The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-03-06

"The minutes of the Board show that
on July 15, 1892 three paYrolls tor labor
ers on pipes aggregating g, so4.5o Ior
work done in November, 1891; two pay
rolls aggregating "a. 1875 for December,
| 1891; two payrolls for January, 1882,
amounting to S4,05475; three for Febru-
| ary 1892, amounting TO So, III, and the
| Belleville and High Service payrolls tor
March, ,April, May, 1899, amounting to
| over SIS, 900 were passed.
| 1T will be seen that at this meeting OF
! July 15, 1892 payrolls amounting to up
wards of S31 900 were passed.
"The payroll for employees at Bellevine
and High Service for February, 1892. was
September 8, 1899. although it and the
March, April. May and June pavrolls
were due at the time of the said meeting
of July Is. 1892.
"Only few days ago, one of the en-
ployes, in letter to the local evening
papers, called attention to the TACT that
these employees had not been paid Tor De-
| cember, 1892, or January, 1898. owing to
the failure of the Board Of Finance to
pass upon these payrolls, while almost
$4,000 is lying Idle in the
water account with the Bayonne
quarterly payment due and about to be
paid. On August 80, 1892, in accordance
with the wishes of the Mayor, fifty
five men were appointed in the
Water Department. as laborefs and al
| though it was well known fact that ne
would make no objection to signing their
payrolls Immediately upon their passage,
they are still awaiting the action OF the
Finance Board for the month of Sep
| tember. October, November and Decem-
Der 1892 and January 1898
THE TAX BUDGET.
1.-THE Board of Finance in Jnly OF last
year arranged the tax budget for the year
December. 1899. to December 1898, and
fad it fho f0r
In message dated July 28, 1892, he took
exception to certain of It's items, sug-
gestin0 reductions in some cases, and dis
approving entirely in others. But this
action was taken on his part IN
such manner that no department. OF
crippled to the slightest extent as an evl-
dence of this engineering of the Street
and Water Department. Bureau, d Valu-
able and important branch of the city
government was allowed A,9y9.92
BY the Finance Board, the balance OF the
amount necessary for its supper. 70 De
| taken out of the cost OF the years I'M
provements-a method which had been
| tried last year and failed. The Mayor al
lowed the bureau $4,000 for the
next year and made 1T at
once complete and independent. The
| pruning which the ta&, budget received
| was a careful and judicious one. and
when returned to the Board of
Finance 1T was found that the
reduction made BY the Mayor amounted
to about $60,000 The Mayors sugges-
tion and notifications were adopted by
| the Board after some delay on the part
of that body. The cut in the aopropria-
tion Salaries Finance) amounted to al
most $4,000 and lie was asserted that 1t
| would cripple the City Collector de-
partment. AS matter Of fact, only one
man was in reality displaced by this re-
ductfon. The City Collectors staff-out-
sipe of the statutory officials-formerly
consisted of ten clerks and messenger.
Seven of these clerks were in reality
employed in the office during
the whole year and rhe others
there were detailed to other offices. This
year the Mayor allowed six of these clerks
and messenger. and cut off the three
outsiders entirely, thus causing reduc-
tion in the City Collectors forces OF only
one, while he allowed an amount suffi-
cienJ TO pay three 90 extra clerks for
three months while the rush was on for
the tax bills. The Mayors admtnis-
trat1on has been largely clerical, and will
not be oubwardlY noticed until he has a
Board of Finance in sympathy with him.
Wherever an abuse could be eradicated
or an end put to an extravagAnt or use-
less expenditure of the ctty's monies.
Mayor Wsnser has done all in his power
to accomplish such result.
a H. .t
Even with the large reduction In the
tax budget, the tax rate Tor 1892 was the
same as for 1891. This was due to the
large amount of floating temporary bonds
issued last year and before, payment for
which was provided in this years tax
levy, and also to the balance due the Free
Public Library Trustees, which should
have been paid last year and the year be-
fore, but which was conveniently left out
until this year, and deficiency in the
Engineering Bureau. and the taking
out Of large amount of railroad prop
erty from the ratables.
Besides the correction of the abuses
before stated. and the money stated, as
thereby estimated, can be arrived at by
comparison of the ten months of the
Mayors administration with a similar
period of the year before.
The total running expenses other than salaries
of the city government outside of water account
from May ], 1884, to March ], 1892, were
$613 208.53,
1.-THE same period under Mayor wanser, from
May 1. 1892, to March 4. 1898, amounted to $685..
Making difference between the two periods
of S59,sfss1.
"Tse total amount paid out In salaries,
exclusive OF water accounts for the same
Periods
MAY /, 1891, to March !, 1892, $3.50, ,4e1. .4s.
MAY /, 1892, to March !, 1898, $5s7, ,093. .G7.
''Showing another difference of $102,36S76.
"From May l, 1892, to January /, 1898,
reduction was made In the city's bonded
Indebtedness from S13, lac, ,31S.79, to S13,-
Ill, $50. II, or reduction of S34, ,966.60.
SALE OF BONDS.
"On December 16, 1892, an issue of $780,
600 of 5 per cent. Water bonds was sold to
Messrs. +. KIoeeKnsr & Co. of No. Is
Wall street, New York, at S10464 The
last issue of 5 per cent. bonds
were sold at $l03.O7. In a state
meut published by the above named
firm OF bankers when they placed the
issue on the marked. the following appears
and speaks for itself The population of
Jersey City is 6s,9sY. Since the admin
is1ration of the present Mayor, Hon.
eral affairs OF the city have greatly Inn
proved, and We can safely recommend
these bonds as first-class investment
The bonds weLe all sold at 107 by Messrs.
Kloeckner & Co.
BROWN PLACE FIGHT.
"The history of the Brown place fight
is comparatively fresh in the minds of all.
The fight made by the Mayor--first to
have the Board Of Street and Water Com
missioners declare the place
public street, $and later, his fight
10 prevent the service of the
condemnation notices until the
board had acted, Is we'll known. The
complete and substantial victory of the
city in the courts is even of more recent
date.
''This has been a resume Of his official
acts. plain, uuvarnished statement of
the facts.