The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-12-16
WHITMAN MAY
RETAIN PUBLIC
SERVICE BOARD
Can Easily Remove Members
of New York City Body
if He Desires.
WILL CONSULT WITH
STATE LEADERS TODAY

ALBANY. Dec 15--Governor-eiect Whit
man rs not expected to abolish the New
York city Public Service Commission.
The expenses OF the commission. estimated
to reaCn nearly S2.OOo,0OO next year are
now paid bv New York city with the
exception Of the salaries Of the five Com
mtssioners. who get $4,000 each.
This commission was established Oy
Gov. Hughes to lake the place oi the Old
New York city Rapid Transit Comm slon
and the suggestion to GuvernOr-elect WHIT !
man that he could get rid OF the Demo
cratic Public Service Commissioners only .
by merging the two commissions mo
one is not taken seriously by FRIENDS OF
the Hughes law.
one of the provisions Of this law reads: /
The Governor may remove any Com /
missioner for ineiiiciency neglect OF uuy !
or misconduct IN office, giving TO hin a
copy of the charges against MN anu
an opportuui;y to oe publicly heard IN /
person or 10y counsel in his own defence.
II such Commissioner shall he removed !
the Governor shall file In the office OF the |
Secretary OF state complete statement !
OF all charges made against such '"In-
missioner and his findings thereon 10.
yether with a complete record 'he
proceedings" ..,..,..
Il will be noticed mat no court review
is permitted and that Governor-elee'
whitman will be the Judge OF what CON
stitutes ncfIconcy or neglect OF ou.y' !
Prominent Republicans point out NAV WI. |
whltman's actions az District Attorney |
would Indicate that II Will be easy Tor
him to get suiiicien, cause for the removal /
OF any commissioner he desires
No Talk of ExtraNaEance.
There has been no suggestion or ex-
traVagance on the part OF the New YORK !
CITY commission in its expenditures, when !
have been occasiuncd largely by the big
subway construction now under way. IN
expenses ~ the upstate commission are
about 100000 a year. Next year now |
ever the New York city commission wants
81 100000 additional To eliminate grade
CROSSINGS while the upstate commission
asks 'or S5oO,OO0.
When Governor-elect Whitman realizes
that the State departments and institu-
lions have filCd applications with the state
Budget Commission asking total appro-
priations by the LEGISLATURE. which meets
IN January of $4,000, 200 for the coming
year and that there viii he only N"ono,-
600 In revenue and a state Treasury bal
snce OF 2,O0O .OO0 next October II Is not
? expected that h. will consolidate the com
, missions and pay me expenses out OF the
/, Statr Treasury.
Next to Charles +. Hughes there Is no
man In the state with more knowledge OF
/ the reasons Tor he establishment or the
Public Service Commissions and the opera
tion Of the Hughes law than Travis VI. Whit
ney. secretary ~ the New York city COM
- mission He was picked by Mr.. Hughes
to inaugurate the commissions WORKINGS
and the Tammauy commissioners found 1t
., necessary 20 retain his services GOV.
=, Glynn even had an intention at one time
= OF naming Mr.. whitney as member OF
the commission previous 10 his appoint
ment OF Commissioner Woods.
MaItbie's Term soon Ends.
Commissioner Matbie's term will end
, next February |, and that j. Sergeant
- Cram on February /. 1915.
In the upstate commission the term
Of Martin : Decker Of New paltz expires
on February ! next, and that of Com
missioner Frank Irvine. Republican, on
February ]. 1916. Mr. Whitman can name
his own chairm-n OF both the Public Ser
vice Commissions after wi'hdrawlng N"
previous designations or Edward W No
Call and Seymour Van SantvSord. 1t
has been understood for. some time that
Mr.. Van SantvOord is not Overanxions
TO continue as Public Service Commas
sioner.
The public service corporations OF the
% State are opposed to any tinkering with
the public service commission law for
political purpos >, but are backing ny
Governor-clrCt Whitman in his desire 10
better the personnel OF the two commits
sions without emasCulating the law Itself
Mr. Whitman's desire TO eliminate the po-
litiCal members of the two Public Service
Commissions were discussed by upstate
Republicans who stopped over in Albany
to-day on their way to attend the big Re-
publican powwow on Thursday to discuss
% the Whitman coming message to the Leg
~ islature and the organization of the Legis-
= lature. The more prominent Republicans
who will be in official life in Albany after
January will have talks with Governor
elect Whitman tomorrow preliminary 10
- the big conference
II seems to he settled that Elon X.
Brown of WATERFOWL will be the Repubi-
can leader of the state Senate and Presi-
dent pro TEN, of that body Ernest a Fay
of potsdam Senate clerk and Charles X
Hotaling of Albany sergeaut-dt-arms.
Sage May Get embarrassing.
Senator Henry NJ Sage of Albany can
have the Craftsmanship Of the Senate
Finance Committee If he wants II. He
is not member of the Finance Com
mittee at present. Senators George
II. Whitney Of Saratoga and James 4
Emerson Of Warren are members of this
committee and insist that they should
be considered before senator Sage,
Otherwise the Republican organization
plans include the naming Of Senator
George +. A"cetsinger of Rochester AZ
chairman OF the Senate Cities Commit.
tee, Senator j. Henry Walters uf syria.
cuse as chairman OF the Senate JudiCiar,
Committee, Senator George Il. Thompson
of Niagara as chairman Of the Codes
Committee, Senator Emerson as chairman
of Banks and senator Whitney as chair.
man of Insurance or Public Health.
1t is conceded that Speaker Thaddeu.
C. Sweet will be reelected Speaker o
the Assembly and Fred W Hammond q
Syracuse clerk .\ssemblyman Harold
i. HinmHu of Albany again Will Ice ma
1ority leader. Nearly an Of the al,
chairmen of Assembly, committees will
ohciate again, as win the Republican
members of the Assembly Committee OF
Rules.
Assemblymdn Macdonald OF Franklin
will be chairman Of the Assembly Way
and Means Committee Thorn of Erie -
Codes Hon of Kings, of cities Seakc
of 81, Lawrence, ut Railroads Mailer q
Seneca, Of Electricity, Gas and waite
supply sullivan Of ChautauQut, Of la
dietary; Gillou of Yates, Of Internal Al
fairs, Adler of MONROE, of Banks Mac
hold Of Jefferson, OF Taxation; Ttll"tt q
Madison IT Public Education; Malou
OF Albany. Of Excise, ana TalmaE, q
Suffolk Of Labor and Industries,
J. II. TIMKEN'S DEATH NATURAL