New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-03-03

sbonId NOT he allowed to retain any cohtroi
over the Mayors appointments. Inc neA'
Mayor should have free use OF the appoine'nS
n,ver but there should be proper restrlcti ohs
over his rig ut of removal.
There appears to he good deal OF hi'sun"es
standing in regard to the number OF heao'
which department should have. oins.e-
headed departments would not DO panaoea loi
all evils, as some well.intentioned PERSONS seem
to think 1t ia questionable whether such
change would not be very detrimental III son1
cases. A Board holds public meetings, OF shoulu
be compelled to do so, and publicity Is ootil'he"
for ia proceedings, while single Commissioners
acts i'm secret Few persons will assert that Ono
Department of Public Works, with one heau, Is
"a well managed as the Fire Department, or that
of Taxes. or Charities and Correction, each one
of which il in charge OF three Commissioners
Roards that can be evenly divided, like that OIL
the Park Department, or the Police Board, are
often detrimental to the public interests. Deau-
locks or bargains generally follow such dlvl-
sions.
There should be one head to n department. as
n rule. where it has only administrative duties
10 perform But where a department is IN
trusted with legislative or judicial functions lS
il questionable whether it should be in charge
of less than three Commissioners. Take the Tax
Department for instance. IL has almost aoSo-
lutte control over the manner of le7ying taxes
1t can relieve any one OF the payment OF per-
sonal taxes and can increase or reduce the
amount to be paid by any person on real estate.
Its action in these respects Affects every TAX
payer in the city. The Commissioners are oeset
by all kinds of personal and political Influences
Ii would be impossible for one man to hear ana
properly determine in the time allowed 10y law
all the appeals for relief that come before the
ruembers of that Board. Such duties should not
| lie delegated 10 subOrdInateS, and no one man
should be intrusted with the great power OF the
Department in levying taxes There should not
be less than three Tax Commissioners, as at
present.
The Board OF Health has the sole authority to
pass sanitary ordinances; and to 1t Is conhded
great discretionary power over the lives and the
property of citizens. We question the adyisa-
billty of investing one man with such power
It would be greater than that ever pos
sessed by any Mayor of the city. The Park
| and Fire Departments have only executive
! duties 10 perform, and their administration
lght he improved under single heads, should
| the appontees happen tn be the right klnd OF
| men, The Dock Department now has the I'M
| controlled legal right to expend S3,OOO,OOO
! year on the water front. No such power should
| ever be vested in one man, nor la any three men
for that matter. If the Commissioners OF Chart
| ties and Correction visited all the Institutions
under their control each day, a. they ought to
| do. there would be plenty OF work for three men
| end much moro than any one man could pos
sbly do.
The Election Bureau should be taken from the
Police Department and put in the control Of a
non-partisan commission. The Police Board
might then be reduced to n single head, proyid-
! ing the Superintendent was given the executive
duties that properly belong to his Office and
was not made subject to arbitrary removal. In
that event some other method of trying delin-
ouent policemen would have TO be provided.
| We are not certain bat that such change ought
| tn be- made anyway. A. it is at present. a p0-
liceman, appointed for political reasons, II tried
for any offence he may commit by the same
power that gave him his place, and oil course the
same influence comes To his rescdc that secured
him his appointment. That is one OF the princi-
pal reasons of the disorg lnized condition o; the
! police i0ico.
! There should be no change. of course, in tho
/ Finance Department, and the Law Department
would necessarily remain under one head. 1t Is
an open question whether triplc-hcaded commits
sous, with n representation IN each Board Tor
the minority party thus leaving no DIVIDED re-
sponsibility, would not be better in most in
stances than single headed commissions 1t Is
not ia changing the number OF Commissioners
so much as in the Kind of men appointed from
which we are to expect Improvement. But bet
ter men are not likely to be obtained under the
present system of appointment. Hence bill
like that introduced by Senator Browning IS n
mere sham in it's pretence Of reforming the city
government.
Above all the city needs tho practical applica-
ton of IL Civil Service law. such as that passed
Tor the Federal offices. Without this Tefo' Ia,
which will take the offices out of politics, there
can be no well-sustained Improvement In the
administration of the city's aihns.
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