The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-07-27
OUR VILLAINOUS RING
Shameful Extravaganza OF
Its Reform Board Of
Freeho1ders.
THE DUGAN SALARY GRAB
Tom McDonough's Pay for Getting
0ut Of johnny Germans Path
Last November.

| The reasons given by the Board of Free
holders, and published recently in THE
JERSEY CITY NEWS, for the increase of
s1IS,430 to meet the county's expenses
during the next fiscal year. by no means
told the complete story. It set forth very
prominently the moneys to be paid out
under acts of the Legislature, and the in
dividual members cried out loudly and
with one accord against the ruinous ex-
travagance Of the Legislature.
In round numbers one-half Of the sl1S,-
40 had been. spent for the Board by the
Legislature. BUT what caused the increase
of tho other half? Repairs. the Free
holders said, to the county institutions.
Expenses that IN the natural order of
Things must increase as the county grows
larger. They denied any extravaganza :.
aud publicly declared that with only the
| strictest economy could the Board make
both ends meet" with S11S,430 more
! this year than they had last year, in fact
| with more money than was ever APP
| propriated for the Freeholders to expeud
| before Every dollar they asked for was
| absolutely necessary, and in reality was
| not near enough.
It would take too long to go through
| the entire list of these necessary sex-
| penses, but for an example Of what they
are will refer to some of the salaries,
| and readers may judge whether there is
any extravaganza in the Board of Free
holders, as THE JERSEY CRY NEWS has
repeatedly said there was, or whether
there is not.
DUGAN's OFFICE.
When Hugh Dugan succeeded George
| Fl. Farrier as County Collector, nearly
six years ago, he received q salary of
| $500 year, out of which he paid the
present City Comptroller, George Hough,
| $500 salary TO keep his books. This sal
/ airy was soon after raised to s., 500 and
| the present Board made still further In
| crease to $4 500. This Board in the same
liberal spirit agreed to pay the $500 sal
airy > to Mr.. Hough, who is
yet the Collectors assistant, and Ia
addition allowed Mr.. Dugan an extra
| counsel, Joseph M. Noonan, at a salary
of $500 This is an increase OF salaries in
Mr.. Dugan's Office of s., 800 a year since
he became Collector, 81, 800 of which was
created by the present Board. And all
this increase OF salary IS without cor
responding increase in work, for no extra
i clerical force has been employed by the
| Collector. Is this Extravaganza
+ The Freeholders also created another
new Office for Mr.. Noonan and made him
counsel to the Board FOR the Equalization
| Vi ldAeS tlJ Il ShlttTl u cOuVs NelLO6f l0lS
Board nor the County Collector ever
| needed q salaried counsel before.
In the same generous manner the Board
| increased the salary Of Warden Ryan
| from 81. 200 year to 81, 500s and appointed
his wife matron at salary of $500 a year,
| Ryans. Then the Board found a stray
81. 500 that they had mouse for, and they ere
abed the Office of Custodian Of Maps and
placed Christopher Smith in the Office.
AfDoNOUGH'S OFFICE.
Ex-Freeholder Tom McDonogh knew
the generous disposition of the economi-
cal F'reeholdefs, majority of whom were
members when he was in the Board, and
| Us he was in search of something good,
after he kindly consented to let Johnnie"
| German be elected Freebooter from the
First district, he suggested that the Office
OF Chief Index Commissioner be created
for his special benefit. His suggestion
was at once acted on, and since then Mr..
| McDonough has been drawing a salary of
| 81, 500 u year. 1t is safe to wager that
there is not Freebooter in the Board to-
day That knows what duty McDonough is
supposed to DO
This did not end the distribution of
good things by the board by any means.
The members. while in the creating
mood, thought of Patrick Fitzpatrick, q
| night Waterman at the Aims House, and
| created the exceedingly comfortable
D1fb0 Oh deputy w afQeH dJ TIC as
for him, at salary of $40 year. Pat
rick's most arduous duty is to answer the
dinner gong.
/ Looking about for other poor and
needy gentlemen to assist, this very eco
nomical Board of Freeholders discovered
that Engineer Evans had died He did
| not require any assistance, but the Board
appointed Engineer Joseph Shannon at a
salary of $500 a yenr to succeed him, and
appointed man as machinlst to do part
| of tho work Evans had done, thus Great
ing new position.
The salary OF Assistant Clerk Noonan
was also increased from Zoo a year to
800, and William Refs was appointed
/ drug clerk at a salary OF $500. This was
i genuinely generous appointment The
place was originally filled by pauper for
800 year and was then given TO Samuel
/ Derickson, who received $500 u year,
which the Board thought not half
| enough for Refs. His duty consists OF
/ killing time.
The salary of John A. McGrath, coun-
sci to the Board, was also raised by the
| present Board from s., 500 to $1,000 year.
| FREEHoLDER NooNAN'S DAUGHTER
In this connection il might be well to
add that there are nearly a score of en-
ployes such as mechanics, whose names
could not be obtained and who are paid
by committees. Another increase Is
shown by the pay roll for June, 1889.
I
the Penitentiary, the aggregate salaries
being S1.4759S. The pay roll for June,
1890, shows thirty employees. an increase
of four and the aggregate salaries
I 81. 736. S. One of these additional en-
ployes is Miss. Mary +. Noonan, a daugh-
| ter of Freebooter Noonan. The Board, TO
please the Freebooter, created the posi-
| ton Of Assistant Matron at the Peniten-
| tiary for her at salary of $500 year.
| Another new appointment was William
| H. Buckridge, baker, at 0 salary OF 500
| Before these economical F'reeholders Gre
| ated this position it was Tiled by prisoners.
/ During June, 1889, there were Is en-
| ployes at the Aims House, whose aggre
| gate salaries were S726 SO. During June,
| 1890. there were 20 employees there at a
| salary of 1895. So This is an increase of
four employees. At the asylum in June,
| 1889. there were 90 employees, whose sal
aries amounted to 81, 023.3 The Board
has increased this number to 80, whose
aggregate salaries are Sl.30666. Yet this
| Board claims that it is not extravaganza.
that the Legislature made the great in
| crease the Ereenolders demanded for the
| next fiscal year.
| Do the above figures look like itf
| Were these increases in salaries neces-
i saryf
| Were the increases in the number of
employees neededg
/ The Board will have control of S675, 900
! durino the next fiscal year.