New-York tribune., 1918-04-30

declined to comply with your d.
rection and insisted that the legality
of the creation Of the bureaus and
the directors of bureaus be referred
to the Municipal Civil Service Com
mission and to the Corporation
Counsel. With great reluctance you
consented that the matter be re-
ferred to the Municipal Civil Service
Commission and the Commissioner
of Accounts and thereupon ensued
the investigation which is now under
way.
Long before this time had
taken up the charges of graft
against certain employees of this
department and had made care
tut ond paanstaking Investigation
resulting IN the accumulation of
euidence, including documents
aohich / submitted to you q0ith the
reco7n7nerada tion thot the matter
be referred to the District Attor-
Hey as the competent inrestigat-
ing and prosecuting authority IN
cases Of crime.
This evidence you transmitted to
despite my objection that that
diction. You so referred it, how
ever, because, as you stated, the
making of a graft investigation
would enable the Civil Service Com
mission to obtain desirable publicity.
Nevertheless, for the last ten
days | haze aoorked IN close CO.
operation aoith the District Attor-
neg and Through oap' combined ef-
forts q complete confession of one
Of the principals anuolUed In this
graft ring acas brought about. 1t
has been ot the request Of the Dis
ta9ct Attorney alone that the sus-
pension Of certain employees of the
department has been deferred.
Many Economies Effected
&. Though the Otisville Sanator-
lun1 is under the jurisdiction
of the Department of Health, ar
rangements were perfected for the
transfer of that institution to the
Federal government without con-
sultation with the Commissioner of
Health. Necessary as this transfer
may have been. the fact remains
that the matter should not have
been brought to the attention of the
time as it was, through his reading
OF the announcement in the daily
press.
9 You have placed great stress
on your desire that economies
be effected in the departments SUBJ
lect to your jurisdiction. l have per-
sonally inaugurated many economies
IN this department during my brief
stewardship as its head, which did
not impair but rather enhanced it's
afficacy. The volume of work per-
formed by the department has been
considerably increased without add-
tional cost; new and more effective
procedures were instituted and others
developed, also without additional
cost. The death rate of the city for
the months of February and March
of this year shows decrease of Las
over the same period of 1917, repre-
senting saving of 2,646 lives. Posi-
tions have been reassigned on a bust
nesslike basis and other adjustments
have been made in the interest of
the more economical and effective
discharge of departmental duties, re-
sulting in the saving of many thou
sands of dollars. The details of these
improvements and economies were re-
cited in my report submitted shortly
after your return from Palm Beach.
Suggestions DictatOrial
Despite the present unusually high
efficiency of the Health Department,
the observance of your dictatorial
suggestions as to minute administra-
tive details, presage to my mind so
serious failure to maintain and pre-
serve that degree Of effectiveness
which | should at all times require
of SO important an arm of city gov
eminent as the Health Department,
ccption of its functions. should not
conscientiously desire as its head to
be responsible therefore.
The public health should not be
sacrificed nor even endangered on the
altar of economy, and rather than
participate, even though unwillingly,
in any policy which did not conform
to my own standards of efficiency
and which | believe might jeopardize
the health and welfare of this COM
munity, the prime and moving con-
slderation in my every effort, it would
be better, ! feel, that my resignation
be rendered, and l have the honor
OF herewith presenting the same as
Health Commissioner of this city, to
take effect Immediately.
Respectfully yours,
J. LEWIS AMSTER, M. D.,
Commissioner.
P. S.-Only this morning you OBJ
jected to my retaining the nestor of
the medical profession, DR.. Abraham
Jacob, as a member of the Medical
Advisory Board of the Health Com
missioner. This was the last of q
series of petty personal prejudices
which you have permitted to inter-
fere with the work of this depart
ment
Second Letter Sent to Mayor
With this DR.. Amster made public
another letter to the Mayor. protesting
against the abandonment of the Bureau
OF Ruhlic Health Education, citing the