Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1915-10-30
Will Show Profit
In Clerks Office
GEORGE VAN BUSKIRK CITES
FACTS AND FIGURES
Declares Present Less Due to "Over-
time" and Unnecessary "Sine-
cure" Positions.


During the present campaign,
George Van Buskirk, Democratic
candidate for County Clerk, in his
many addresses to the voters of the
county, has demons trated that he
possesses and is able to execute def
mite plans for the better and more
economical management of the Coun-
ty Clerks office. OF his opponents,
County Clerk Thompson Islands upon
his record" record which is
fraught with failure to measure up
to the full capacity for effective
public service which should be de-
manded by the voters Of any candi-
date who seeks to be elected to this
very important office. His Republi-
can opponent, James w. Mercer,
during this entire compaign has not
uttered one word or offered to the
voters any definite statement setting
forth his purpose OF accomplishing
any of the reforms 50 necessary to
be instituted in the conduct OF the
County Clerks Office If the taxpay-
ers of Bergen county are to receive
the benefits from that office to which
all record of previous administr.-
tions proves that they are entitled.
Ii is a well-known fact that dur.
ing the administration OF the County
Clerks office upon lee basis tins
incumbent of that Office earned foi
himself in fees over and above tn,
cost of administering i is affairs
sum variously estimated at from
$4,000 to $4,000 per year. At the
present time, under, the salary sy5-
tenn which went into effect at the be
ginning of Mr.. Thompson's term, th>
County Collector Looks show 10.
the past almost five years ltel.
more than a profit of $500. VIII.
is this SO, and why should not tn
present candidates for election t,
that Office be required to indicate tt
the voters that if elected they pur.
pose conducting the affairs Of the o.
flee in such manner that at least
some respectable portion OF the prom
which in former years went into tn
pocket of the County Clerk Should
be returned to the atxpayers in oroel
that the excessive burden of county
taxation may be reduced? Of tbs
three candidates seeking election
at this time Mr.. Van Buskirk is the
only one who has assured the voters
by the citation of facts and figures
that not only can this be done, bu,
that he can do it. Ii assurance
upon this latter point be needed tn.
voter has only to refer to the en-
viable record which Mr.. Van Buskiri
has established for himself as Tax
Collector of Hackensack, which of
flee he has held during the past nine
years, handling more than $5,000,000
of the taxpayers money with never
the suspicion Of the misappropria-
ton of one single penny. Further
more, it is Mr.. Van Buskirk's dis
tinction to have received from every
municipal administration under which
he has served unstinted praise and
commentator for the manner in
which he has conducted the affairs
of this very important public office.
In a speech delivered at Ridgefield
Park on September rs and repeated
to audiences throughout the county
Mr.. Van Buskirk has pledged and put
himself on record that in event of his
abuses in the present conduct of the
SCuuGy SiSIh OlilcS anu WHICH Tic
specifically enumerates. In those
pledges Mr.. Van Buskirk has called
attention to the fact that while I'M
der the first two years of Mr.. Thomp-
sons administration (when according
to the County Clerks campaign cir
cular, he was physically incapacitated
to give personal attention to his duty
during the greater period Of that
time,) the Office showed a net profit
to the taxpayers Of about $500. Dur
ing the past three years, however,
while the receipts of the office have
remained at practically the same fig
ure, the expenses have increased $10S-
900 per year, so that for this latter
period the office shows net loss to
the taxpayers of approximately $6,-
900. The figures poving this, as taken
from the County Collectors books
are as follows:
Receipts, 1911 ..........$3 7,70981
Expenses ................ 35,839.61
Gain ..................$ 1,870.29
Receipts, 1912 ........... 41,092.73
Expenses ................ 33,426.G0
Galn .................. .7,666.l3
Receipts, 1913 .........$42, 1905
Expenses ................ 43,820.67
Loss ................ I,66l.62
Receipts, 1914 $42, 118.49