The New York herald., 1875-07-16
THE EMIGRATION COMMISSION.
FIRST BUSINESS SESSION OF THE LEGISLATIVE

FIRST BUSINESS SESSION OF THE LEGISLATIVE
INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE.
The Assembly Committee for the investigation
of he doipgs or the Emigration and Quaran tine
Commissioners held their first business meeting
Yesterday afternoon at the oflce OF the Emlgra-
tlon Commission In Castle Garden Speaker Nc
CURE and Assembly men Waehner and schuyler
conducted the investigation, and commissioner
Forrest and Secretary jack fon, OF the Emigration
department, furnished the information. Speaker
Mcclure, before proceeding to the examination OF
the books, read letter from State COmptr oler
Hopkins IN reply to one asking for a transcript or
all vouchers and certified copies OF all reports Of
the Health ofcer and Commissioners of Emigra-
ton from and including the year 1864. Tie Comp
troller says that 1t VIII take four or five clerks
two weeks to do this work, and suggests that the
investigating committee SHOULD content itself
with sending subcommittee to Albany to inspect
the books. IL was agreed that AssemDlyman n
schuyler should 60 to the state capital lortu
purpose
Mr.. Jackson, the secretary read the list OF sp-
pOin tmentS and salaries i0r the past fe years,
mission. Several hOdrs were spent 10 this dreary
reading, every ecruDwoman's pay being scruti-
nIzed. The first important point arrived at was
the increase OF salaries In 1871 as compared with
1870. 1t appeared from the 1gures read Dy Mr..
Jackson that the salaries In Castle Garden In 1870
were $685. 068 49, and In 1871 S109 Io4 81 showing an
increase III Castle Garden alone OF t11,125 40 in
Mr., Waehner said he would like to see state.
ment Of the amounts paid for salaries from 1871 to
1874 and the reasons OF the increase-whethe her it
arose from greater number or employees or
higher rate OF payment Mr.. Jackson said he
would prepare statement for the committee be-
fore :nelr next nesting, ana he could only say
generally that the increase was mainly owing to q
higher rate OF payment
GETTING INTO DEBT
Speaker Mcclure inquired Tor the causes or the
great decrease OF salaries in 1875 as compared
VITA 1874, and Mr. Jackson enumerated the list OF
employees that had been dismissed owing TO the
smaller emigration IL also appeared that tue
amount OF assets to the credit OF the department
over and above liabilities was ABOUT 1926, 900 In
1870, and Ia an abruptly descending scalc the bal
ance Ia 1871 only about S173,O00, In 1872 only
$4s,000 and IN 1873, as Speaker Mcclure humor-
ously remarked, 'The boot got on the other leg.u
In December, lS73 the Commissioners mad over
drawn their oank account 81, 401 90, and the de-
partment was indebted to the amount OF S8l 900.
In December, 1874, their indebtedness rad risen
TO about S2l1, 900.
HOW MONEY WAS SPENT.
MIR. Waehner askeo Tor the cause OF the $I53000
decrease OF assois from 1870 to 1871 Mr. Jackson
said over $4,000 were expended on the Lunatlc
Asylum, $4,000 were paid for the sea wall OH
WARDS Is.anU, $50 900 on account OF the mortgage
on Wards Island &C., bringing the extraordinary
payments up to $4,000. In discussing these
figures IL became apparent that while the re-
ceipts, as SHOWN by the annual reports, were In
excess OF the expenditures, the Commissioners
stu got into debt, and the solution OF the mys-
terry was that lunds from which the Commission
were drawing were charged as receipts. Mr..
Jackson was finally requested TO prepare state
lures.
Much time was spent in social talk, Mr.. Mcclure
telling now hard he worked as q Judge In the
country; that Ar. Forrest told him ne ald not
brushes along" &C. The committee adjourned
till this afternoon at two O'Clock.