New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-05
Whitman'S Plan Now a
Single and More Work
able Body.
To STUDY SYSTEMS
IN OTHER STATES
State Departments To Be
Probed by Own Heads,
Governor Says.

Albany. Jan. !. lSNatlclaCtlVu WIZ
ts workings Of the Public Service
COMMISSIONS and Inc criticisms o
,,,s OF their members have led Gov
,,,or Whitman to decide that IN,
,,,,ent commissions must be wipe,
out
II plans now being considered e
,sroueb. the commissions will be sup
ssn,ed by a single and more workable
bosv. embodying the best features Of
no Hughes commissions and similar
bosiss in other states.
Governor Whitman already has Of
fersd two prominent lawyers familiar
with Public Service commissions the
,,sk Of investigating the workings OF
Public Service commissions, with &
view toward obtaining material for
framing a new Public Service Commits
sion act.
Il is possible that the Legislature,
n the suggestion Of the Governor, will
tppoint a commission 30 investigate
,be subject from two angles. one with
view Of learning what is worth while
in other Public Service commissions
and the other to determine if the
charges made against some of the
members Of the present commission
are true.
The Governor has talked with Sen
a.or Elon p. Brown. majority leader of
ne Senate: Speaker Thaddeus c.
Sweet and other legislators concerning
proposed legislation on the two COM
missions.
The present two commissions have
been packed with hundreds Of Tam
many ward heelers during the four
years Of Democratic control of the
state. The 1st District commission
row has more than 200 employees, and
if. "a District or upstate, commits
son about 1856 employees. The COM
hnsd annual payroll is about
NsOO,OOo
Full Of Lucrative Jobs.
In the Public Service commissions
are some Of the most lucrative posi-
tons in the state. Each one of the
zen commissioners receives a salary Of
$4,000 a year. while salaries Of $4,000
and $4,000 are cormor among the
employees Probably the highest paid
position IN the state is that Of State
Engineer Of the 1st District commits
son, the salary for which is $4,000 a
year. The position is now held by Al
fred Craven, Of Yonkers.
The members Of the 1st District
commission are all Democrats. includ-
ing Edward f. Mccall, Milo r. Malt
bic. r. Woods, j. Sergeant Cram and
George " S. Williams. Martin ).
Decker, OF New Paltz. is the only Re
publican in the I'd District commls-
non being a holdOycr from the orig
nal Hughes commission. His term,
With that Of Maltbie, expires cn FEB
issry J. The terms Of the other mem
bers Of the commission have from one
10 three years 10 run.
There is considerable strife for the
.ommissionerships held by Maltbie and
Decker. Travis Whitney. secretary ol
ne lst District commission, - men
honed for one OF them, and ex-senator
Ralph Thomas, Of the 37th Senatorial
District. who succeeded lothian +.
Aids, for the other. Commissioner
Becker would like 10 succeed himself.
The Public Service Commission was
created in 1907 uder Governor Hughes,
and worked with excellent results until
ne beginning OF the Dix administra-
uon. Since then complaints against
ne commission have been many and
iftquent.
Undecided as to PrOber.
Concerning the investigation OF the
STATE departments, Governor Whitman
Today said he would do nothing IN the
tsy OF appointing d special prober, as
ne may do under the Moreland act
aaAi be had received the reports OF IN
snous heads Of departments.
The Governors ideas with regard 10
ie'renehment, efficiency and economy
are well known TO the departmental
me end Of carrying out these ideas
want the department heads TO
Aate their own Investigations so that
- may know what special legislation
recommend. II special investigation
Ie deemed necessary they shall be un-
eeriaken."
me Governor has already taken a
aaho IN the Democratic extravaganza m
se barge canal work, and he informed
s.S'e Engineer Williams that the ex-
ssaditures on this work in the last
lWSuf years had been too high. He told
Williams and the other depart
fat heads 20 rid the state Of all use
ess employees.
ne State Engineer will be ready
S week with a report on his depart
teet' m which he will recommend the
sOnShing Of many sinecures created
me Democrats IN the last four
,Deprty Controller Reusswig and q
Meer OF expert accountants, were
~ To-day on the investigation of the
.I'eultural Department. They are
,ss,hg 70 learn why there are agri-
ufal experts in New York City, and
~ where 100000 taken out Of the
a. funds 70 reimburse farmers foi
kso condemned cattle in the past
years has gone. Moreover, the
~ Of certain employees in the de-
snt will be inquired into.
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