Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-10-02
CIVIL SERVICE
CHARGED WITH
EXTRAVAGANCE
Comptroller Edwards Says Its
Methods Are Looser Than Any
Other State Departments.
Special to the Evening Star.

TRENTON, Oct. I'm what he
terms is his last word on the subject,
State Comptroller Edwards today
fired broadside into the Civil Ser
vice Commission and Gardner Colby
its secretary, for what he terms its
lack of economy In conducting the
civil service system In New Jersey
The comptroller's remarks are by way
of reply to the recent statement OF
the commission defending It's adj
ministration against an interview
claimed to have been given out by
Mr.. Edwards recently in which he
was credited with saying that the
State was spending 100000 year for
the civil service work.
The comptroller says he was mis-
quoted with. respect to the amount
lmentiofed, btu 'd say that as al
present x1minIstefed theszcivil service
law places too great burden upon
the State. He claims to be in favor
of the system for subordinate POSI-
tions. and calls attention to the policy
pursued by himself In this respect in
his own department.
Mr.. Edwards says that he has OBJ
jected to the practice of institutions
and departments exceeding their ap-
propriations and believes this has
been the cause for the increase in
the cost of the States government
He claims to have checked this GUS
tom through legislation enacted at
the last session Of the Legislature,
which has been resented by the de-
partments, and none more so than
that of the civil service.
Edwarfsss fsnfen,euf
The statement in full is as follows:
There has been so much comment
in the press recently on the subject
of the attitude of this office towards
the operation of the civil service law
that I felt that the public should
know the exact situation.
{ II have been misqupoted as say
ing that the State was spending
100000 per year for this purpose. OF
course know that the appropriation
was only $4s,500 per year. did say
that as the law is now being ad.
ministered too large portion of its
burden is placed upon the State
treasury.
Personally have always been in
favr of the principle of civil service
as to routine subordinates. This is
best demonstrated by the fact thai
since I have been comptroller there
have been no removals from my Of
flee. / have kept the force that 1
found there, although some of them
were not protected by the letter of
the act. This has been done in spite
of pressure, because 1 know efficient
clerical service when / see it. When
the Legislature transferred the
auditing department to my office,
where It logically belongs, it did not
extend the protection of the civil
service to the persons appointed. My
first object was to turn a perfume
tory audit into a real one. A large
portion of the criticism of my Office
is caused by the fact that have in
sisted upon a real audit and compli-
ance with the law. have been
trained as a banker, my instinct is
for the balance sheet, with assets
above liabilities. | cannot tolerate a
deficit in my accounts and will not
have one.
81 have objected to the policy, pur-
sued In a lax way for so many years.
by the departments and institutions
of mourning obligations beyond the
limitations fixed by the Legislature.
and then either making good the de-
ficiency out of the succeeding years
appropriation or requiring legislative
aid in the shape of supplemental ap-
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