Morning journal and courier., 1880-02-24

42 EDO 3,0O0 Oity Oisrk. .................. 1,60O l,sO0 Anditor .....,,,...........1 1,8OO 2,2OO Tax Collector. tor.................... $500 $500 Common Council Clerk ........... 100 100 Corporation Counsel ............. 9,GO0 8,60O Assistant City Court Judge. 76O goo City Attorney L'S00 z'9oo '9oo Assistant City Court oierk. 200 200 Assistant City Attorney. ........... 700 9OO
 City Attorney Pickett stated that if it was proposed to extend the reduction to June lst he was interested if it were to begin af- ter June 1st he might not be. The work re- quired his attendance 365 days in the year, and also 365 nights. At his office in the evening at one time he had sixteen persons, and ct another time twenty-one on city court business. He was aroused one quarter of the nights, sometimes twioe-once at11 and again at 2-to attend to business. His house was besieged on Sundays by many not very at trsctive persons. While he had been in office about 5000 cases year had been tried. The first year there were 3,044 and the second about 2,800. About as many as had been tried had not been brought. The city attor- uey earned less money at $2, 800 year than g lawyer AS hours out of the Law School with justice practice could earn in practice if he had enough cases. He believed that counsel or the defense in 800 of the cases made more money than the city attorney received for try ing the 5000. The salary had been $2, 500 1Or 6l6V6u y0dTb Ut 16d6t. 1t WhS LOO AuCA OA a reduction to put it at $1 800. If the night work could be cut of he might be willing to receive less salary. He received for assisting the State Attorney small fraction Of the $25O allowed for such assistance.
 Assistant Attorney Studley thought that when the salary of his office was raised it was not raised too much. There was more work then than now, but there might be the old amount of work again. The cases returned to court do not represent all the work done.
 Corporation Counsel Stoddard questioned Mir. Studley about the fees received, and re- marked that it looked as if the City attorney was overpaid or the State attorney underpaid.
 Mir. Pickett retorted that the Superior Court doesn't sit over eighty days per year. Being questioned what the increase in salary would be under the changed law, MT. Pickett said it wouldn't be $500.
 Tax Collector Billhouse said that his salary was $3, 5OO and the two and half per cent commission last year amounted to $400. It might not be competent, he thought, for the charter revision committee to fix his salary, for he gets salary from three sources, and it might be obligatory to confer with the other parties. The statute places his salary at $3,- 500, and the payments are apportioned be- tween the city, town and school district. The fees amount to nothing He has to pay the salary of a clerk out of the receipts named. He didn't think the salary too large. The two and one-half per cent. mentioned can -un to $2 800, but when it exceeds that the balance goes to the city. Two clerks are necessary because people come in and find fault with the size of their taxes, and they have got to be satisfied. Another reason for extra work has been the great change ip the last few years in real estate.
 Corporation Counsel Stoddard said the col lector's salary is not too much if he does his duty, but with $200, 900 behind it looks as if it was time some one was stirred up.
 aro6h hryu k1akp pie burst up and run away and the money is all charged to the collector. There are people about town Tthis in answer to Mayor Bigelow] who own large amounts of property in the city who don't pay their assessments There is some politics in this [laughter], and if a man collects all these liens he would be very un- popular. The collector isn't compelled to col Iect all the taxes.
 Mayor Bigelow and MT. Farnam said that the tax collectors bondsmen are responsible for every dollar uncollected, and Mayor Bige- low called attention to the fact that the city is compelled to borrow money.
 MT. Hillhouse thought the public sentiment wouldn't warrant foreclosing all the liens, and Mayor Bigelow said that he wouldn't. Mir. Hillhouse said that about $40, GOO of uncollect, ed assessments have been laid since he was appointed.
 Corporation Counsel Stoddard said that back taxes amounted to $100, 1000.
 Mir. HilIhouse thought that it would be bet ter to force collections, but he couldn't do it until eleven months after the tax is assessed. This favors flying" people who get out of town. He thought that the law should be changed.
 Mayor Bigelow thought that all who are able to pay should be compelled to. He did not believe in compelling poor widows and poor men who were out of work to pay taxes, when they had all they could do to pay their interest on mortgages that were on their premises.
 Alderman Woodhouse suggested that the names of all delinquent taxpayers be brought before the Common Council and let that body decide what should be done with them.
 Collector Hillhouse said that as he under stood the law there was nothing in it that re- quired him to put liens on property when taxes were not paid.
 MT. Hillhouse was excused.
 Assistant Attorney Studley said he thought the committee should consider the rise in prices before cutting down salaries
 MT. Gable, clerk of the City Court, next addressed the committee. He gave state ment of his duties, which he said took the criminal sides of the court combined. Since 1877 he had many bills uncollected, yet he had to pay over all court charges. At the begin ming of 1880 he found that there was due him from attorneys over $1 200, and when he came to pay over to the city what belonged to 1t he found that it very materially reduced his salary of $1, ,O00. He thought there was $7OO due him from attorneys that he could not col lect.
 Alderman Woodhouse asked MT. Gable how much he probably received outside of his sal ary.
 Mr. Oable-If collected it all it would probably amount to 5000 or $7O0.
 Collector Hillhouse said he wished to say another word. If the committee were willing to fix the law so that he could have not more than two clerks instead of one as now, he would be perfectly willing to have his salary cut down $500.
 City Clerk Morse was next called and said that he did not think $1 800 was any too large for the City Clerk, yet he thought the committee understood his duties so well that he was willing to leave the matter with them. He thought, however, for the benefit of his successor, whoever he may be, that the salary was none too high. He read from city year books of other cities of about the same population to show that larger salaries were paid than in New Haven. Con- tinuing, he said that if the City Clerk could have an assistant at small salary to do the drudging then he would not object to 8 re- duction of the clerks salary to $1,500. He said his duties took all his time and he often had to work nights and Sundays to catch up. He thought the assistant clerk should be ap- pointed by the clerk and approved by the Common Council and that he should be clerk of that board.
 J. P. Studley made some remarks regarding @ definition of the duties of coroner
 MT. Driscoll said the appointment and du- ties of coroner were already specified in the charter.
 ecutive session to consider their final action on the revision.
 The Court Record.