New-York tribune., 1884-01-02
,r,y vopx DAILY TRIBUNE, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY Q 1884,

appropriation for the care and maintenance of the
! Quarantine Department. In consequence OF TINS
| there exists deficiency in that department. or
/ Ss,427 50, for which an appropriation Will be
/ necessary.
! In July, 1891, the Senate appointed committee
/ "tO investigate and ascertain the emOlumeuCs and
to OeXaminei into the administration of tho Health ON
Ger of the port Of New-YOrk, with view of making
/ the Quarantine Department self-sustaining, and
framing such laws may be in the pubic interest
! The committee, after making a thorough eXaml-
nation and taking great deal OF testimony.
submitted areport winch they press sine the oPn9Y1
thatthe gross net income Of the Health Ohcer cou'd
! not average less than $4,000 per annuln, ana
might, in favorable years, reach as high as S60OOO
or more and that they were sufficient 70 pay all the
! cost of maintaining the Quarantine establishment
| aftcrpaying the Health Officer liberal salary,
| The following statement Is also contained IN the
| report:
At present the boarding fee IA the only authorized
aud fixed by the statutes Of tre other fees some are s
thorizcd 5y the Quarantine Commissioners Ike the Zee for
fnmigltion while others az" collected wlthout any aI
thOnty whatever except custom and their amount s al
together In discretion Of the Health Officer This the
with what IL called the Inspection fee and also the
ught boarding feo" Your committee has no hesitation
with any officer Of the state authorized to collect fees
Ihty therefore reGomnehd thtt az iefI tGat
he shall be prohibited from eIacting fees not thus
provided oy statute In conclusion your c9niIIee nm Ga
Of the Health ohcer OF the port u Newi2rk are out y
an m 70 @ e orS T4eadng sH as % thew C the salary
of any Of the State officers the Governor clded they
! not 20 be permitted to continue.
! Another fact appears in tho evidence taken by
the committee which is not referred to in their re-
port. The present incumbent Of the Healta Othce
| testified that, in the year 1850, he paid between
! 50 900 aud $4,000 rs voluntary contribution 20
the party of which he was a member, iOr p'hilcal
| purposes ~ -, u..,
! the Legislature is reminded that, notwithstanding
the amount 50 collected, appropriations are annu-
ally made from the State Treasury for the support
of the Quarantine Department, the need Of lsglSla-
tion on this subject will hope be recognized
It may be that, upon consideration, the fees
which are now lesitmately charged for services
! performed i'm this department. will not be found
uuduy burdcusone, though some vessels now
| subjected to their payment might be releyedi
Jut all fees and charges resting in the discretion
! Of che officer or eNarted without authority, should
! be definitely fixod by law prohibited.
In my Judgment the Health Officer should be al
tached the Quarantlne establi5hment ana De pad
a fair salary, which AZ we'll as the salaries Of the
other parties in charge of the department, and the
cost Of maintaining tho buildings and property OF
! the state used in connection theTeWlth should DE
met By fees and charges collected for services per
| formed which fees and charges should be fixed at
no higher rate than Is necessary 10 meet sdch eA-
The Inauguration Of such system, it is believed,
would insure an ctllCIcnt administration IN TINS I'M
portant department. relieve the taxpayers OF ne
! State from present burdens and subscryc the
| interests OF the commerce ~ the port
HARBpR MASTERS.
In nv last annual message the attention of the
Legislature was called to the fact that the fees then
collected By to harbor masters a. the port OF New
York had been declared hy the Supreme Court Of
the Untcd states to be Illegal, and that such fees
were notwithstanding still collected under tho
! gui,c Of voluntary payments made Tor tht services
| Of those officers ia was also suggested that sucl
services might be intrnsted to the DepartmGnt ol
Docke m connection with its other work. and thus
! the commerce of the port be relieved from any
| charge fyI the same. This suggestion was not
adopted ont law wa. passed 3uo"Ihg me uoSrtHot T
! to appoint, By ana with the advice and consent OF
the senate a captain of the port aud eleven harOor
masters. aud abolishins those offices as they re
viously existed. The captain of the port, under the
new law was to receive salary Of tmrty-hye
! hundred dollars, besides certain expenses ana TIE
harbor masters we're to receive Il salary of twenty
five hundred dollars each, to be paid from the state
claimed that The office Of harbor master was
! necessary aud that the Department OF Decks
! should not be invested with their duties. IuOugA
the argument ia its favor lid not appear conclusive,
aud though the payment OF the expenses 81 ntSe t5
officials w the State seemed very oGJeci0naDle te
hill was approved because il seemed to be the Ohy
! attainahle method 10 relieve tho State from cont
| plicity in the blackmailing and e1tortionate
| inetLod Of the prevailing system. A.,
! An effort to execute thi7 law failed through the
! refusal of the Senate to act upOn the nominations
made to the offices which were created. | am now
entirely satisfied that the Department or DOC can
! we'll perform the duties heretofore deYoiyen upon
| harbor masters without expense 10 the state ana
with lttle, If any, additional cost to the city OI
New York ,..
service has beef assumed by this department ana
substantially perfUrmed under its direction during
UP PCT Recommend tho repeal of the law remaining
uneIcciIted being Chapter 357 of the Laws OI
1853 and al Otlcr laws by which the ONCE 81 mar
Dor master was created or IS in any manner recog-
nileI and the transfer of the duties heretofore
performed by haIbor masters to the department.
Of Docks
The fees allowed to pilots should undoubtedly be
reduced. Tie law under Ehlch they are now col
lectcd was passed in 1865, aud permitted a very
large addition to previous rates on account ot the
great increase in living expenses. i
was then distinctly understood understood f ln@' S%iH StiH
increase should a.. G' ,, 2HC"eG >" GbroviJrl ic Tie Tie
Gnar2ti6n Of the statute has been extended iron
time 70 time until all limitation has disapPe"tFed. Fo.
Repeated efforts have been made to have the ices
! reduced Nv law, but they still remain danger
which cannot longer be concealed, 20 the SnPrgiHA-
CIV Of the port aud the prosperity Oh the 9tte' h?P
Tgsrrtations made to me by both the COmmcrla!
interests affected and the pilots, leave IN my mnu
not a shadow OF doubt tAdt II Is IAe uuty VI .il0
Ierslature In the interests Of the state, 10 Ie-u
late these fees 50 that they will cease 10 1e as now
higher than at other ports IN TINS ana lorelsh
countries The suggestion Is ElIIo " 'nc PLl'ioS9 PLi
that The eXtOrtlOU Is mltigateu because NY ~
rates are paid by foreign instead ot domestic snip
owners. This idea Is IN direct antSgohlam 10 tho
considerations involved IN tho creation ana u'lhIe-
| nance of the commerce of a state aud Oetlays an
entire nscOnceptiou of tho important interests
y,+L which tbe 6cCupatiOn of pilot Is related aad
rnon wLicb its eyistGpcs depcuds When it Is found
that the number of pilots remains about the same as
when the fees were enlarged that the tonnage GU
tering tho port mas lHCTcdNVu IIiIu'IloIIa 'i'1'
ste,I.bins have been largely substituted for sail
ing vessels aud consequently the services OF the
pilots are more quickly and easily performed that
ihe reason Of the increase in fees, originally III
tended as temporary, has failed, aud that tine COM
nerce of the port needs relief sufficient reasons are
apparent for modification of the present law on
this subject.
THE RAILROAD COMMISSION.
The law passed in 1882 creating Board Of Rail
road Commissioners was made operative during the
last year. and the Board was organized on the lst
day Of February, 1853.
Since that time they have done a vast amount OF
work Of character which demonstrates the need
and usefulness If such department. and win re-