Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1893-02-25
NOT A SUCCESS.

The New System OF Paying City
Laborers - A Slow and Tedious
Method - Every one Dissatisfied
With the New Plan-The Auditing
Committee, However, Not Discour-
aged-The System Tried Under Very
Unfavorablo Circumstance.
The scene in and about the Office of City
Auditor Lake upon the occasion of the in
auguration of the new system Of paying
off the city laborers by checks, almost
beggars description. Men crowding and
pushing each other In their mad haste to
get their money and get away, SO as not to
lose any more time than was absolutely
necessary, mutterings and cursings at
the new order of events, several incipient
fights, finally q policeman summoned to
keep order, these were the characteristic
features of the day.
The new system was inaugursted under
most unfavorable circumstances, and could
not be termed an unqualified success, in
deed 1t was the general opinion that it was
decidedly unsatisfactory.
city officials, including Aldermen Gallagher and
Foley and Councilma Parish of the auditing
Maley of the b ard Of pubic works, besi1es City
Auditor Lake, City Clerk Martin and Assistant
CITY Clerk Stanley, the two latter being called In
to help the auditor with the work, as was also
George Thomas.
The hour set for the work to begin was II
O'Clock and at that hour fully 306 men had con
gregated in the city ha l, completely crowdBe
| trance of the door of the ONCE. Inside members
and At the hoas named al 4as IN readnes. and
fLa1 r, loHo IN
began such a scramble as has not been seen in
the city hall In years Every man endeavoreo
to be the first to receive his check, and pushing
and hauling wa. the order.
The modus operandi pursued was long and
tedious and the men were paid very slowly: The
| ically and were given out By ity Clerk NJ Artin
G.orxe Thomas a. ended to the pay roll, calling
on each mans man, name s1 he came up, while Ct,
checks for those who were unable to write, while
| the pay roll thus securin a receipt to the pay
roll IN addition to that which the city will have
In the checks Hardy one man IN ten coult
| rite. and the delay which was caused By tn
o1icials named signing for them made it impos
sible for the work to proceed with any degree O.
speed.
| Immediately after the men had received thei
| checks rome Il them at once repaired to thu
| bank, where they had THIN cashed, but NOR
by 1n ana
TOR it with the check, receiving the difference il
| cash.
| . AithouSh JIG iaooreTs LIE u!seisos anu tnany
| the tx rekeepers d n 'unced the system as
| nuisance and its practical workings ere 30 I'm
| satisfactory, the members of the auoiting com
| mttee were in way discouraged, and a
Aid rman Gallagher aaid, 1t was an experiment
at a most unfavorabIe time, when the force o
men to be paid was unusually, large
| but he believed that after Thorough
| trial 1t would be found to b
the proper way, and after it had become thor
| onyhy systematiZ-d and many of the defect
eliminated, tc would prove the most expedit' on
way of paying the men, as we'll 90 the most az
| curate. The system will be continued for re,
| weeks and thoroughly tested, and then If it |
| found to be inadequate to meet the requirem nj
the committee will suggest some other plan, bu
| this Is not expected,