The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-10-20
MODS7R0SI7Y LEAKS.
Mayor Hoos Discovers How
the Taxpayers Money
Dribbles Away.

Mayor Hoos this morning made a tour
| of inspection of City Hall. He saw many
| things which he will in a few days insist
| be remedied. Passing from his office to
| the main corridor, he found himself con-
fronted by Charles Cooper, the mailman,
who, if reports be true, was appointed
at the instance of the Rev. John L. Scud-
der. Cooper was employed, as he usually
| is from eight until five. o'clock, keeping
a chair down and warm near the front
door.
Cooper was hired originally to direct
visitors and persons having business at
the hall to the offices they wished to
reach. Either the duties were too ardu-
GUS or Cooper failed to perform them
properly, for few months ago the City
Hall Commissioners at an expense of sew
eral hundred dollars had marble director
les placed in the main hall The letters
of the directories are all fancy-so fancy,
in fact, that the only excuse offered to-
day for the retention of Cooper is that
people cannot understand or make out the
| directories.
Colonel Dickinson says that Cooper IS
retained to keep small boys and peddlers
out of the hall. He also says that Cooper
is expected to walk around the halls and
keep them clean. 1t is said that the only
time the hallman ever made a round of
the halls was in his sleep
For doing practically nothing but orna-
| ment the corridor Cooper receives $50 a
month.
Mayor, Hoos has thought ua. matter
over and has come to the conclusion that
the city will get along just as well with
out him. The Mayor will insist upon
Cooper's dismissal. A letter to that effect
ers,, to-morrow. Cooper will doubtless
walk the plank, as the City Hall Commits
sioners are little tired of him, and be-
lieye that the Office he holds is an unne-
| cessary one.
Mayor Hoos says Cooper is enjoying a
sInecure, ana ne is opposed to them. His
Honor maintains that it does not look
Wei Tor property owners to enter City
Hail and find a man drawing a fat salary
Ior doing nothing except keeping chair
Another opportunity to reduce the city's
expenses exists, the Mayor thinks, in
payroll of the elevator men, Two mon
are hired to run the elevators. BY per-
sonai observation the Mayor has discov-
cred that about half the time this sign
appears on the door of one of the ele-
vators:-sNot Running,
The Mayor insists that one man can
carry all the passengers who use the ele-
vators. Consequently he believes it un-
necessary and a waste Of money to retain
two men for that purpose. 1t is not an
| unusual sight by any means to see both
elevator men resting peacefully in chairs
in front of the elevators. Mayor Hoos
will demand the dismissal of one of the
eIeVatormen
The Mayor next visited the basement
and to his astonishment found workmen
sitting about reading and taking life as
easy as can be well imagined. As yet,
no fires have been started in the building.
There have been none since last April.
Notwithstanding this fact, a full force of
engineers and firemen has been kept on
all summer. Mayor HooS has made in
quiry as to how much work each man
has to Go and he has concluded that it
IS next to criminal eXtravagar to re-
| tain the present large force. There are
| two engineers and three firemen. and
what any of them has done since last
April, except draw his salary, the Mayor
| cannot discover. What occasion there is
| ever in winter for two engineers and
| three fremen. the Mayor cannot aseer-
| tain. He proposes insisting upon the inn
| mediate dismissal of one engineer and
| two of the firemen. His Honor also in
I tends securing, if possible, a reduction Of
! the force of porters and watchmen who
! fit about the building in gray uniforms
being. pleasant to every one at $50 a
month.
| Mayor Hoos declares that if the City
Hall Commissioners feel so inclined and
| really favor an economical administra-
| ton, they can reduce their payroll one
| third and still have the building kept in
| just as good condition as 1t is at this
time The Mayor in the communication
| to the Commission, which will probably
| be made public tomorrow. will make a
number of suggestions concerning the
| manner in which Superintendent Datz
| will be able to run the hall with a great
~ reduced force His Honor will also
| have something to say about the seven or
eight women who are retained at $50
month to clean the halls.
The Mayor learned today, too, that the
| Aldermen are in the habit of storing the
election booths outside the City Hall and
paying fancy prices for the privilege. His
| room in the City Hall for the storage of
the booths. He will communicate that
| fact to the Aldermen and insist that the
booths be stored in future in the City
| Hail.