The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-02

$50 TO-
This leaves only what the comptroller
designates as salaries coming under the
head of "city proper" These he estimates
for the current year at S45, $50.
From this should be deducted $500 for
the police court, whose expense will be
tees of the peace. There remains SAL ,4S0
to be compared with last year.
The janitor's salary was $500. proposed
5000: decrease $500.
The city engineers salary is established
at s., 400. II is impossible to say what il
was last year. but there is charge of
s5,340.47 for surveyors fees.
The health officers salary is placed at
81 800. The charges last year under this
head amounted to $2.6o430. besides the
care of smallpox cases. There were also
charges amounting to 81 1880 for q sani-
tary officer.
The city treasurer's salaries last year
amounted to g., 734, the treasurer receiving
the absurdly low salary of 81, 800. This
year the expense will he $500. The work
in this department has enormously in
creased. The amount of actual taxation
has increased from $192. 600 to $4,000 with
an addition of thousands of individual tax
payers. The income from other sources
has increased from $l68. 600 to about $40, :
600, and there are about 100 different street
funds with collections of assessments
amounting to nearly half a million dollars.
There was deficiency under the late treas
urer of s.. 0O0 to collect, which seems to be
nobody's business. 1t also cost 5000 or
$1,000 extra for collecting delinquent taxes.
New offices created are those OF superin.
tendent of plumoing and superintendent OF
buildings, each of which seemed to be i'm
peratively demanded. This makes an adj
dition of 200. The Office of port warden
has an addition OF 500 year.
The legal department has been aug
mented by the charter, but not before it
was needed. The cost is estimated at
IS 500. II cost in salaries last year about
$4,000. What it cost in loss to the taxpay-
ers will never be known within thousands
of dollars.
The offices OF comptroller and city clerk
may be considered together. A new sys-
tenn of account keeping was absolutely nee
essary. One man had been responsible for
the entire bookkeeping of the city and all
the clerical work besides. This, together
with an utter absence of system, has
plunged the city's accounts into condi-
ton of appalling confusion. Every dollar
is accounted for, without doubt. SO far as
the late city clerk was concer ned. but an
asset statement OF the city's financial con-
dition is absolutely beyond reach. The
increased cost, therefore, caused by the
creation OF a conptroller's department,
amounting to $3.50, is a step toward the
best kind OF economy
The city clerks force has been increased
on account OF the attendance at the meet
ings of the two houses of the council, and
of the board of FIRE and police commits
sioners. The cost last year was $3,5l8 IS;
this year it is estimated at $4,400. AS a
portion OF the work has been removed to
the comptroller's Office, this may seem high
enough, but II the ordinances are written
up, minutes kept. and the records filed so
that documents may be readily found it
will not be too much to pay.
The only salaries actually created are
those of the mayor, at 5000. and the
board of public works, $1,000; two features
of municipal government adopted by every
large city as measures of wise economy.