The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-08
SAVES IN WATER DEPARTMENT
NEW COWWISSIONER rot M
THINGS ~ 4 BlD WAI.

Doesn't Nerd Money ApprSDFlAted poo
Bothered by lnesncienl veterans re
can't Fire tan Fire Bogus Riesl-
mond county FIremen, sAyu CaSH@r,
! Commissioner Thompson Of the Depart
ment Of Water Supply. Gas and Electricity
wrote recently To Mayor Gaynor re-
porting that he had practically completed
the reorganization OF the engineering
bureau and had been able to effect a saw
ing in the payrols at the rate 81 $3.50. TS6
year. He also said that although. in
his opinion. all the boroughs are gctting
better engineering supervision than ever
before, the department. would not require
the tRS7 .sOt. the major portion ~ several
bond issues viii ch had heen authorized,
hut which We do not now find II neces-
-ary ca use
Commissioner Thompson told the Mayor
that although tho department. proposed
Co Use only sBs7 iaS instead IL o. .77S, Gao.
which was appropriation improvements,
the improvements would b@ made and will
result In materially increasing the water
supply in several Of the borouGhs and
give better results than the works which
had been previously planned. the cost %
which wnaild have eauailed the total sum
81 the bond issue"
There will alSo he. according to Com
missioner Thompson. a saving % about
seO. mn by the substitution 81 "A well
defined plan for tho development Of the
brooklyn water supply in place II the
nes-ile-sly expenziv" one The water
revenue collected under the new system
IN March exceedsd that revenue for the
corresponding month ~ last year by
sd mag
amount collected for any corresponding
month IN the history 81 the department.
The investigation 81 the department.
in the Borough 81 QIeens. Mr.. Thompson
situation There seems his letter
reads, to have been practically NO super
vision wha tsosver in either the collection
~ water revenues ar IN the engineering
department. found the borough pr'sc-
tically without any system "r orRani1a-
ton oG any nature Whatsoever. and u IA a
great wonder to mo that thee conditions
have not been brought to the public notice
or steps taken to remedy them long ago.
In conclusion Mr.. Thompson wrote:
I might state that am seriously handi-
capped in my reorganization by the fact
that there are in this department. Ss2
veterans. including men Of the owl war.
the Spanish American war and Volunteer
Fire DepaFtment. and On account Of the
civil service laws governing these Enen
dealing with them effectively 10 almost
an inpn~sibility. This dos not mean
that I wish to dispense With the serTices
81 all veterans. a. some of them are doing
excellent work
This phase II the matter interested the
Mayor who " oia asking for details.
Commissioner Thompson replied that
there were in the department lse civil
war veterans. q Spanish American vet
Grams 2l2 volunteer hremen and iaS
Richmond county volunteer fireman.
After receiving these figures Mayor
GaynOr wrote
@Th. preference which the Law gives
u veterans of the civil war We must
-cr1ipulollsly observe. There are also
veteran fiTemen made such on account
of NpnR -arvic. az volunteer fremen.
who ar" also entitled Ia protsrtiOu. But
who are not veteran fir~men at all. tut
have got the title 10y fraud Please do
not regard them a. entitled Ia any fixed
status IN your department ehatsveT.
Your letter shows that there arr rs so
called veteran hrem"n from Richmond
county in your department They ar"
probably all. or nearly all men who went
over 20 Richmond county from all parts
- Brooklyn and odd Now York city just
hefur. the new city was formed and
JoIn,-t "A mr.. company m Richmond county
in order "a get status a. veteran nr'ms'u.
They did not move t. Richmond county
and they luins.d IN" company over Their"
for the fraudulent purpose ~ getting the
IumunitIs- II veteran hremen. The
courts have already IN two Insta noes de-
cidad that they are not veteran tirem"n.