New-York tribune., 1899-07-27
MR.. COLER'S COMPLAINT.
THREATENS TO RESIGN UNLESS HE
CAN HAVE HIS WAY.
HE SAYS CIVIL SERVICE INTERPRETERS WITH
HIM AND HE WILL APPEAL TO
THE GOVERNOR,


HIM AND HE WILL APPEAL TO
THE GOVERNOR.
Controller Bird S. Coler yesterday announced
his determination to resign his office unless the
! State Civil Service Commissioners comply with
his request to modify the new Civil Service rules
applying to the Finance Department. Under
| the rules Mr.. Coler declared. he was not allowed
/ the free choice in appointing confidential subor-
| dnates that would enable him to control the ar
| fairs of his Department properly.
| II have written to the State Civil Service Com
missioners calling attention to the inconsistent
| cies OF the rules they have made for the Finance
| Department" he said land asking them to
| make certain changes. Unless they change the
| rules am determined to resign. l do not see
how any man of financial responsibility could
remain in this office under Civil Service regula-
tions which would prevent him from keeping
! proper control OF the Department"
| The Controller was elected in 1897 for a term
! Of four years He has a salary of $4,000
| year and receives a commission on the collection
| Of the collateral inheritance tax for the state
! amounting to about $1,000 year. His official
! bond Is for 100000. He lives in Brooklyn, and
is a member Of the banking firm of w. n. Coler
! e. Co., and is a stockholder in several banks and
trust companies. In criticism Of the new Civil
! Service rules he made these statements yester
! day.
II believe In Civil Service, but It is an absurd
| proceeding for men who know nothing of the
work of this Department to make arbitrary rules
for the government Of the business. In Schedule
A. the class exempt from competitive examina-
tion they allow the Finance Department one
bank messenger. This is the most important
financial institution in the country except the
United States Treasury. yet they give us only
one bank messenger. The smallest bank in the
CITY has two or more and the National City
Bank has nine or ten. We handle S13OOOOOW
year. and during the first week in october we
| handle S6,000OO. There is only one messenger
for the city paymasters office. He has to send
money to all parts of the city to pay employees
! We are not allowed the choice Of one inspector
The inspectors of this Department have to watch
the inspectors of other departments. If both
are obtained from the Civil Service they can act
in colIusion, and unless actual proofs Of dishon-
esty are obtained they cannot be removed.
MEN NEEDED TO WORK OVERTIME
mo provision is made for the expert exam
iners These men get $50 or $50 day in Wall
Street. and it is as absurd to ask them to pass a
! Civil Service examination as It is to ask j. Har-
sen Rhoades or the president of any of our city
banks II the examiners have to go Will go
with them.
"They give us six chief clerks. We have need
of only one chief clerk but they give US SIX
They also give us ten examiners OF accounts or
| institutions when the work could De done oy
one bookkeeper in this office.
There are five hundred places In the Finance
Derartment and three hundred and fifty of
: mem ought to be under the Civil Service Ths
others should be exempt. Many Of the men here
| a
business and some of them often work late at
night in order to keep up. The Civil Service
men we have here now leave at o'clock sharp
and have no mower TO detain them moment
"The clerks in the Stock and Bond Bureau
| handle every year the coupons Of $24OOoo~V
of bonds, and yet under these rules shouiu
| he compelled to appoint unknown men OF no
| experience in the work These regulations COM
| pletely upset my reorganization OF the Depart
| ment which has been in progress for some tlme
| 7 had arranged to centralize the auditing OF
: accounts in the main office, ana 10 piaCe d
! deputy paymaster in each borough so ina.
every employe, contractor merchant OF any any
other person having proper claim against the
city could be paid within ten days from the
time his bill was presented
"The new rules allow me only one paymaster
and one deputy which makes II Impossible TOT
me to have paymasters offce IN eacn porous ~ y:
They allow me only six warrant clerks Snr Snu ~ ~
is a physical impossibility Tor that humDer W
make out the warrants.
"The law makes me responsible for the money
Of the city. and / must have power 10 cnoose
any subordinates for places of trust and re-
sponsibility or I cannot properly conduct the
business Of the Department. One or the state
Commissioners came to my once ior nse rn. mn,
utes and insisted that the Receiver Oh IdAes
WAS an elective officer, which ne never was
, That is a sample of what they know about this
department"
GEORGE MANBNY's REJOINDER.
George McAneny. secretary Of the Civil Ser
vice Reform Association when seen In his
office. at No. 30 William-st-, yesterday. said he
thought the Controller had spoken hastily and
that nothing serious would come out or his
threat resign: He said:
THE State Civil Service Commission Is doing
the best II can. and am sure that when Con-
troller Coler calls the attention OF the Board to
the errors in the rules of his Department they
will be quick 10 correct them. These are mis-
takes that are unavoidable In making up mass
OF rules. l think they are trivial Personally,
would recommend that the bank messengers and
J expert accountants be put in the exempt list
as the Controller wants. and give him more, but
/ | do not think the mistake Is as serious as the
| Controller makes II out. AS 10 the expert ac-
| ccuntants the Controller did not ask for any,
and the fault of the Commission was caused
| by a failure in the Department here.
while | would personally recommend that
| TIE bank messengers be made exempt do not
see why Civil Service appontees could not be
| used. The place is in way, a confidential
| one but any messenger should be put under
! bond and with a Civil Service man under bond
| | don't see why he couldn't carry bonds and
! messages as we'll a confidential employe.
THE Controller should apply to the State
Beard TO have the changes ne desires made |
consider the rules good. even with the few mis-
takes and I know the Commission Will correct
i ANYTHING 1t sees to be a mistake think the
Controller should have applied to the Commits
sion before going to the press. the Controiier
isn't going to resign. II would be TOO PAD II ne
did for he is a good and gentlemanly official.'
MAY APPEAL TO ROOSEVELT.