Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-10-18
City FINANCTERS
HEAR BUDGET PLEAS;
MAYOR ASKS MORE
e-,,tb Wants Salary Increases
and 25 investigators" at
$1,000 Each for His
Department
MANY NEW PLACES URGED

...,.., u.vor smith setting the example
",,..- Tor several salary Increases and
~ new item providing for SzS,OOO Tor
,s..s,isators in his department. Councls
.s..nce Committee today took up the con-
fln-.s,oo Of city and county budgets. They
ta..s ta,., rsouests for hundreds Of new posi-
COW. een.- I'd scores OF salary increases. which.
YOU viii send the operating cost o.
" 80, governnnent between f2,OOO.OO0 and
w y. nee 900 above the hgh-water mark OF
,ns present year.
s,c,nr n material increase In tax rates,
n ,hey hope 10 prevent the borrowlng OF
n,r,s 81 dollars to meet deficit In 1917
y. ~,,er such ordinary expenses as clerk
y :, Food for inmates of city charitable In
r..,,lons and general supplies. the council
ss-nIc nuancers were so greatly emoar-
:. ...ed hy the new demands that they con-
ened themselves today TO items IN which
. = increases or new places are asked. The
n.,,s,,on ny Of new places and better pay for
~. y,en Of the Police and Fire Bureau VIII
! ~ lsft until all the ord nary needs OF gov
srnment have been gone over.
,hl unusual demands for places and
,,sher salaries have placed the Council
rsn IN the position OF having to approve
immense additional outlays OF money not
,-ovded for by present revenues or OF
,,c,,rrIng the dspleasure and eninity OF
,he polNlcal leaders who are anxious TO
o,ake places for hungry oiiiceseekers IN
,he event OF the Increases being allowed.
,he tax rate for 1917 viii admittedly be
not less than 81 80. and this hgure may
NO, cover everything sought for by depart
mental heads.
TRANSIT EXPENSES
The one budget gone over that in no way
,rdicated the cost OF operation or the num-
- os new places created In order to carry
art the Improvement projects was that "f
rl,y transit Director Twining merely
ssked Councils for a total OF $3s,9S0. which
was allowed him as a matter OF course. as
n provides merely for the salares OF his
eaice force and for current operating eN-
renses The big transit payroll for engt-
reers. craftsmen and all kinds OF trained
,orkers is made up entirely from loan
n,uds. Under the act OF Assembly making
nossible the transit and port loan all cur
rent expenses, sinking fund ana iIteres.
, rhsrxes on moneys borrowed for transit
viii be taken from the loan itself until
one year after all the undertakings have
been completed.
Director webster, OF the Department of
wharves Docks and Ferries. asked for a
total OF $6Ol $40, as compared with S2l5'-
bfs6l, but II is understood that much o:
the expense of planning and completins
rlver-front properties will also be taken from
loan moneys. thus relieving the annual
budget Of a part OF this heavy burden.
Director webster asks for s350,O0O for
a new ice boat and 1900 for advertising
instead OF the $500 allowed this year
COUNTY DEMANDS
Among the county department budgets
taken up today was that of the city Com
missioners. who are asking about $4,000
for more new Jobs The commissioner
have been allowed for 1916 total OF
t2.4s2. .s2s92 and are asking $2,b26, lO6 Tor
next year The positions asked for include
sn attorney for the Bureau of Weights and
Measures at S2500 year, three watchmeh
Al s720 each, stenographer at Sl2oO,
twenty-five inspectors at $1,000, four inves-
tlgators at $500 and $500 10 Increase the
salary of the commissioners attorney from
1900 a year to $500.
The courts are not behind the other de-
partments in asking for increases as the
Judges want the salaries OF sixteen court
stenographers raised from S2500 to $4,000.
Councils can be forced to grant this In
crease, as the Board of Judges has the
power TO fix salaries no matter what action
Councils should take. The Municipal Court
Is asking for ninety-nine new jobs at a cost
10 the taxpayers of S122,560 year. This
sum IL exclusive of salary increases which
are asked in the same court and will total
about $4,000.
Naturally the greatest demand for new
places and salary increases comes from
Director Wilson. Of the Department Of PUP
sc Safety, and his requests, which total
about 81 500. 900, will be among the last
falken up The department cost the city
f9.372,Tli.62 this year and next year Di-
rector Wilson proposes to spend grand
total Of s10.960,3s6.l6.
The budgets gone over today in addition
70 those Of the Mayors department, City
Transit and City Commissioners included
those Of the Art Jury, the Civil Service
Commission and the Board Of Recreation,