St. Paul daily globe., 1891-02-13
CROAKERS SILENCED.
st. Paul City Government Ex-
haustively Compared With
That Of Minneapolis.
The Vaporings Of the Cham
ber Of Commerce Demon
strated to Be Foolish.
Our Salary List and General
Expenses Not So Profllgate
After Ali.
So the Alarmists Take a Side
track and Will Confer With
the Delegation.

the chamber of commerce last evening
for the express purpose OF reforming
this municipality in general. Russell
r. Dorr, who had been appointed at
previous meeting to prepare compar-
ative statement of the financial con-
ditions of st. Paul and Minneapolis,
submitted his report. Mr.. DORIS re-
port, although evidently prepared
with strong partisan feeling, SHOWS
upon its face that the comparison
is favorable to ST. Paul. In the general
summary of the report Mr.. Dorr very
adroitlv leaves out the assistants, ana
only figures in the heads OF departments
in making a comparison of salaries. by
this method of figuring i'll only a por-
ton of the salaries he makes it appear
that st. Paul pays 5000 more each
wear for salaries than Minneapolis. But,
when ne comes to itemIZing the salar-
ies and figure them all in, he finds, ana
his report shows, that the Minneapolis
annual salaries exceed those or Ot.
Paul by just $24, 900. But this matter
of salaries was so nicely expressed
in Mr.. DORIS report that not one In
dozen of the men who heard 1t read
doubted that ST. Paul was paying more
money in salaries than Minneapolis.
In the face of this report the subse-
Quent arguments of certain gentlemen
that st. Paul salaries should be reduced,
because they were in excess of Mime
apois salaries, sounded really absurd
and amusing.
He Wants to Know.
A gentleman with an unmistakable
British accent had considerable to say
about the manner in which this town
ought to be governed and finally in
IrOduced the following resolution:
Resolved. That the committee be requested
to continue the investigation INTO the affairs
of the school boards of -thegcities OF st. Paul
and Minneapolis. SO that an explanation, II
possible, may be given to the taxpayers OF st.
Paul for the following condition OF affairs:
On June 1, 1891 st. Paul will have doubtless
bonded Indebtedness OF SS30,00O and certh-
S1.7OOOO0. Minneapolis total Indebtedness,
$4,000 or S1.290, 900 less than St Paul. What
is the cause of the excess in st. Paul and for
what has it been expended?
The King Bee Laughs.
William Pitt Murray laughed as he
heard the resolution read, and then very
kindly rendered the Britisher the infOr-
nation desired. Mr. Murray stated that
while st. Paul was levying school tax
of IL mills on the dollar and accumn-
lating Indebtedness, Minneapolis was
leVying from 4 to mills on the dollar
and paying for her school buildings,
etc This explained why st. Paul now
carries heavier school debt than Min
neapoliS.
After a general discussion the Eng
lishman's resolution, like everything
else, passed the meeting.
Reduce Salaries.
Mr.. H0dgson introduced q resolution
icla To ha
salaries of the city of ST. Paul at least
3316 per cent. to abolish the fee system
entirely, ana to also abolish unnecessary
offices. In the discussion that followed
some one suggested that reduction of
salaries would cause the resignation of
some of our abIest officials, and Mr..
HodgsOn answered that there would be
plenty of men willing to fill the vacan-
cies. The stranger then remarked:
'Yes, that's one great tronble in this
world. There are always some men anxious
to fill places at G., 600 Il year, which other
men would refuse at 5000. 1t isn't cheap
men we want-but good men,"
Maj. Espy did not believe in a re-
duction of salaries, but thought a COM
Dination of certain offices would be an
economical move. Then another gen
tleman advanced the absurd idea of
consolidating the building inspectors
department with the health office, and,
strange as it may seem, no one smiled.
Another Conference.
The chairman of the meeting, upon
the motion of member, appointed
special committee to confer with the
Ramsey county delegation and ascertain
just what legislation it is possible to get
for the relief of st. Paul taxpayers.
Conrad W. Miller submitted state
ment showing that certain city officials
in Milwaukee and Denver receive less
salaries than corresponding officials in
st. Paul.
William Lindeke made lengthy
speech in which he roasted the legisla-
tive delegation to turn, blaming them
for making laws for the benefit of Of
fceholders instead of taxpayers. He
did not blame officeholderS for taking
all they could get, and believed all his
hearers would do likewise if given the
chance. The fault rested entirely with
the lawmakers.
DOrr's Report.
Following is Mr. DORIS report in full:
The report covers the appropriations of the
city of ST. Paul from the tax levy of 1890 col
Iectible i'll 1891, with the appropriations of
the city of Minneapolis for the fiscal year
commencing Feb l, 1881. The appropria-
60 furnish the fairest data for comparison.
While the grand totals show an apprUpria-
ton in st. Paul OF over SlG900O for the year
in excess of that of Minneapolis, it does not
follow that the expenses of Minneapolis are
as economically administered as might be
possible, or that reforms are not as urgently
demanded in the public interest there as
here Nevertheless, the salaries of heads of
departments in st. Paul (not including
assistants) exceed those of Minneapolis by
$40, ,0G0, and in some departments an unneces-
sary appropriation is made for clerk hire
which does not 1nure to the public benefit
II is not the purpose of this committee TO en-
ter into detail with reference TO different de-
partments of the city government further
than to present the accompanying schedule
from which the necessary differences may be
understandingly drawn and the necessary
comparisons made. 1t will be evident on
even superficial examination that the num-
ber of persons in the employ of the city is
far in excess of the utmost demands of the
public service and that the salaries paid
could III many eases be reduced or
Cut Or
without detriment 70 the public service. An
examination of the schedules hereto annexed
will show that the interest charges for the
year in st. Paul exceed those of Minneapolis
by S24, 4i2.02, and that Minneapolis carries
from said levy into its sinking and contin-
gent funds Sis, 0Sl as against payment by
St. Paul of only S3,0 900 for the redemption of
bonds The street Lighting expenses of Min
neapolis exceed that of St. Paul by SS,654,
but it will be noted that the number of lights
Is greater, and that in some items making up
the totals the expense per light is less. 1t
would seem to your committee that an i'm
portant saving could be made in this item
alone. The appropriation for street and
sewer force shows difference of S9S 293 in
favor of Minneapolis, while the actual diff
ference, as your committee is Informed, will
amount to over Sl25 GOO
1t viii further be noted that in the leviesof
the two cities ST. Paul provides for perma-
nent improvements and purchases to the
amount of $1467690 and Minneapolis to
the amount of $l75,1S2. A net difference of
$41, Jos. TO in favor of Minneapolis 1t will be
Interesting TO note by the following table the
Rapid Increase
In the expenses of the city government from
the year 1915 to 1S90inclusive, and to consider
in connection Herewith whether such in
crease is warranted by the reasonable de-
mands of the public service:
Total levy for 1885. 85............... S677, ,25O.OO
Licenses. Observation-Disclosures. 1872 6S9 10