New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-16
Thirty Departments Doing
Work of Six, Bruere
Tells Convention.
SYSTEM NOW WASTES
100000 IN SALARIES
Single District Attorney and
One City and One County
Clerk Recommended.

/ County government in New York
City. persisting only by reason of pri-
vate political interest, is an anachron-
ism and an unnecessary nppendage to
the municipality. This is the opinion
expressed by City Chamberlain Henry
Bruere and Commissioner Of Accounts
Leonard NJ Wallstein in study of
the county government which they have
prepared for the Constitutional Con-
vention. and copy of which they have
also submitted to Mayor Mitchell
County government was devised be-
fore the existence of large cities, their
report says, and has been the favorite
field of partisan politics and special
legislation. In fifteen years its cost
has increased 80 per cent, and an eff
fective reorgan zation would save more
than s1,00o,00O each year in salaries
alone.
AS proof that the county government
Is unnecessary, the officials point out
/ that the work of six departments is
| duplicated in each of the five counties,
so that thirty departments are now do
| ing the work of six.
The creation of Bronx County is set
forth as an additional burden upon tax
payers, who are now compelled upon
each $1,000 of property to pay for
county government $40 in Richmond,
| SIS in The Bronx, S12 in Kings, $40
in Queens and 81 in New York. This
form of government, the report de-
clares, has been practically unchanged
since its adoption, in 1777.
Another striking instance of the e.
travagance of county administration is
seen in the average daily cost Of guard
| ing prisoners. In the Kings County
| jail this is 1921, and S3.49 in Queens.
/ The Department of Correction, a city
| department, pays from to 81 cents a
day for guarding the inmates of its in
situations.
! Chamberlain Bruere and Commission
er Wallstein think that all fee-collect-
ing offices should be made self-sup-
porting. They state that none now are,
with the exception of those whose heads
keep all their collections.
/ In the suggestions put forward by
the officials for reorganization are
the uniting of the Supreme Court forces
of each County Clerks Office into q
clerk of courts" appointed by the APP
pellate Division, and the uniting of the
remainder of each Office with the City
| Clerks, having the Mayor name the
Getty and county clerk"
The report also suggests that the five
District Attorneys be replaced by a
single man, to be elected, and that one
department do the work of the Regis
ter's Office in three counties and the
register division of the County Clerks
office in the other two, the Mayor to
appoint its head.
The officials would abolish the Com
missioners of Records, and have their
work done by a small temporary force;
they would replace the five Commits
sioners of Jurors by one; abolish the
public administrators, having the City
Chamberlain do their work; transfer
the Sheriff's functions as peace officer
to the Police Department, his duties as
taller TO the Department of Correction.
and have his Office absorb the city mar
shals; they would have its head ap-
pointed by the Mayor; would consoli-
date county courts with the Supreme
Court, and reduce the Surrogates' courts
to one.
This reorganization, the officials de-
clare, would decrease the forty county
departments to eight, two of which
would be merged with city Offices, and
would result in simplifed elections, bet
ter official service and more economical
administration.