The New York herald., 1922-10-19
SECRETLY BOOST PAY
OF 1S CITY OFFICIALS.
in TENTATIVE BUDGET.
Board of Estimate Favors
$500 More for Each Head
of Department.
MAYOR KEEPS SILENT
Proposed Action Contra
yenes His Declarations for
an Economy Policy
INITIATOR UNIDENTIFIED
Increases, if Allowed, Will
Make Commissioners Sal
aries $4,000 O Year.
INITIATOR UNIDENTIFIED

During the secret budget making
session Of the Board of Estimate Tues
day the board placed in the tentative
thirteen city departments.
The reported increases were verified
yesterday by three members of the
board with Don't quote me" strings
as usual, refused to receive reporters.
and requests sent to his office asking
whether the report was true remained
unanswered.
The increases directly contravene
the economy policy" under which the
Mayor repeatedly has told petitioners
from the police and fire departments
and the city hospitals that no more
salary increases could be made
increases Recomm ended.
The increase recommended is $2.500
a year each. bringing the salaries of
the various commissioners up to $4,000
year. Those slated to receive the in
creases are:
David Hirshheld, Commissioner Of
Accounts.
James A. Hamilton, Commissioner or
Correction.
John H. Delaney, Commissioner OF
Docks.
Thomas j. brennan. Fire Comm.s-
sioner.
Or. Royal S Copeland, Commissioner
of Health.
John #. Gilchrist, Commissioner OF
Licenses
Grover A. whalen. Commissioner of
Plant and Structures.
Richard e. Enright. Police Commits
sioner.
Edwin T. OMalley. Commissioner of
Public Markets.
Bird S. Coler. Commissioner Of Public
Welfare
Alfred A. Taylor. Commissioner or
Street Cleaning.
Frank Mann. Tenement House Com
missioner.
Nicholas J. Hayes. Commissioner of
Water Supply. Gas and Electricity.
1t was stated that the requests for
salary increases were not made to the
board by the commissioners individually
OF collectively. No one would say who
initiated the proposal.
expression was obtained was Hirshheld.
He said:
This Is surprise. l had heard
nothing Of it before. It's news TO me-
Good news?"
well. 1t goes to show that the Board
of Estimate appreciates the hne work
the commissioners have been doing"
It was stated that the position of tho
Hylan administration regarding its de-
parture from the economy program Is
that the commissioners OF the depart
ments have had no increase In salary
since the consolidation. though their
work and the cost of living have grown.
AS for the increases which the fire
mon and policemen and the $500 year
matrons of the hospitals have asked. the
exclamation is that the firemen and po-
licemen have had substantial increases
in the last couple of years.
Approval only Tentative.
An additional circumstance taken into
confederation was that to give all thir-
teen commissioners a s2,500 boost would
cost the taxpayers only about $32500.
while to give the policemen and flremen
a boost of 5000 or so would run into
millions Of dollars. The effort OF typists
and clerks to get increases OF 500 or
500 a year to piece out their preseN
salaries of 5000 to $500 is held in abey-
ance upon somewhat the same ground
The board members who would discuss
the matter made it clear that approval
Is only tentative.
The board has until Saturday to make
further increases In the budget. After
that the only changes that can be made
must be decreases.
Politically. the action was taken to
mean that the Hylan-Hearst forces are
not inclined to depart from their luke
warm support of the Smith ticket. and
for the sake of feathering the nests OF
their leutenants have decided TO let the
Democratic candidates deal with what
ever political reaction may follow as
best they may.