The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-11-13
RETRENCHNlE:NT.
B oard of Freeholders to Live
Within Appropriations
Must Curtail Ex-
penses.
MANY DISMISSALS PROBABLE
Impossibility of Making Two
Ends Meet Without Reduc-
tion Matter of
Figures.

What retrenchment will be necessary in
order to live within the appropriation for
the fiscal year beginning December next,
is the question being considered by the
individual members of the new Board OF
Freeholders, who will enter on the duties
of office on the first Monday in next
month The present board consists of
twenty-six members, and the new board
will be composed of the nine Democrats
elected last Tuesday.
AS previously told, Freeholder Michael
B. Holmes, of the Fourth ward. will be
elected director, and there will be few if
any changes in the personnel of the heads
of the various departments of county gov
ernment. The reduced appropriation for
the fiscal year, 19O0-1901, will however,
compel retrenchment, and it is altogether
probable that the number of minor en-
ployes at the several county institutions
will be lessened.
The total appropriation for the current
year is s967. .49s.SS. The amount to be ex-
pended next year is only 1894, ,OO7.5S a re-
duction of $ss, 2.35, despite the fact that
S61 Gs6.92 in bonds fall due during the year
as against s47.5S7.s5 paid during the cur
rent year. The interest on county bonds
S2z2, ,911.91 for the present year, net in
crease in these two items alone of S21,-
407.67, which will make the actual reduc-
ton for the present years appropriation
49O0.62.
In order to cover this immense shortage
almost every other individual item of ap-
preparation for the fiscal year 19OO-1sO1 has
been cut down and this, it is thought
vices of very many county employees
One of the largest proportionate reduc-
tions Is in the item for salaries of me-
chanies employed at the different county
institutions. For the current year s11, 900
was appropriated for this purpose and
egery cent of that amount will be required
to pay the salaries of the force of me-
chanics now at work. For next year this
lem of appropriation is fixed at So, ,O00-
less than one-half, and it is generally be-
lieved that the services of at least one
half of the mechanics now at work will
be dispensed with in order that the new
Board may live within its appropriation
The appropriations for every one of the
county institutions have been reduced pro-
portionately as follows:-Penitentia
from $4,000 to $4,000; Almshouse from
s62,500 to $55,500; Asylum, from S45, 900 to
$4,000; County Jail, from $4,000 to S45, 600.
1t is admitted that the new Board of Free
holders cannot possibly pay the running
expenses of these institutions if the pre-
sent force of employees is continued and
wholesale dismissals must be looked for.
Another important reduction is in the
item for county expenses. For the cur
rent year $4,000 was appropriated, while
next year the county courts must get
along with $4,000 less than that amount.
The expenditures from this appropriation
are not made by the Freeholders but by
the County Collector an order of the
courts. How it will be possible for the
new board without any but nominal juris-
diction over this fund to curtail expendi-
lures it is hard to tell.
Even the appropriation for incidentals,
which in the last has been used to help
out funds that might otherwise run short
before the close of the fiscal year, is re-
duced from $4,000 to $4,000.
That retrenchment by dispensing with
the services of very many county en-
ployes is absolutely necessary is evidenced
by these figures. Who will be obliged to
walk the plank is of course matter OF
speculation as yet, but that the county s
payrolls will be reduced seems to admit of
no doubt
The heads of the several institutions and
other departments of the county govern
ment are competent and are not over
paid, SO it is not believed that any of
them will be disturbed but that wholesale
dismissals in the ranks of their subor-
dinates must be made is evident.