New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-15
RICH HEIRLOOM.
THAT IS WHAT REGISTER FITZGERALD
CALLS HIS OFFICE.

HIS TESTIMONY BEFORE TIE FAssErT CON-
MITTEE SHOWS THAT THE NAME WAS
wELLCHosEN A REMARKABLE
STATE OF EXTRAvAGAHCE
AND CARELE>SNESs.
The state Senate Committee on Cities did two days
work yesterday, wipnc out the arrears caused by the
loss Of Monday. 1t takes only two members to max"
quorum Of the Subcommittee of which senator
Fas-ctt is chairman, and during yesterday forenoon
Senator McNaugton and during the afternoon senator
Ahearn combined with Senator Fassett to make up
te number necessary for the conduct OF business.
And business brisk" The Investigation OF
tle Registers Office begun. There can he no
doubt rs to the position OF Tammany Hall In regard
that office. present head Frank T. Fitzgerald,
who the principal witness, alluded to IL a. a
"Tammany family heirloom That men interested
In the liquor business employed in the onlce was
acknowledged with equal frankness by the Register
The working day Of the members of the rsmmany
family who enjoying the heirloom consists or
only six hours The work is easy. 1t is yearly BE-
coming lighter end revenues to the city from 1t
diminishing.
EXPENSES INCREASED, WORK DECREASED.
But the payments to employees DO not decrease
In proportion to the falling of in receipts, and the
number OF men tho payrOlls IS much greater than
II was in the busiest days Of the Registers Office
away from It. By the law OF 1884 the Office was
put under the salary system instead OF the fee
tenn The Register gets y salary Of $4,000 . year.
and the expenses Of the Office provided for by ap
preparations made by the Board of Estimate and APP
portiOnment. Since the burden OF footing the bills
put on the city, and all responsibility In this
regard taken away from tho Register Tammany would
appear from Yesterdays evidence. TO have had what
some people eXprcssvcy call picnic "pud
din y Of its heirloom.
AT tile end of series Of searching questions and
toward the CLOSE Of the long days work. Mr. lvin,
made the following statement:
have reviewed the entire list OF officers employed
lv Mr. Reilly during the last Of the fee system MI
Reilly able 10 conduct the entire business Of that
ofics when It much larger than IL is to-day con-
sdern1 searched and when the revenue much la9cr
tie s,an that havo compard with the present stan
as follows a deputy and assistant deputy. and a
'tickle-' clerk. tie formerly on" delivery
CLERK whc.ea. there are two examiner. there
ara three reader there three now one book
kceer as ,hore is now search clerks and temporary
clerks employed were not known under t'' former
system there grantee clerk th"n a. nov hcf'
were index clerks there now eight there was
oba,tcl clerk then now there was one Gus
todian there are nine watchnan thor" are Two
now one clerk. two now and i'll addition thef ar"
now provided the Board OF Estimate and Abortion
rent and paid Of the city tr'asuN clerks uhkho""
I'D onr,rentlv not needed BY necistcr Reilly follows
Chief recording clerk 81 500 certified copy clerk II oc'
clerk on powers OF attorney. $1,000 on riPo's "co'
record CLERK ST. two assistant record clerks soVo
r,rrv MEN WHERE SIXTEEN WERE FORMERLY
In other words. leaving out Of consideration the record
tho ccrks and the searchers. the Board OF hmate ahu
Apport.onncnt ided salaries for MY non 70 ~
the work which done By Mr. Kelly u''acr VIC NV
system BY sixteen men, . 49,, -
n, thcse additional officers have Won named your
self:7
~ have named only tvo or three personal ap'
po.ntIncnts.- the answer
"Have you increased the NUMBER OF cnpoSce
over those Of last year,
"Only in the department Of index clerks
You have accepted the Office a. you found 1t
under the hands Of yOur predecessor
"Yes. sir
"pccs IL keep You busy most Of your timer
well. ] there most OF my Tine
THAT IS the six h0ursf'
1.-THE major part Of the six hours
"Did you,r Senator Fsssctt continued. "ever taec
up the Office with a view to seeing II you could hot
bring down the expenses Of administration"
IL Looked at the Office in this way with reference
20 the keeping mp OF the indcxng. With reference
d, recording nothing could be done: but l think
probably in the scalchers' department there nhg"'
be something DONE
AS matter of fact, does your provisional es
innate for the next year differ III any apPrcciAoic
amount from that OF your predecessor last Year,
This wa, not a Question calculated 10 Increase the
had been sent for. and Mr. WINS had IT all ready
IN refer TO- Somewhat nervoueIl the Register said :
alt seems there IS an increase over last year
With reference 10 the Alphabetical index and the ne"
block index the appropriation asked Is larger D"'
after the alphabetical index is closed up all that
additional cXpen,e will he done away with
COMPARING THE ESTIMATES.
Well now SAID senator Fassctt. let MS see how
the two estimates compare. What was MI Keiiy
IL understood he asked for Sl2'.l3o.'
Now Mr. Fzcera!d's provisional estimate i, Sl1}
$50 During TIC next quarter Of an hour. with MI IA
sctt and Mr. win, proddn@ him to give expahalo's OF
the difference. Mr.. Fitzgerald didn't have sood '''he
There wa. this indcxng bns!h2ss-hc was sure as L"
that But that was estimated at a few hundred al
lars NOR, than al 900 and that stl left sum greater
than last years total PROVISIONAL" Why should liz AK
all this when he testified that his olcc was ALREADY
sufficiently equipped Well il was sufficiently e4u'ppch
10 Do the work for this year, but not for next Win
all his explaining. thcrc was after all niue S9'ooo
loft FOR which Mr. Fitzgerald had extremely hard work
r. find excuse.
senator Fassett asked him. II FIVE cents per folio
Is fair pay for recording clerks. isn't sixteen cents per
folio rather high for transr:bnc from tie old rccoof
The tnc,s with wh ch the Register told the sen
at,r that cents wasn't too nuch WAS a' once
pa,.,o,c aud amusing He assured the Senator that
the old ror ords exceedingly dicnlt TO copy acu
racly Some OF them were dOc'searrd and otherwise
tho worse OF the wear and II the Schator' liked he
wm,d take the senator and show him the doS
ears.
Well said Mr.. Fassctt. "did You ever ask t'iose
clerks 10 do that work Cor fve cents foliot"
No. SIR replied Mr.. Fitzgerald
FlrTY-ONE CENTS A LINE FOR A BOoKKEEPER'
Ia the examination which led up 70 the foregoing
Messages Mr. WINS brought out many interesting mat
teu. Talk about penny a liners! Why. he discovered
Or ono thing that the T3mmany boOkReeper In the
Rec,ters Office been getting fftyone Genus iho
Tor certain entries.
But 70 begin at the beginning OF Register titzRer-
Aid, examination. after preliminary explanation" as
u the nature. purposes. etc. OF the Registers ONCE