St. Paul daily globe., 1895-11-27
LAVISH With COIN
REPRESENTATIVE TAXPAYERS
7 THINK THE CITY PAYS TOO
Liberal SALARIES.
MARKET PRICE OF LABOR,
THEY THINK. SHOULD REGU-
! LATE THE COMPENSATION
I OF PUBLIC SERVANTS.
VIEWS ON LIGHTING THE CITY.
agreed That the Corporation
Should Not Buy IL Plant at
This Time.

tEs9HSeS 1hii the corporation
Should Not Buy IL Plant at
This Time.
1t was an interesting session-that
of the Parker retrenchment commit
tee yesterday afternoon. The monot-
ony of quizzing city officials and lis
tening to their explanations of the
conduct of their departments ceased.
Instead, the committee questioned a
number of heavy taxpayers, and lis
tened with eager interest to their
opinions, recommendation and sug-
gestions regarding the problems of
municipal government
The main purport of all the ques-
tions put to the Taxpayers was
whether the city government of st.
Paul could be efficiently conducted
or administered at material reduc-
tion in the present expense thereof.
The six Taxpayers were unanimous
in answering this question in the
affirmative. The first question that
Col. Clough put to each citizen was
whether, in his opinion, the compen-
sation of all public servants ought
not to be regulated by the market
price of labor and services prevail
ing in the world of private enter
prises. Then followed questions de-
signed to reveal the great drop in
wages during the past few years, the
fn, +l,N "a
all extension of private work, the
need OF reducing the taxation The
citizens were also invited to express
their opinions upon the street light
ing question, and all agreed that it
would be unwise for the city to own
its own lighting plant, as the work
could be done far cheaper. by con-
tract. ...-.,.-s.
The committee did not finish with
the Taxpayers and accordingly adj
journed until S:15 p. m. today, when
any and all taxpayers are invited
to attend the meeting and give the
committee the benefit of their views
and suggestions.
J MIR. DAWSCN,S EDEAS.Es
& William Dawson Sr., was the first
citizen called upon for an expression
of opinion. MI Dawson said:
Before I became a member of the
city government [ criticised the gcv-
ernmelit more than I would now. The
difficulty we all have to contend with
is that the present pay of, nearly all !
the departments was established dur
i'm
hard, private enterprises had the power
to reduce expenses; the city did not
[ do not say, for Instance, that $T5 a
month is toe much pay for police
man. But can the taxpayers afford to
.:pay the salaries that are now being
paid? That is the que:t5i2n.' -. ,t.,..
Il Statistics were then read showing the.
salaries paid to policeman in the vari-
/ Gus Cities of the country.
Mr.. Dawson said that the salaries
paid by the city government ought not
to be any larger than the market price
cf services prevailing in private bust
ness would warrant. In other words,
the market price ought to be criter-
ion. .
Mr.. Dawson said that his remarks
concerning the police department ap-
all the other city departments. Mr..
Dawson was of the opinion that wages
generally, both for skilled and un-
i skilled labor, had dropped 80 1-3 per
cent Referring to the wages paid by
the Bank of Minnesota. Mr.. Dawson
said that they never were high, and
consequently the bank had not redrced
them when the depression came.
| Banks, however, paid higher wages
/ than some Of the wholesale establish
ments.
Mr.. Dawson said that it should be
taken into consideration in fixing
wages at the present time, that it costs
a great deal less to live now than it
did five or six years ago..
Mr.. Dawson then referred to the
work of the city engineers department.
He thought that wooden sidewalks
ought to be discontinued. They cost
the city more than $4,000 a year in
judgments for personal injuries. In
Mr.. DaWson's opinion, brick sidewalks
would be a great improvement.
City Engineer Rundlett suggested
that tile and cement sidewalks We're
better than brick sidewalks.
Mr.. Dawson considered that the city
had spent great deal too much money
| in grading the roadways at too great
width Mr.. Dawson added that the
time had come when the city must
pause in the work Of grading new
streets. In the business center there
were streets that need repavinS, and,
Of course, that work must be done.
Regarding the government machin-
cry Of st. Paul, Mr.. Dawson said he
thought that the county and city gov
ernments ought to be consolidated. The
plan of advertising and collecting spe-
cial assessments had always seemed
to him absurd.
At this point Chairman Parker read
from City Comptroller McCardy's COM
munication to the committee setting
forth the advantages that would re-
suit if the present cumbersome method
Of advertising and collecting special
assessments were done away with.
WILLIAM B. DEAN CALLED.
William B. Dean was the next to give
the committee his ideas regarding an
economical administration of the city
government. Mr.. Dean spoke first of
the efforts of the legislative delegation
in $780, to formulate charter, such as
would be satisfactory and suitable The
diversity of views and also of interest
dtnong the members prevented the for
rhulation of a charter that would ac-
GOmplish all that was desired.
Referring to the compensation of
public officials, Mr.. Dean was Of the
same opinion as Mr.. Dawson, that the
market price of labor prevailing IN pri-
vate business should be the true crite-
ron of compensation of public officials. |
Mr.. Dean also thought that all extern