The Jersey City news., 1892-05-17
WANSER IS MUTE
Fiddling Over Payrolls
While RumSterS and
Gamblers Flourish.

Mayor Wanser has been kept busy
to-day attending to matters relating to
the Board of Street and Water Commis-
sioners. The Board gets more than its
fair share of His Honor's time, but the
members are pleased to find the Mayor
taking such an interest in their proceed
ings. They still court any investigation
he chooses to make. feeling confident that
all his queries can be satisfactorily and
clearly answered.
Shortly after ten o'clock this morning,
Messenger Fallon, of the Board, put in an
appearance with the resolution book, IN
which is engraved the resolution ordering
paid the payrolls of park laborers for the
month of April, amounting to S242, also
the resolution directing the Committee
on Public Grounds and Buildings to in
vestigate the advisibility OF passing the
contract to p. j. Condor for the construc-
tion of the Greenville station house over
the Mayors veto.
The former resolution will probably
will probably meet the fate of all other
pay rolls. which have come from the
Street and Water Commissioners. Nat
turaliy the latter resolution will not meet
with the Mayors approval, On good
authority it is stated that all vetoes will
be sustained
"Have you decided to veto the park
Iaborer's pay rolf" asked the Mayor.
II cannot say" was the reply. II have
only glanced over 1t as yet"
"Do YOU intend communicating with
the Street and Water Commissioners iE
relation to the list Of employees furnished
you by Clerk Boutop"
"Wel, not at present. That list Is for
my own personal use, and will probably
not make any use of it before pay day ar
rives."
What will you do thenW 1 inter-
rupted.
II cannot say" was the response.
The Mayor refuses to be interviewed on
certain subjects, and the matter of the
Street and Water Boards employees is one
of them. But among friends it is under
stood he intends demanding large re-
duction in the working force of that de-
partment. If his demands are not COM
piled with the probability is that his
signature will not be attached to auy
payrolls of the various departments. The
members of the Board, which the Mayor
seems to have made his chief point of at
tack, say that the force cannot be re-
duced with any consistency. War to the
knife seems inevitable and scores of law
suits will be placed in the hands or the
city's law officers. One case will proba-
ply be made test case of, and II 1t IL
won by the claimant, His Honor will
probably refrain from further clogging
the wheels of the city government.
DUMB AS AN OYSTER
/ next eudeayored to interview His
Honor on the matter OF closing liquor
saloons on Sunday.
do you approve of the move to keep
the saloons closed on SundayW | asked.
II decline to be interviewed on the sub
ject," he replied.
"Did you read the story of the murder
in the gambling den on Communipaw
avenue?" next asked.
II can't say that did,"
'Will you make an attempt to close
gambling dens of all descriptions. includ-
ing policy shops?" / continued.
His Honor this time merely smiled up
on me and stated that he had more i'm
portant matters occupying his attention
at the present time.
ASSESSMENT PLUMs.
Who the Assessment Commissioners
will be is hard to imagine. The Mayor de-
clines to discuss this matter also. He re-
marks that there is lots of time yet to ap-
point these officials, as at present there is
nothing for an Assessment Commissioner
to do.
The employees Of the Engineering
Bureau are also beginning to think that
the Mayor will debar them from receiving
their back salaries for some time to come.
The Street and Water Commissioners
petitioned the Board of Finance for an
appropriation of $1,000 for the maipte-
nance of this department. The Finance
Commissioners cut the appropriation
down to So, ,0O0 but as yet the resolution,
even at that figure. has not been signed
by the Mayor. He states that the making
of such an appropriation is an important
matter and must be given considerable
thought before being approved of. The
Engineering Bureau will be self-sustain-
ing as soon as the Finance Commissioners
concur in the award of several contracts
made by the Street and Water Commis-
sioners.