Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-12-13
When 1t Comes Up For Final
Passage Before the Board of
Aldermen Following a Letter
From Collector White.
WHITE ENTITLED TO RAISE
Declares There Is No Intention
To Reduce Salary List $720
A Year-0pinion of Mayor
Other Salaries Affected.

Because of the difference in ex-
pressions made by aldermen and
other city officials concerning the
alleged understanding under which
Collector of Revenue Richard u
White was to receive an increase in
pay from $4,000 to $4,000 a year.
there may be opposition when the
ordinance comes up for final passag ga
Monday night or at some adjourned
meeting of the Board of Aldermen.
The same document embraces in
creases in the salaries of City Elec-
tr1c1an Jay B. FRANKIE and Superin-
tendent Henry Toft, of the depart
ment OF weights and measures.
Collector Makes Denial.
Mr.. White denies there was any
such understanding. He declares
there is no intention to reduce the
salary list s720 a year in connection
with his Office and states emphaticaI-
ly that no more work than is now
being done there will be carried on
in the future, holding that some
work which regularly belongs in
other departments Is now being done
there. He holds that a man and
young lady now working in the room
that was set apart as the mayors
office on the second floor of city hall
are under the jurisdiction of the
assessors and are regularly engaged
by the Board of Aldermen. Mr..
White maintains he is entitled to
raise in view of the fact that tax col
lectors in other cities receive more
money for less work than he does.
He points to New Brunswick for an
instance, in which he declares the
collector receives $4,000 a year and
does about half as much work as Is
being carried on in the local office.
Letter from Mr.. White.
In view of these statements and
in an effort to correct an erroneous
impression, Mr.. White had the fol-
lowing letter before the council last
night:
Perth Amboy, Dec. IL, 1918.
'"To the Mayor and Board of Alder
men.
Gentlemen
''In reference to an ordinance
which Is now before your body, the
purport of which Is, among other
things, to increase the salary of the
collector of revenue, and that upon
his promise to dispense with one
clerk, | wish to say that there is but
one clerk employed in my office and
that he is the deputy collector. In
stead of doing the work of the office
with one less clerk there is ample
work to keep an additional clerk
busy.
'Yours very respectfully,
"RICHARD F. WHITE,
Collector of Revenue"
1t was received and filed.
Special Clerks.
1t Is the opinion Of Mayor Ferd
Garretson and some of the aldermen
that work now being done by special
clerks in the Office that was set apart
for the mayors office. should regu-
larly be done In the tax collectors
office. They declare to be at loss
to know who engaged a male clerk
said to be earning $18 week, and
a female clerk who earns S720 a
year. They enter bills with the coun-
ell every two weeks, by means of
which their salaries are paid. Alder
men declare the bills come in under
contingent one month, judiciary an
other and under other accounts in
turn. Chairmen on the committees
on judiciary, taxation and finance
declare they did not have hand IN
appointing either of the clerks IN
question.
Keeping Down Salary List.
Mayor Garretson says the ques-
ton of keeping down the salary list
rests with the Board of Aldermen
and declares it's members are in pos
session of his views. He states that
an alderman, who is purported to |
represent the Democratic organiza- |
tion in the council, came to him prior
to the introduction of the salary or
dinances Thursday night and display |
ed the documents, asking for his
stand in relation to their contents. |
The city's chief executive said he |
would not be opposed to granting the
collector of revenue $4,000 year
jf\ a clerical hire, which incurred
an e. ,enditure of $720 year, was
eliminated and the work otherwise
taken care of. He went on to state
that if the city attorney position was
to pay $4,000 a year, there should !
CONTINUED on page 20
NEW HUDsoNs, New Reos, 1914, mod
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Ferry Garage. 72o-l2-l5-lt