New-York tribune., 1911-03-20
MORE Jobs FOR TAMMANY
State Civi! Service Commission
Doubles SOhmer'S Patronage.
70 PLACES PAY $150.000
Dix Promises a Hearing on the
Scheme, Elliot II. Good
win Says.

Elliot u Goodwin. secretary Of the C'V''
Service Reform Association, gave out
statement Yesterday. in which he said:
News has just been received OF d
scheme. to which the state civil Service
Commission has allowed itself 10 he made
a party. for nearly doubling the number
o. rlaces 10 he turned over rs PATRONAGE
~ controller Sohmer. Of Tammany Han.
The state commission on March II granted
subject 70 the approval Of the Governor
the exemption from competitive eXamiha-
tion Of the places Of court and trust fund
examiners and examiners of transfer ol
stock. prison clerks and assistant prison
clerks
The rules must state IN every case IN"
number OF places IN the exempt class 10
which appointment may be made wihou'
examination. Controller Sohmer has been
permitted to state this number, and the
number as fixed by him was inserted with
the approval o. President Kraft Of the
commission. in the resolution granting the
eXen ption.
Controller Sohmer doubles the number
o. court and trust fund examiners. thus
nrovidinc for sixteen exempt appointments
and again doubles the number Of eXamn-
ers Of transfer Of stock. thus providing Tor
,werty.six exempt appointments. There
sre only eight court and trust fund exam
,re~s and thirteen examiners Of transfer
~ stock in the department TO-DAY They
sro naid AT regular rates. and AT 'heSe
-a,es under the appropriation ON lor 'He
wear ending September 50. lN1. there can
be no increase IN numbers in their force.
''Put the commission has placently
Put in the exempt class. AZ tho request o'
Controller Sohmer. twenty-foW positions
that do not exist y Is obvious that " me
Governor gives his assent to the action 81
the commission Controller Sohmer expects
70 ne able 70 secure from tho Legislature
an extra appropriation 70 pav the salaries
~ these positions. when they can ne uSed
wholly as political spoils
Nothing so bald as this has been put
through the state commission in years "
&. incorceivarle that Governor DIX. VIII
his reputation as business man and IN
the face Of his repeated declarations nl
fsvor % economy and retrenchment and
of his pledges 10 appoint q civil Service
Commission thoroughly I'm sympathy with
+he merit system and 20 maintain that
tension should give his consent. This Is
The new commissions first important &C
tior
At this writing We are not aware
whether this scheme was put through ny
authority of the commission or ot Pres
dent Kraft alone. commissioner LudNigh
voted against granting tho exemptions at
all hut was outvoted by the two Demo
cratic members BY this trick the number
~ places involved in the action Of the
commission has been increased from t"en.
ty-seven 10 forty eight
Il the LEGISLATURE gives the controller
The extra appropriation 10 pay the salaros
cf these additional non-oXistent places the
value Of the patronage involved vii he
Increased from $500 80 $93.So0 annually.
should the commission AZ its next meeting
c~ant the ,mption Of transfer tax ap-
rraisers. which was laid over on March "a.
the total number of places in IN" con
troller's Office turned over 10 patronage VIII
re seventy crowded there are no further
iuoreasesl. representing a total annual sa Be-
ary list Of nearly $4,000.
Governor Dix has promised hearing.
the date for which has not Yet been set