The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-13
oDEILAND HIS WISER HEADS"
..sv MAKING EXPLANATIONS
THAT DO NOT EXPLAIN.
,z.o,, super,isor Bender Appears 10 he
an. "wiscst" Of the Lot, but He Fails
70 Explain why the Governor Should
U.ye Control Over the Salaries OF
cmployees in Charitable Institutions.


u.,e Control Over the Salaries OF
rmplo,ees in Charitable Institutions.
Albany, April l2.-Gov. Odell and his
.-;.er heads" upon whom he relies for
-. nreparation Of legislation to complete
.ho Capitalization Of control from Albany
!, ,he State charitable institutions and the
s,.,e insane hospitals and reformatories,
.rs kept busy these days explaining TO the
.lbany correspondents Of the newspaper
.roloes,s Of the Governor the criticisms
:, ,be Governors grasping for further po-
S,ical power But they have not explained
,hs.e criticisms, nor have they explained
INV the Governor seeks, in the McEwan
,nl 10 have Just before election each year
he authority TO approve or to veto salary
.,d wage increases in the charitable in
si,utions'
The Governor has the final say on any
recommendation in this regard the Salary
classification Commission may make. This
commission meets two or three times a
war at present. II comprises William
phinelander Stewart, the president Of the
sate Board Of Charities, and State Comp
ROLLER Nathan L Miller. The Governors
biologists profess to fear that the commits
don will hold continuous meetings during
the year to submit to him proposed changes
in the salary schedule.
When IL ia remembered that the State
Comptroller and the president OF the State
Board Of Charities are exceedingly busy
men and receive no compensation for their
duties on the Classification Commission
II can he seen how absurd is such defence
Of the McEwan bill, which provides for
only one meeting year. Every one knows
that the commission would not meet more
than once a year IL the Governor did not
desire il, but the commission possibly might
select some other time than just before
election to do this work
This bill was introduced at the instance
Of Fiscal Supervisor Of Charities Harry H.
Bender. machine politician OF Albany. and
carries into effect the recon mendation
made by him In his annual report to the
present Legislature. In this report Super
visor Bender, with characteristic modesty.
recommended that the Salary Classification
Commission be abolished and its authority
conferred upon him. He said:
A comparison Of the payrolls Of the New
York State institutions with those Of other
States shows that salaries in this State are
much higher than elsewhere and are steadily
increasing under the provisions Of the present
salary schedule. which makes length Of SER
vice the basis Of increase. Efficiency should
be the chief ground for increased pay. and
Increases should be made upon the recon-
mendations OF the superintendents, with the
approval OF the Fiscal Supervisor.
Philanthropists who have the good OF
the charitable institutions at heart believe
q graded system of salaries and wages,
raised automatically through efficient SER
vice, is much to be preferred to anything
which has. or Is likely to have. the element
Of political favoritism connected with It,.
The Salary Classification Commission in
arranging the schedules wisely provided
that large number, especially OF the minor
employees. should be compensated by this
graded system, which eliminates to great
extent the evils OF political favoritism. It
is expected that employees rendering un-
satisfactory service will not be retained at
all, much less increased in salary. This
is apparently what grinds on the Fiscal
Supervisor. These employees are not suf-
fciently in his power or in that OF his politi-
cal master-Gov. Odell. The wages Of some
Of the employees are at bes. ridiculously
small Consider women attendants in charge
Of the worst classes Of idiotio and epileptic
patients getting less than so cents a day.
and never more than 90 cents a day. through
the graded increase now allowed by law.
Doubtless 1t is true that more u paid to
the employees Of the New York State in
aitutions than Ia paid to some OF those
Of other States. But outside Of the super
;r,o vuh
get salaries equal to the fat that Supervisor
Bender can fry out OF the q. 500 he asks
for in a lump sum annually for alleged
expenses Besides, where Ia there any
other State that would take a machine
politician. absolutely without experience.
for the position assigned to him and pay
him salary Of $1,000 a year, as has been
done in Supervisor Bender's case.
All statements Of the Governors apolo-
gists to the contrary notwithstanding.
the Bender McEwan bill attempts to do
exactly what Mr.. Bender recommended
in his report to the Legislature; that is.
to abolish the graded system OF salaries
and wages now provided for by the sched-
ules, aud to leave 1t to the Governor, OF
course with Supervisor Bender's assist
ance. TO say just before election each year
Just what salaries and wages the employees
Of the State charitable institutions are to
receive for the ensuing year. In other
words, carrying out the recommendation
Of the Fiscal Supervisor, the salaries and
wages are not to be increased automatically.
as the schedule at present provides. but
only for the ensuing fiscal year. when
O. Nd by the Governor, at the instance OF
the Fiscal Supervisor, who through his
experience az a practical politician can be
trusted to know who do and who do not
nun with the Governors political machine.
1t is plain that the proposed change in the
law is for the sole purpose Of opening the
way for political manipulation Of the SER