The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-16
CITY LABORERS UNPAID.
FOR THE SECOND WEEK THE COMP
TROLLER DIS UP PAY ROLLS.

BEARD or Estimnte Has Net Caused the Money
10 ne Credited to the Proper A~ccounts-
5000 wen Are AGectcd-MoCnrtney saves
tho Street Cleaners This Annoyance.
The weekly pay rolls OF tho city departments
| except tho Street Cleaning Department were
held up again yesterday by order Of Comptroller
Colcr pending the completion of the now city
budget. There nre moro than 1000 mon on
these rolls and not ono of them has received q
cent Of wages since Jan. l. Among those whose
pay is held back are the general foremen. the
draughtsmen, inspectors. c%halnmen. axcmen,
laborers, and PAYERS, who were formerly under
the jurisdiction Of the Commissioners of Public
Works, and the employees Of the old Bureau of
Street improvements in the Twcnty-third and
Twenty.fourth wards. Even the foremcn,
swcepcrs, md cartmcn attached to tho Bureau
Of City Revenue and Markets. which comes UNI
der tho immediate jurisdiction of tho Comp
troller, have not been able to collect the money
due them, and 1t is estimated that up to yes.
tcrday the city owed 5000, 900 OF hack wages to
men who are employed by tho day.
Tho trouble does not arise from a lack Of
funds in the hands of the city. City Chamber
lain Keenan, has more than $40, OOO, 900 to his
credit in the various municipal repositories
and he stands ready to issue checks for the pay
rolls as soon as they are authorized by tho
Comptroller. but nothing can BIO done until tho
are placed to the credit Of tho various accounts
against which the pay roll checks are drawn.
Comptroller Golfer warned the mem bers of the
Board OF Estimate at their first meeting that q
hitch would occur In the matter of the weekly
pay rolls. unless steps were taken Immediately
to complete the budget, and with this end in
view he urged. the heads of departments to pre-.
pare at once their estimates OF expenses for the
coming year, SO that the money appropriated by
the old Boards OF Estimate of the cities and
towns which were taken into the consolida-
ton could be reapportioned according to the
provisions of the charter. Many of the Com
missioners complied at once. and 1t was ex-
pccted that their.ostimates would DO considered
at the meeting Of the Board of Estimate which
was held on Friday. Tho board. however. al
tourned until tomorrow without taking the
matter up. and the Comptroller was forced to
withhold tho money for the weekly pay rolls.
His action has caused considerable hard fecl-
ing and no little distress among tho city en-
ployees affected. Many appeals were made to
the Finance Department last week for advances
of small sums on money due for wages. All
such appeals were refused.
I'VE, cannot pay out n dollar Of this money
until the Board of Estimate authorizes us to do
3d." said Comptroller Coler yesterday. The
employees OF the Street Cleaning Department
were able to draw their wages yesterday. owing
to the foresight of Commissioner Mccartney.
He induced tho Board Of Estimate on Friday to
transfer to the credit of his department the
amount of money appropriated by the old Board
Of Estimate for street cleaning In tho boroughs
Of Manhattan and tho Bronx for 1898.