Evening star., 1915-01-20
respect to the other Offices cited by

respect to the other offices cited by
Mr.. Spalding are different. The cor
poration counsel, who receives more
compensation than his superiors, the
Commissioners, is also allowed to en-
gage in private practice. as Is the
ceives as much as the judges. The
latter, as we'll as the Commissioners,
are underpaid. They are serving, how
ever. at a pecun1ary loss Tor an nonor
Moreover, in the case of the Judges,
there is a certainty of provision for
life, with a retirement and rest from
This bill even proposes to take away
from the salaried master the privilege
accorded to masters everywhere. ac-
corded to the corporation counsel, ac-
corded to the district attorney-of en-
gaging in the general practive Of the
law. Whenever officers rendering
purely personal services, such as dis
trict attorneys. coroners and the like,
have been put on a salary they are per-
conjunction with their official duties.
By this bill, not only is the auditor
to be required to perform services
plainly worth more than the salary al
loved and to devote his tin time ,,,.t solely to
pose. but he is denied the privilege ex-
tended to others in similar positions and
thus prohibited earning any income out
SlQe OIL MS Sdlary.
Not Ministerial Office.
'1The bill is wholly wrong in proceed
ing upon the theory that the Office is a
ministerial Office. and it is wrong in
the salary provision even on that theory.
AS the Office of a competent master the
salary is too little for the work involved;
as mere accounting Office, as it seems
20 ~ Sns1 Hxxv te, nI-
legged to be by those knowing better.
the salary is too large. A salary equal
to that of the register of wills or the
recorder would be more than ample; in
fact, the salaries OF the deputy register
and deputy recorder would be ample, for
those two Offices are in fact supervised
by the deputies.
The bill proposes to raise as revenue
S21 a day, $40 for the auditors serv-
ices, Sc for the assistants services and
IS for the stenographer's services. AL
lowing for Sundays, holidays, Saturday
half-holidays and months vacation,
there will be 254 working days, for
which If there be no lost time the rev.
enue will be $5.334, while the bill ap-
propriates $1,000. a net loss of s2,5Se,
paid by the District. The bill would
realize for the stenographers services,
If employed full time, s1,17O and ap-
propriates $1,000 for his salary.
now pay over s1,500 per year for the
stenographic work. and $500 for
typist to copy accounts, keep records
and do miscellaneous work. 1t would
realize for the assistants services
s1,4o4 and appropriates s1.5oO. 1t
would realize for the auditors serv-
ices $3.50 and appropriates $1,000.
The revenue from fees provided for the
administering of oaths and issuing
subpoenas would be trif1ing.
Burden on Taxpayer.
80 that it is plainly apparent the bill
proposes under the most favorable cir
cumstances to put a burden on the gen.
era1 taxpayer and relieve the litigant,
and to collect fees and pay salaries in
disproportion to the values of the serv-
ices imposed on the auditor and subord-
mates. But when we stop to consider
further, this burden and this dispro-
portion would be increased above the
figures just given Some time will un-
doubtedly be lost by illness in the
Office of the auditor, which would have
a small force and no means of provid-