New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-17
SALARY PRIMERS
MAY DEFY STATE
Adamson Says Let Men
Protected by Legislature
Seek Pay in Court.
WORK DONE TO GUIDE
CUTS, SAYS mitchell
Denies Reckless Slashing-
Doubts That Commissioners
Are Slated for Raises.

Are Slated for Raises.
| Mandatory salaries will he standard
lied and Office holders protected by
act Of the Legislature will be forced
TO sue for whatever may be cut from
their present compensation, il sug-
gestion made by Tilden Adamson yes
terday be carried out. Members Of the
subcommittee on budget favored hiss
motion. but decided 10 defer action that
nigh. first be considered by the budget
members of the Board Of Estimate.
The idea is that if the budget com
mittee recommend salary which they
think a position is worth under their
standards. and the man protected in a
higher amount is forced to bring man
damus proceedings to get his money, 1t
will attract so much attention that the
city may get legislation to control all
salaries
When the Mayor was asked after an
executive meeting Of the Board of Esti-
mate about the proposition he said he
did. Not know enough about it to discuss
it. 1t was no part of his programme
he declared.
This morning in executive confer
ence a majority of the Board Of Esti-
mate Endorsed the programme of bud
get preparation which | had already
adopted for my department" said the
Mayor.
This means that the subcommittee
of the Board Of Estimates committee
on tax budget will be instructed to pre-
pare the tentative budget for all de-
partments in accordance with the
standard rates recommended by the Bu-
reau of Standards.
at is not proposed by me nor by the
Board of Estimate to effect wholesale
and indiscriminate salary reductions.
1t is our purpose TO reduce those sal
aries which are IL excess of the amount
justified by the work done. 1t is
equally our policy to increase the sal
aries of those persons receiving made
iquate pay for their work.
May Appeal on Cuts.
of the head of any department de-
gires to take issue with the conclusions
of the subcommittee with reference
either to the elimination of position
or the reducHon of a salary, he VIII
have the right Of appeal to the Board
Of Estimate. and a full and fair hear
ing will be given"
Salary Standardization would have
been gradual, the Mayor said, had It
not been for the unjust state tax OF
S13,000,000.
There is a point beyond which you
cannot go in taxing real estate" he
declared. Beyond that would mean
financial ruin to many. SO there Is a
situation 10 be met, and we are meet
ing it,"
The Mayor said he was not prepared
to discuss a report that the Bureau OF
Standards was about to revise sal
aries of commissioners upward IN the
face of the cry for economy. 1t was
not intended that the plan should go
into effect until 1917, the story went,
but then the salaries of the following
commissioners were to be raised from
/ $500 TO 100000 Health, Police, Chari-
ties, Water, Docks and Ferries. An
other class of commissioners, Scluding
Parks, Correction, Fire and chairman
of the Tax board, would get $4,000. The
latter gets $4,000, while the others get
! $1,000. The Commissioner of Bridges
is down for a cut from $1,000 to $4,000,
as the work of the department has de-
creased greatly.
Speaking of the character of the
work done by the Commissioners of
| Police and of Health, the Mayor said
he believed their salary should be SlO,-
600, but that everybody would not get
what they earned. His remarks, he
pointed out, were intended to apply to
| the position and not TO any particular
| incumbent. He would not talk about
the suggestion that an increase in the
salaries of Tilden Adamson and George
L. Tirrell from $4,000 to $500 be rec
commended.
The Surrogates in New York and
| Kings Counties ignored the invitation
10 suggest to the budget committee the
cuts in their departments.
The Civil Employees Association
made up of attaches of the county Of
fees, will make plans to fight the pro-
posed reduction in salaries at meet
ing to be held in Terrace Garden on
/ Monday night