According to the Directory of Public Schools published by J. Henry
Young, superintendent for 1914, Coram district had an assessed
valuation, $151,505 with a tax rate of 25 cents; West Yaphank
valuation, $131,210 and a rate of 23 cents; West Middle Island
district was valued at $74,290, with a rate of 21 cents; Middle
Island district was assessed at $106,620 and the rate was 35 cents;
Yaphank had an assessment of $169,215 with a rate of 25 cents;
Ridge was assessed at $237,680, and its rate was only 15 cents.
This made a total for the six districts comprising the present
Middle Island Central School District 12 of $870,520, with an
average rate of 24 cents. The present assessed valuation of the
central district is $9,500,000 and the rate last year was $8.07,
with a budget of over $1,000,000. In 1914 there were not much over
100 scholars attending all the six schools, and now the number is
nearly 2,000 which gives some idea of the growth of this area in the
last 47 years.
The salaries of town officials paid in 1926 were quite different
from the present time, according to a printed list prepared by
Walter I. Jones, who was town clerk in that year. Robert Macintosh,
supervisor, is shown as receiving a salary of $1,200 a year; Walter
I. Jones town clerk, $2,750 yearly; eight justices of the peace each
received a salary of $1,000, and six assessors received $1,000 each
for the year; the receiver of taxes is shown as receiving $2,500,
while the two overseers of the poor only received $500 each, and
Dr. William H. Roe, health officer, received $1,200. No salary is
shown for the superintendent of highways, although in the list of
bills audited are many large payments to Arthur Murray, who was
superintendent of highways then.
During the last year the Suffolk County Civil
Service Commission gave more than 4100 candidates some 112
examinations for public service in local and county government. By
early this year, it can be expected that a former unfortunate s i t
u a t i o n concerning "provisional" employment in the Civil Service
will have been corrected. County employes now are being qualified by
examination for their work, and can look forward, when qualified, to
status, security, and a feeling that their work is needful and
useful in helping to build the future county.
The county Civil Service has also begun a continuous recruitment
program for the bulk of office positions which makes it possible for
candidates to be examined immediately upon application. This cuts
delay in keeping departments adequately staffed.
We are also establishing a training program for appointed county
employes to help the employe develop his potentials to higher levels
of attainment.
All of these things have to do with efficiency and economy in the
operation of the county government, trying to place our work on as
nearly a business basis as it is possible to do.