The San Francisco call., 1898-05-23

the consolidation act which obtained
 TOT IL so strong a hold upon the pron-
 erty owning and tax paying citizens was the various limitations contained
 Tn 1t with respect to the number of of hcers to be employed and the amount Of salaries to be paid to them. These salutary projections against being overwhelmed with taxes to pay innu. merable officers at exorbitant salaries
 has been omitted from the charter
 With respect to the chief departments of the city government
 The charter provides that the Roard or Public Works may employ such clerks, superintendents, inspectors en- g1neers, surveyors, deputies. architects and workmen as shall be necessary and may fix their compensation. (Art'
 VI, Sec. 5, p. 52.) There is no limit to the numoer. There Is no limit to the amount Of compensation. The section 1t IS true, provides that the compensa- ton shall not be greater than is paid In cases of similar employment. Rut upon the question of what Is maid in cases of similar employment the Board or Puol1c Works is the judge, and from its determination there is no appeal
 The Board of Public Works has pow CT to appoint as many subordinates as IL pleaSeS and to pay them salaries without limit. It is also invested with power to appoint the City Engineer without any limit upon the amount of ms salary. The consolidation act Iim- its the Surveyors salary to five hun dred dollars. Would it not have been well to have limited the City Engi- neer's salary to ten times that amount or twenty times, so that we might know exactly what he Is to get. or knoW some limit beyond which the Board of Public Works could not goo
 This board absorbs two departments of the city government which expend- ed $56S,000 and more during the current year, and absorbs many functions which have been heretofore exercised by other departments of the city gov ernment. It will control the construc ton and repair of all public buildings and will have charge of the cleaning or them, with the incidental power to employ such janitors and other em- ployeS as may be needed for the pur pose. (Art. VI, Sec g, Subd 4, D. 54)
 It is safe to say that this department or the city government will annually expend between seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars and one million dollars. The voters of the city will have no voice in the selection of the Of ficers by whom this vast sum will be spent. They will not be heard to say how much of that sum shall go to pay salaries nor how many salary takers there may be. The board will be ap- PoiliSCo " tilC T6InOVaDIe at his will. It will appoint its vast army of subordinates at what prices it pleases. removable Gas I shall hereafter showl at its will So that that great depart ment of the city government will be at the beck and call of the Mayor. If. to use the language of MT. Doyle. he fs either "an angel or demigod," it may be all right; if he is not, it may be all wrong.
 The power to appoint as many sub ordinates as 1t pleases at what salary 1t will, is also conferred upon the Board of Health (Art. x, sec. 5, p. 120). The same power Is conferred upon the Park Commissioners (Art. xI, sec. 6, D. 135). It is likewise conferred upon other de- partments of the city government. It may be said In brief that every depart ment of the city government the heads of which are appointed by the Mayor, have unlimited powers with respect to the number of employees and their sal aries. and that only those departments to which the people elect are limited with respect to the number and salary of the employees. In other words. it Is