The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-05-25

bureau, was the nrSt WITNESS cAilcu.
The bureau was established in 1878,
witness said. and he had been chief OF
the bureau four years. His salary IS
&. 800 a year, and the bureau, under the
original act, was allowed $1,000 fcr ex-
penses. This was increased until the
amount allowed for expenses rose to
Sc, 900 q. year, but this did not include
the salary Of the secretary and other
expenses, which made the cost In 1888
as follows:-Chief, $500; secretary, ST.
200; annua report, $2.955; disbursements.
$5,2S5.37; total, 81, S9O.S7.
'How is it. Mr.. Simmerman, that all
these bills are made payable to the chief
of the bureau. rather than to the parties
to whom they are due" asked Mr.. Cor
bin.
st don't know, except that it was the
rule when I went into the Office. and
followed the practice"
81 find that the most expensive item
Is the printing of your annual report,
which cost about 5000 last year. Don't
you consider that rather costly?"
ST him it the most valuable report
issued by the State" said Sena Daily.
1T is of great interest to the laboring
masses of the State"
st differ with you,' said Mr.. Corbin.
''For here, for instance, is the annual
rent paid by milliners."
well, that is of interest to the labor
ing people of the State,' retorted Mr..
DAILY.
81 think not: I dom believe they are
very much interested in the amount of
rent a milliner pays"
Then Mr.. Corbin said he simply wanted
to show that the expense of printing the
report was excessive. 1t was made up
largely of tables and blank pages, and
from former testimony he said it was
apparent that the price paid was out
rageous.
Who demands this report?" he asked.
The labor unions principally, but we
have as many requests for the book
from lawyers as any other class"
This book costs the State s., 1855. GA.
Couldn't you condense the SIZE of the
book?'
well, hat is a matter over which we
have no control. The contract printer
generally does as he pleases with the
copy after he gets it,"
Mr.. Simmerman was questioned upon
the usefulness of the report showing
the length of life of Zach tradesman.
He told the history of Labor Bureaus,
saying hat t~hirty-one of the States and
the National Government now had such
bureaus. The New Jersey bureau, he
declared, operated on a plan similar to
the National Government bureau.
Then followed a long discussion as to
the actual merit of the bureau. Mr..
Simmerman explained at length what
had been accomplished and said the
work was not actually complete.
How long will it take to complete
the work?" asked Senator Voorhees,.
"Well," said the witness. when I urg-
ed the formation of the bureau in 1868
I explained that it would take a genera
ton to complete the work.
81 trust the cost of the bureau will not
continue to increase proportionately," re-
marked Mr.. Corbin, 3for here the cost
has increased from $1,000 to $14, 900 a
year"
The witness was excused and Mr.. Cor
bin remarked that he wished the state
ment he offered this morning to go on
the record showing the extraordinary in
crease of expenses. 1t had been increas-
ed in ten years from 500, 900 to almost
$500, 900 a year. There was absolutely no
necessity for it. he said. as he could
show by the enormous increase in legis-
lative expenses. If it kept on, he de-
clared, the State would very soon find
it necessary to levy a direct tax.
The annual expenditures for the Legis-
lature are given In the following table,
the figures in the total column includ-
ing the incidental bill items:-