New-York tribune., 1901-12-20
TAMMANY'S LAST REVEL
RAISING SALARIES AND PLANNING BIG
EXPENDITURES on THE
BRONX MAP


| In the closing days Of the Tannmany admin
istration there is an apparent effort to load thE
incoming administration heavily as posslolf
with increased salaries for city employees anc
with plans for improvements to cost millions
! The courts stepped in and prevented the a"ar'
! Of several costly contracts for asphalt pave
rnents which had been advertised by James P
/ Keating the Commissioner of Highways, and
! one Tamnany scheme was set at naught Tn
! Board Of Public improvements. which goes out
| Of existence al the end of the year. and there
fore cannot be expected TO do much damage
in the few remaining days OF its life, took &C
ton on Wednesday calculated to burden the
: cftv with enormous expense, but that action
may have no serious effect. because the next
administration will not be bound by IT.
The nran of Bridge Commissioner Shea to have
| Delancey-st. widened 10 125 feet all the way
from the approac CHI Of the New East River bridge
| TO the Bowery; to have a additional street cut
! through to Eln1-st., and TO have plaza at the
subway station at Spring and Elm sts.' Woulo
mean the outlay of millions Of dollars, but the
approval of the plan by the Board of Estimate
and Apuortionrnent would be needed before the
city could be committed to the plan. The ap-
rrovaI Of Mr.. shea's plan by the Board Of Pub
lie improvements Wednesday VIII serve,
therefore. merely as an indication of what the
Tamnany politicians might have done if they
had remained in power Controller Coer and
two other members Of the Board Of Estimate
and Apportionment viii not permit the ratihca-
ton of Mr.. shea's plan for widening Elm-st
CORPORATION Counsel Whalen said yesterday
that While he did know the merits of the
plan for widening Delancey-st.. he thought such
an Improvement involving great cost. should De
left for the next administration to deal win.
That is a matter" he said, that probably viii
L-SriP matt nd u
portionrnent until next year, anyhow. AS
member Of the present board, would not favor
passing upon the plan"
ADVANCING SALARIES FREELY.
Mr. whalen and Mr.. Shea have made IN
creases in salaries in their departments, appar-
entity wishing to reward certain employees with
promotions Fifteen of the clerks and offce boys
in Mr.. whaen's Office have had their sal
aries raised on the promotion plan. Office
bows were promoted to junior clerks and
junior clerks were promoted to senior
clerks. The increases of salaries ranged from
5000 10 500 and the total increase would
amount to $3.50 II the clerks were to remain in
office a year Mr.. Whalen said yesterday that
the promotions and increases in salaries were
made in conformity with Civil Service rules and
were expected to be permanent. but Mr.. Rlves,
when he becomes Corporation Counsel. may
think there are too many clerks in the office and
discharge some of them.
Mr Shea has increased the salaries Of half
dozen employees in the Department Of Bridges.
The increases range from 500 a year to five
times that amount
Controller elect Grout, who opposed the new
map for The Bronx before the Board Of Public
improvements on Wednesday, yesterday gave a
Tribune reporter a statement Of his views on
the subject In the course of his talk Mr. Grout
,,1I, ID
in the matter Mr. Haffen ought to reflect
whether il is wise" sa,d Mr.. Grout. ito have
his close to the ground that he lets his
constituents walk all over him"
Mr.. Grout outlined his own views upon the
subject in the following statement:
1 appreciate the desire of the people Of The
Bronx to have some map adopted. 1 appreciate
also the need of it practically, but I think the
best rule in such matters is TO be sure you are
right first and then go ahead And 1 am very
doubtful whether these maps which have been
Janmed through are right. The whole question
is whether or not~the maps provide for more
wide streets and public places than are needed
or than either the city of New-York or the
CRITICIsEs HAFEN.
individually most of the members Of the
Board OF Public improvements are convinced
that the maps do contain an excess Of such
streets and places. But, like Mr.. Hafen who
| himself thinks so, too. and has repeatedly said
so. they were not willing to stand up before the
crowd which demanded action in favor of the
maps, whether it was right or wrong. Mr.. Haf-
fen himself thinks the maps are wrong in this
respect and he defes his own conscience and
judgment rather than resist the demands of mis-
constituents
The Board of Public Improvements has done
likewise, and yet it has constantly been beset
with demand that the city should foot the ex-
pense of opening and improving every street
which exceeds sixty feet in width-an expense
which. If these new maps for The Bronx were
ADOPTED, would run up to many millions of dol
lars
''It is fallacy and delusion to say that the
adoption OF these maps causes no expense for
while their mere adoption does not. ii lays the
foundation for system which makes the ex-
| pense to the city at large inevitable
If these maps adhered to the city will be
financially unable to contribute the assess
| ments for wide streets as it has done in the
| past and venture to predict in such an event
! that the people of The Bronx will themselves
! ask to have some of them narrow rather than
! pay for them. Understand 1 am not against q
| proper number Of wide streets or of public
parks, but believe ii possible to have too much
| of good thing, unless. of course YOU get some
| one else TO pay for it. To have street one
| hundred feet wide every ten blocks is in my
/ Judgement, to have twice many as the dis
| trct north of The Bronx River will ever need -
Mr Grout read statement that the people
Of The Bronx felt that they were entitled 10 fhe
outlay the new maps provide, since BROOKLYN
was TO get $4,000 600 in new bridges
Mr.. Grout said in reply:
| This is not a geographical question | am
| not influenced by that fact I would oppose them
! Just as vigorously if they were for BROOKLYN I
believe each borough should have all necessary
| appronris ton which the city can give it but fl
Ssoooo0oo IS necessary for bridges. that is no
| reason for the unnecessary expenditure of a
single dollar. People ought not 70 look on sucb
question as If the various borougbs yyera en-
| gagged In cutting up big watermelon
| JAMES L. WELLS FAVORS TT