New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-03
INCREASE OF CITY SALARIES.
TOTAL ABOVE LAST YEARS FIGUREs-co~.
TRoLLER GOLFERS EXPLANATION

TOTAL ABOVE LAST YEARS FIGUREscox.
TRoLLER GOLFERS EXPLANATION.
Taking the complete lists Of salaries of on5esrx
and employees of the city government published
III Inc CITY Record Of January 81 two news
papers OF the city have undertaken to ascertain
the total amount of salaries are to be paid to
such officers and employees this year The Word,-
yesterday morning published an array of figures to
support the statement that the exact tota! for 1900
Is $tsOiS5I II declared that the salaries OF city
officials and employees in 1899 amounted TO Ss4 e61
and that the increase for 1900 amounts to s76
The Brooklyn Eagle last evening published an
other array of figures support the statements
that the salaries of city officials and employees in
1900 amount to SH955,35O. and that the increase OF
salaries in 1900 amounts to S,2l7SS9. the total for
1899 being given S34,7S77s6O.
Both papers say that the great increase in SAL
aries is due in part to the creation of highly paid
confidential secretaries to heads of departments.
and TO the raising Of salaries OF deputy commits
sioners, superintendent and other officials recelv-
ing large salaries
Officials in the Finance Depart ment said yester-
day that the total of salaries for 1899 apparently
had been derived from a tabulation of the salaries
published in The City Record" January q,
1899 That list of salaries IL was declared. in
complete, and therefore not suitable for comparison
with the lists published IN the official newspapers
this year. Controller CoIer after an investigation
OF the subject issued the following statement:
l have seen the statement published in a morn
ing newspaper to the effect that the salaries OF
city employees amount 100000 more in the year
1900 than the year 1853. This statement is very
much exaggerated There Is only department.
In the city government the payrOns OF which cali
for amounts very much larger than those OF last
year, and that is the Department of Education.
due to the provisions OF the Ahearn law The
mandatory provisions of the Ahearn act call for an
additional expense of about A.400 600. TO which
should be added the schedule increases made by
different school boards equalize intermediates
The difficulty with the statement IN ques-
ton is that il is based upon a comparison OF TWO
very imperfect sources OF infOrmation-the list or
employees of the city government as Puohsned IN
The City Record January 81 To dlSproVe tne
statement in question cOnclUSively would neceSSl-
tate an ANALYSIS of the actual payToHs OF the city
which is long and tedious Undertaking. ana IL
would be Just difficult prove negative IN the
case of the S. 600 900 estimate it would De II the
figure had been S16,OO,0d0.
a common sense way TO look at the matter is
however to remember that the expenditures can
not exceed the appropriations and that the amount
to be raised by this year will De StOOVUV less
than il was last year. Moreover, II the appropIla-
riors of the different departments De examined
seDarateIv il will be that the approprlallohS
for 1q0O with the sole exception OF the board OF
Education show very few increases or suostanuat
amounts and that to Offset these increases thefs
are quite a number OF substantial reductlohs-