New-York tribune., 1876-03-01
ALBANY.
NETWORK SALARIES,

NEW-YORK SALARIES.
ADOPTION OF MR. CRAFTS ADDITIONAL REDUCTIONS
-PREPosTERoUs REMARKS ON TIE BILL -
$4,000 A PITT ,NCE FOR EEw-YoRK LAWYER
OF sTANDIHG-NOT THROUGH WITH TBB BILL
YET.
uRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF The IRIBUEEJ
ALBANY, Feb. 29.-The House took unexpected
action to-day on the bill of Mr.. Watts in relation to
the salaries of New-York officials. The bill, as re-
ported by Mr. Fish from the Committee ON Cities,
reduced salaries about 25 per cent on the average
aud in one case, that of the aldermen, 90 per
cent; and last evening, Mr.. Graft of New-YOrk
offered amendments making still further reduc-
tions, not any ascertainable system. These
the House treated with playful attention, as most
Of Mr. CRAFTS propositions are treated, and banded
them about for an hour or two from parliamentary
battledore to parliamentary shuttlecOck until the
House adjourned. This morning they came up in
Committee of the Whole and after they had been
debated with considerable vigor, were adopted,
TO the general astonshment and much to the chagrin
Of Speaker Hustled and Mr.. Strahan, who had alone
opposed them. The bill, ordered to third read
ing reduces the salaries as follows, the first figure
beng that named in the printed bill and not the
figure of the present actual salary:
Mayor and Controller. from $4,000 TO SO 900; Com
missioner of Public Works. So 900 to $4,000; Corpora;
by him to he paid into the Treasury Of the city;
dent of the Board Of Police $1,000 TO $6000 Commits
soners OF Police other than the President 5000 to
5000 each President Of the Department. OF PARKS,
$500 unchanged; Commissioners Of Parks other
nissioners other than the President, $1,000
10 President OF the Department OF Charities and
Correction $500 $4,000, and Commissioners other
than the President $3.50 to 500 Pre- PRESIDENT o. the
srs other than the President $1,000 to $1,000 Alder
5000 President Of the Department Of Taxes and AS
sessments $500 TO $1,000, and Commissioners other
Department OF Docks S5 500 to 81 0OO and the Com
missOners other than the President, $4,000 supeIln
tendent Buildings, 81 900 TO $4,000 Commissioner OF
Accounts 81 800 to $1,000; Justices Of the District
Courts, 5000 to $4,000.
An amendment offered by Mr.. Foster and adopted
last night reduces the Departments of Fire. HEALTH
Docks, Charities and Taxes to single Commits
soner on the expiration of the terms of the present
Commissions, and provides that the present Presi-
dent of each of them shall remain in Office until his
successor is appointed.
The debate was begun with most preposterOus
speech from Mr. Strahan who said that the salary of
$4,000 for the Corporation Counsel which Mr.
Graft proposed still further to reduce would not pay
the house rent of a respectable lawyer in respect
able neighbOrhood. Ten thousand dollars was a
mere pittance to a New-York lawyer of any stand
ing. Did the House suppose they could secure the
services of a proper lawyer for sum $10,000)
which cover and over again" he (Mr. Strahan) had
received as retaining fee In single casesf The
incomes of all New-York lawyers ran up
TO $4,000, $S0,OO0 $4,000, yes, $4,000
year. Poor lawyer as he was, he would not ac-
cept the position at SIS, 900 or $4,000. Some of Mr.
Strahans utterances made nearer approach to
sanity. He opposed putting premium upon inccm-
potency and making important offices utterly unde-
sirable to competent men. He predicted that the
bill would be killed by the amendments and
charged that Mr.. Graft had made them with this
intention Mr.. Forster followed briefly, with
caustic reference to Lawyers with One-half the
years of Charles O'Conor and much smaller frac-
ton of his experience" while Speaker Hustled de-
scribed the amendments as being without rhyme or
reason directing to the fact that
under the bill as amended the Corporation Counsel
would receive only So GOO, while the DistrictAtOr
ney with one-third much responsibility, was re-
ceiving $12, 900, with costs. This was reform run
riot.
The amendments were adopted by rising vote of
81 to 27, most of the negative votes coming from
Democrats, and the bill was ordered to third
reading without opposition. Speaker Hustled ex-
poets to see the Democrats defeat the bill on its final
passage and it will be at least matter for surprise
If the bill should finally 60 through the Assembly.