The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-02-22

zens has gone up to give the Legislative CON-
mittees the benefit of their wisdom; but ii
does not yet appear that their suggestions
are more useful than they were to the
Mayor when he invited them to his tepid
conferences. While the Legislature is try
/ ing to sift out the few kernels of wheat from
this bushel of chaff we will tell the lawma-
kers some things respecting public sentiment
here which they are not likely to learn from
these self-elected delegates nor from any
other branch or division of the Albany lobby.
We need not say that we join In the de-
mand for economy which is so loudly made
at present; but all the measures of frugality
hitherto advocated by all the professional
and amateur reformers, even if all their in
consistent projects could be enacted en- bloc,
would hardly save our city taxpayers a
quarter Of million dollars per annum--a
sum not to be despised, indeed, but mere
feabite in the profuse annual bleeding to
which they are subject. Most assuredly we
do not object to any saving large or small, that
can be made by cutting down salaries if the
compensation is high enough to command
efficient SERVICE but the reform most needed
is greater efficiency. The evil which our
citizens groan under, the annoyance which
SO often makes them lose their temper, the
disgust which impels them to hiss their
officials as they would set of bad actors in
play. is their inability to get the work
done which they pay SO literally for doing.
Our citizens are not narrowly and meanly
penurious; they do not expect skilled work
men to accept the wages of bungers What
they complain of is that while they pay for
skilled work they get nothing but wretched
bungling.
Among the apt comparisons of President
Lincoln none had more pungency than his
description of incompetent army officers as
''augers that won't bore" 1t is the stand
ing reproach of our city government that it
consists of whole chest of tools as worth
less MS Mr.. Lincon's augds that would
not bore. We have planes that won't
take off smooth shaving, chisels
that will not cnt screwdrivers that
can't be made to turn screw, screws that
cant be worried through pine board and
it seems like a ludicrous insult to public
intelligence to be haggling and dickering
over the price of such chest Of worthless
tools when the grand necessity is to replace
them with better set. Our people don't
mind paying handsomely for good work.
Their chief ground of complaint is that they
are compelled to pay dearly for iueficiency
and neglect. We have an expensive street
cleaning arrangement that does not clean
tho streets; Health Department that
leaves all sorts of stencil diffusing and pes
demonstrating nuisances to poison the air
in the summer months; a Police Depart
ment which leaves life insecure, murderers
and burglars uncaught and dens of gam
bling and pollution undisturbed; Common
Council that permits the street railroad
companies to pack people like herrings in
filthy cars and to swindle the city out of the
taxes due from these roads, and other
departments, which give us the flthiest
markets, the shabbiest docks and the worst
paved streets in the world. It is very idle
and petty employment to be disputing over
ten per cent reduction in salaries
when the whole municipal service is SO
our policemen did their whole duty with Wig
ilance and energy the city would not grudge
them their salaries. If our streets were
kept clean and wholesome the people would
not grumble at the cost. If our health
officers promptly abated all nuisances and
kept the atmosphere of our dwellings sweet
and untainted we should save enough in
doctors bills, funeral expenses and loss
of employment by disease to pay
the expenses of their department thrice
over. Moreover, the annoyance, dis
content, i'll temper and sense of
outrage inflicted on us by the set of imbe-
Giles and incapables which we dignity
with the title of a city government would be
cheaply got rid of by adding ten per cent to
salaries if we could not secure efficiency at
a lesser rate. Whatever else is done or left
undone, let us have augers that will bore, a
city government that will discharge its
proper functions.
We prefer to judge the proposed legisla-
ton at Albany by the standard of eff
cheney rather than the standard of economy,
although economy is likewise important.
But do not give us, Messrs. Legislators,
city government that is "cheap and
nasty" We are spending now q great deal
of money, with nothing to show for it. Do
give us, ye debating and pottering Solons,
the worth of the money we pay in taxes,
whether it be much or little. Set before us
the assured prospect of a clean, well paved,
wholesome and orderly city, and until the
gloss of novelty has worn off from our un-
accustomed sense of comfort we will not
grumble very loudly at the necessary ex-
pense Reduce salaries if you can, and we
will thank you even for that boon; but
you will fail in your chief duty il
you do not give MS q set Of municipal