Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-02-09
SIGNED.
The Retrenchment Ordi.
nance is a Law.
MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR
He Does Not Approve of Several
of the Changes in the
Government.

Yesterday afternoon, at O'Clock,
Mayor Hazard returned the "Retrench.
ment ordinance" to the City Clerk, and
attached to it was his signature. When
the matter comes up in the Council to.
morrow the following message from the
Mayor will be read:
To the Council of the City of Los angeles:
The demands of the public service are
such that retrenchment becomes neces-
sity at this time, and while am opposed
to accomplishing the end by a reduction
in the salaries of the various officials, l
do not feel justified in obstruetlng the
same by veto when it will be found in
the end that probably no measure could
be approved that would meet the ap.
proval of all but cut in the salaries
ought to be the last resort to replenish a
depleted treasury, and is 30 demor-
alizing in it's 'effects, as proven
by the experience of all govern.
ments, until today there are few govern
ments that do not provide against
the same by legal inhibitions in their
organic laws: the victims of this species
of economy feel that what belongs to
them, as a matter of right, is taken from
them against their consent, to make good
deficiencies that have been occasioned
without their instrumentality.
1t furnishes an excuse for the adoption
OF irregular methods (and how numerous
are the opportunities for indulging therein
by those charged with official truste)
that have brought scandal and reproach
on republican form of government. 1t
is alike demoralizing to increase the sala-
rles, which l have always opposed.
The park hose should not have been
discontinued; the amount saved is SO
small, compared with the good accom-.
plished.
The repeal of the ordinance appointing
one woman to do police duty in the care
OF wayward girls, at salary of $50 per
month, could not have been done in the
interest OF humanity. Our city must be
getting miserably poor indeed when we
cannot afford to pay $50 per month to.
ward assisting the managers of the Girls
Home, who have done 80 much to assist
poor unfortunate girls for whose care no
proper provision has been made by our
city during the past year. l quote from
the matron's report for the past year |
Returned to friends ....... % |
secured permanent homes. IL
Placed in situations .......... ......... 13l
Received guardianship ......... ........... 8
Assisted girls outside home ... ......... IA |
Received from courts. Observation-Disclosures. 26 |
Sent tO Boys and Girls Aid Society, San |
rfancisco ............. .................... ~
The hay market should not have been
abolished. Some changes may have
been needed therein, and provision |
should be made to keep this under mu- |
nicipal control. This can be done with |
little expense to the city. Do not permit
this business to be scattered over the
city to the manifest Inconvenience of all
and by all means make some provision
for the same, if it is only to designate the
locality in which hay can be sold.
As long as the city cemetery is the
property and under the control of the
city authorities, it does seem to me to be
an uDwise measure to abolish the Office
of city sexton and to leave the cemetery
without designating any one to assume
the charge thereof. The expense to the
city government of these various
branches, which have been abolished by
this ordinance, is 80 insignificant when
we consider the small saving effected
thereby, regret that they should have
been included in and abolished by this
ordinance.
have approved the ordinance rather
than to veto the same and possibly
thereby prevent any retrenchment what
ever, which all admit to be necessity,
Notwithstanding the manner of bringing
about the retrenchment does not meet
with my approval in many respects,
some of which l have stated. Respect
fully, HENRY I. HAZARD,
Mayor