The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-07-19
THEIR OWN FAULT.
increase in the Freehold
ers' Budget Largely Due
to Extravaganza.
IT FoOTS UP $l18,43O.
Of This $4,000 Is Called for by
Legislation How the Figures
Climb Up.
THIS AND LAST YEARS ITEMS.

tne county government Tor the present
fiscal year was $556,570. The same Board
have now asked for S675, 900 to do pre-
cisely the same work during the next fis-
cal year. Why should this enormous in
crease be NADER The Freeholders will
say, "It's the parks and the new county
roads" but when told that these two ap-
preparations combined only make $52, 900
they will add, ''and there are some re-
pairs that must be made, and that causes
the increase" This, no doubt, is true,
but repairs must be made every year.
In round numbers ne-half OF the enor-
nous increase demanded by the Free
holders Is made compulsory by acts CT
the Legislature over which the Free
holders have no control and can but
obey; the other half of the increase is due
to their own extravaganca in raising
amounts for regular routine expenses.
Make a comparison and this can be
readily perceived. Il will show an in
including any .one of the special
items demanded by the Legis-
lature Thus for courts 900 is
appropriated for 1890. This year $4,000
was enough, and the year before only
$65, 900 was required. Here is an unex-
planned increase of $4,000 In two years,
for certainly the business of the Courts
has not increased to that extent. For
1890 the Board asks for $34, 600 for jail.
prisoners, etc.. an increase of "a, coo over
the present year. Does anyone believe
this to be necessary? q. 500 more than was
needed this year tor the asylum is asked
for. Why? 1t cannot be bec2use insanity
will be so much greater next year than
this? the Board also wants 81, 500 more
for the penitentiary, but does not increase
the appropriation for the Aims House
and Annex. II the Asylum and peniten-
tiary inmates increase, it is curious that
those at the Aims House do not. The
penses are reduced $1,000 from this years
appropriation, but 81, 900 Of this AMOUNT
is taken from the hospital where money
can OF all places be least spared.
A JUGGLE.
Here is one of the peculiar methods
Freeholders have for making the public
believe appropriations to committees for
special purposes are small. Under the
head of salaries of officers they ask for
SIS, SOC, an increase over the present year
OF but $500. This would lead any one to
believe that it includes all the officers. 1t
does not, for the sal9ries OF assistant
clerk, custodian of maps, CHER index
clerk, gardener, night watchman and en-
gineer st the Court House are paid from
the irnidental fund TO place these ac-
count under the head Of officers would
make she salary appropriation look too
large. OF course the Board is not In
cluded either.
The fees of coroners are regulated by.
statute, ana $1,000 is appropriated, but
this sum Is generally transferred during
the year to the incidental account. ln
fact O resolution to that effect was de-
feated last Thursday. The approximation
for elections for nexs year is $40, 600. This
year it was SIC, 600, and last year was but
E7, 900. For printing and reindexing, the
amount is increased 81, 900, and fpr, adver-
Using, publishing and printing, the
Board will have $4,000 to spend next
tear. Seven thousand dollars proved TO
he enough this year, and the year before
only s, 800 was needed.
In spirit of economy or else in search
OF $500 to place in some place where it
would do more good to the Freeholders.
they reduced the Board Of Health appro-
priation $500 and then INDUCED in a curl
GUS bit of f1nanoiering.
WHERE rs THAT HOSPITAL?
IN 1883 the Board appropriated $4,000
for a new contagious disease hospital but
it was not built. In 1889 90, 800 was appro-
priated for the same purpose, and still
the hospital was not built. Now SO, 600 has
again been appropriated for the same OBJ
iect Except the last appropriation, the
money has been collected for the purpose
specified, but what has become OF it?
How long will the Board continue to make
appropriations for this hospital, collect
the money and not build the hospitals
Clerk John Boyd told me that ii the
building was not erected in ten years or
longer the sum of 81, 500 would each year
be appropriated for It, he said Coilector
Dugan has the $3, 500 appropriated 10 1889
in his hands waiting for the County
Board OF Health to ask for 1t. Ii this be
true it seems very strange that the
Health Board should have begged 80 long
for what they already possessed. Mr..
Boyd said that the hospital will now cost
81, 900 instead of 50, 500, as the Health
Board requested originally.
OH, THE PRIDE OF THEM!
Here is some more financial enterprise
evidenced. The Board only asks for
SIS, 900 for incidental expenses and the
last pDropriatiomwas Sl6.500 and in 1888
was $50, 600. The members point with
pride to this great reduction of the most
expensive part of the Board TO the un-
initiated. But they fail to say the re-
duction is only on paper and that il was
made by making direct special appropri-
ations for committees which was in 1888
paid from the incidental fund. In
is decreased $4,000 in Two years
and the appropriations to other
committees increased that much to make
good the amount. That Is all there Is in
this bogus reduction. Then again, there
is added to this incidental fund discounts
on temporary loans, %0.UUU. IRIS sum Is
always appropriated ostensibly to meet
any temporary loan made necessary dur
ing the year, but such loans are not
made and the 5000 provided for that is
turned over TO the incidental account.
PROVIDING FOR EMERGENCIES?
In 1889 there was appropriated $4,000 to
meet interest ON county ROAD bonds. No
bonds were issued and the question nat
urally arises, What became of the
money? 1t was appropriated for
specific purpose. found to
be unnecessary, and ought to be in the
hands of the collector. Is its And here
IS another item, an increase so great that
it was made specific item and charge.
That is $3S, ,425 for permanent improve
ments. In 1889 s., 900 was deemed suf1ci-
ent The increase is caused by repairs to
the different institutions. Heretofore all
these repairs were paid out OF the in
cidental fund This year this fund would
NOT be half large enough, and the special
charge was made. The Freeholders did
not dare increase the incidental fund that
much. for it would look bad.
The Board next year wants SlS,0OO TO
ranafr highways, which is 81, 600 more
rhan they had this year and 81, 900 more
than was used the year before. For
bridges, ETC., S25, 900 has been appropri-
ated. Twenty thousand dollars was
enough for the present year
There are some other items which az