediate relief of these very persons, and the
urgency of their cases demands extraordinary
efforts on the part of those whose duty it is to
settle with them on the instant. The Board
has, no doubt, found the apportionment bust
ness a laborious task, as well as the investi-
CATION of the long list of accounts that
have been disallowed; but its first
duty is to the poor clerks, laborers and other
employees who have been kept without their
honestly earned money for seven or eight |
months. They should be paid before the |
Board turns its attention to any other subject.
The amount of the apportionment for the
ordinary expenses of the city and county
government for four months, up to the first
day Of March, is close upon seven and q
half million dollars, being at the rate Of
twenty-three and half million dollars for
the year. 1t is doubtful, however, whether
the expenditures can DO kept within these
limits, and we shall, no doubt, find a
deficiency bill needed at the close of the
year.