St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-19
One Thousand Dollars Is the
Extent Of Vaunted Econ
omy in Salaries.
And Actually They Had Hard
Work to Keep From an +
Advance.
Agonizing Distress Of Our
Municipal Reformers on:
the Cruel Rack.

special order of business was the con-
sideration of the report of the standing
committee on salaries, and motion to
consider each item separately was car
ried, and the first Office to be called was
that of city engineer. They recommend
ed that the salary be reduced from 81
500 to 81, 900. Aid. Downs moved to put
it back to s., 500; his motion was second
ed and carried, but on call for the
yeas and nays Aid. E. nj. johnson made
a strong plea for Aid. Downs motion.
Aid. Sterling made reply to Mr..
Johnson which seemed to meet with ap-
proval. He said he proposed to stand
by the INSTRUMENTATION" caucus in
all things, and he knew that, owing to
the general depression in business, the
payment of $4,000 to Mr.. Rinker during
the coming year was as much as the
payment of $4,000 last year.
THE THROES OF RETRENCHMENT.
Aid. Downs believed that a good man
should be kept, and that Mr.. Rlnker
was worth every cent of s4,50O, and
should favor his getting it.
Aid. Vandewarker thought the work
of the Office would be less in the en-
gineerIng department during the COM
ing two years than it had been before.
He thought that no one man should
have his salary cut while another'S was
left at the old figure. He believed III
acting on the whole report at once. as
that would not give Il chance to reduce
the salary OF one and raise that OF all
other.
Aid. MCGOWAN thought the commit
tee had acted in poor judgment in re-
ducing the salary OF man in whom all
| members of the old council seemed to
have such confidence.
Aid. johnson stated, for the 1nforma-
ton of certain suburban aldermen who
had made remarks about the probability
| of the work in the department being
| less this year than before. that the work
grew, and must grow, every year. He
| said the city was by no means in bad
state financially; that its bonded debt
! and tax rates were as low as those in
| other cities of the same size. and much
| lower, if the rapid growth OF Minneapo-
| lis was taken into consideration. He
| showed that the
| COST OF IMPROVEMENTS H.
| to be built during the coming year was
as great as it had been in any year In
| the history of the city; and that. there
| fore. the work of the engineering de-
| partment would be as great. /.
Ala. IUlIllpS Sdiu ilc was III 1dVOl VI
applying the pruning shears of retrench-
ment to some more important branch of
city expenditure than the salary list of
competent and responsible officials.
REMAINS AS IT WAS =
On yea and nay vote there were
| thirty-one votes to make Mr.. Rinker's
salary $4,000 and six to uphold the re-
port of the committee, -
The next matter taken up was that OF
| first assistant engineer, who now gets
81 300, which the committee reduced to
$1,S00. Aid. Johnson moved that the
salaries of ali employees Of the engineers
department. be fixed by the engineer,
subject to the approval of the council.
The motion was carried, as was also a
motion to make City Attorney Russell's
salary $500 instead of $4,000. as was
recommended by the committee. His
assistants salary was fixed at $500,
and that of his stenOgrapher at $3.50.
The salary of Mr.. CaiderWOOd,
CITY COMPTROLLER,
was discussed somewhat. and was
finally fixed at So, 100, the comptroller to
pay his own clerk hire.
THE CITY CLERKS SALARY
was the cause of a lively discussion.
The committee recommended that it be
placed at 81, 800. with $1,000 for assist
ant and $1,000 for clerk hire. Aid.
Downs moved to amend by making it
$500, with the same provisions as in
the report of the committee. and
with the understanding that the clerk
retain no fees. The matter was finally
fixed by resolution offered by Aid.
johnson embodying the spirit of Aid.
Downs suggestion, and providing that
all fees paid the clerk by virtue of his
office should be turned over to the city.
This was passed.
THE CITY ASSESSORS
salary was reported at 81, 900, which is $3.50
less than it was before, and Aid. Vogt
| moved to fix it at that before an assessor
was elected. The motion was carried.
The matter of
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
came up, and the committee recon-
mended a raise of $500 in Chief Stetson'S
case, making his salary $1,000, and Gray
and Sterling objected. stating that they
| wished to stand by party pledges and
| the figures fixed in caucus.
Aid. Phillips said he had learned that
other cities paid poorer men more
money; that Mr.. Stetson was very
! poorly paid man. and that ne hoped the
| council would grant the increase.
| Aid. Vandewarker thought the same.
and Aid. Meloy said he had visited
nearly all the fire departments of other
| cities, and thought this was one Of the
best. The amendment making Chief
| Stetson's salary $1,000 was carried. The
| pay of the first assistant was 81 800 in
| the committees report, and Aid. Bar
rows moved to amend by making it
| $4,000. The amendment was lost by
vote Of 21 to l6, and the recommends
ton of the committee was adopted.
| The recommendation of the commit
tee making the second assistants salary
| ST., 800 was adopted, and the same in the
| case of Superintendent of police and fire
| alarm telegraph. Several minor changes
| in the way of salaries in the fire depart
| ment were made. There was some dis
cusson as to the difference in the sala-
ries of the engineer and captain, Chief
| Stetson thinking that the men should
be graded according to years of service
and ability, and on motion of Aid. Ster-
ling the whole matter of salaries of the
| engineers. etc., was referred back. to.
! the council without action. The salary
| of the s.
SUPERINTENDENT OF THE POOR,
came in for little retrenchment then.
| The salaries committee reported in
| favor of reducing it from So, Coz to 81 800,
! and Aid. Sterling said he favored that,
| because Superlntenden Mt Snyder had
| said before his election that $500 was
good pay for the work of the office. A
| motion making it 81, 500 was adopted.
The salary of
THE BUILDING INSPECTOR
| was made $4,000, as OF old, and those of
his assistants sl,GG0 each. i'll spite of
| Aid. Potter's plea for $500 raise for the
| first assistant.
| An alderman from the Eighth ward,
! who is a member Of the committee on
| salaries, moved for vote of thanks for
| the superintendent of the workhouse