The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-05-19
He Sends Back the Salary Or
dinanee Unapproved.
ANOTHER PROMPTLY PREPARED.
Tke Variety Tae.ser L&cersznx Or1s-
-saSce Tszrns1 Isown In fozncu
After . Warm Debate.

EseTSzy ress-tz freq the l4e=zss committee
znz sax Vigorously debated THe Ezascr-
~ report s-s5sfzstssy pessgpcs-a--s TIE mai
tsr. Ezz szz1Iy zzsoD.@9-
TIE bicycle sr45rAsz1s Ezs 20 have
beer yszeess on tts anAl passsx-, but oE-
INK 20 zxz@21rssats offered. Ssrt lack e
cGsEEs1xe@-
re naw slsl1- o-zsnzncs. OF which sc-
sson Eas expected also xart over
A cazzanzzsczz89z from TIE mayer Was
reeelve5 aEnolEaesrx that Ars1rsE Knox
zasa61se1 ysark commissioner. had zot
qualified giehln tie legal Line. ami Eoros-
Ezs1az D4zssl Jones for the position TIE
c0uaes3 coE5rnss TIE nomination ~ =
ErzalrsoIx *oza-
A. invitation vas rs&6 from tns mayor,
cenzuaol eourcn sn6 cei@DEztso1 coE1nsif-
tie Of Victoria % the mayor ard eoznel
% zstszss 1sse ces@nrzssor q az asezn ;
blrthsszy a. Victoria On ths -. -fth and
zsgh inst
\ resolution irtrodEcsd u Councilman
Odds zas passed accepting zsze inSltzta0a
b. a sh~nirnOss vote
\ communication from the mayor vas
read vsfoing e0zncil Til No 81 TIE veto
ts-zE-1s Szs a. foi.oxs-
The Mayors Veto.
Il regret to advise yo1 that ] deem 1t
M duty 90 return to you without approval
Exsax the salaries Of of.sc-rs and e1apgoSes
q the city OF Seattle passed b your hon
orzbIs body May 4. lss-
4 respectfully submit my reasons for
Eseh action and nay objections 20 said bEI
as foIIoSs:
FIRST obtecfio1,-By = manifest clerical
error szsd ordinance pFe<er3hes. except
where rates are Gxed for services - ne
eay. for ANIMAL salaries. while the salaries
monthly salaries This woali IN Itself ne
eszsitats a return % the ordinance for
sseh action OF the part Of your honoFabse
body a. would CORRECT the error.
Bat treating she ordinance IN accord
ancs &i1h the plain intent Of your honor
aide body. there are other and Substantial
reasons which lead me to withhold my sp-
prevail ana which beg 10 submit as f0i-
igHs:
second objectioEs-The following redue-
tons Of the ordinance are objected 10 as
Inconsistent with other salaries which are
4glgH ID 70 remain and therefore dangerous
TO the public service. to-Eit: The ~<crs-
tSry CT the civil service commission y
reduced from 50 to 81 This officer Is
also labor commissioner. and IL the latter
Office alone a salary OF - has heretofore
been paid.
The chief OF police Is reduced from slzs
20 tloa The qualifications and fidelity OF
this officer determine Largely the efficiency
Of about hfty suhrordiustss. The annoy
anceS and risks % this Office and the sfrln-
gency Of the bond required are such tnAt
tbs ablsst men VIA not as a rule seek il
al the reduced salary. The captain Of po-
lice should receive Ss5 II pssroinan re-
csive 81. By reducing police sergeants
from so 10 - they are brought TO withla
- 81 the patrolrnzn's pay, with tao hours
more OF work per day. leaving their COM
pensatlon at a less rate per hour than -
paid TO pairolmen.
The reduction Of the salary 81 the chiaf
OF the FIRE department from sfz5 TO 800 Is
objected TO for reasons similar 10 those
specified In relation 20 the chief OF police.
The reduction Of eight FIRE captains and
six FIRE engineers from 80 20 81 and OF
eleven Ere liegtenauts from 81 10 $50
brings these salaries to near The lowest
rate paid In the IRE department. which Is
81 The captain ard chief engineer OF
the hrelsoat are reduced from ~ and 80
respectively. to So. which Is only $40 more
than the salary paid 10 deck hands and
stokers.
The city engineer and superintendent;
Of bridges. buildings and Rharyes Is re-
dueed from sle.ss TO $50 notwithstand-
Ing that by various charter amendments
that Office TOW embraces all the duties
formerly performed by three officers. to-
Wit: CITY engineer. member and chair
man Of the board Of pablle works and So
PeFintfndent Of bridges. buildings and
wharve~-
The chief engineer at the Lake Wash
ington pumping station Is reduced from
50 20 80. mis- seems TO me unwlse IN
a position involving such skil and rtspon-
sibility.
The secretary Of the board Of public
works Is reduced from So 70 * while
h Is the executive officer OF the puschas-
Ing hoard % the city and required 10 give
bond % Ss.ea
The auditor and assessor Of the water
department Is reduced from s. 20 -. a
salary which seems inadequate fer a ser
wee involving clerical skill Judgment aaa
responsibility
''fhc c.ty librarian Is re,iacea from SO
20 So. THIS. IL seems % ne. enaaugers
sooner or later the efficiency OF mes.
eeneacent branch OF the pshlic service.
Third Objectionable proposed Increase
in wages for common labor from SIS 10
IS per cay Is objected to on the ground
that i rNes wage above the current
rate FOR stich service at time when the
most raid economy IS needed in city az
fairs This conclusion Is based upon HE
understanding that the maximum wages
current II private employment for oril.
nary labor IS s. . Per day FOR = ufu.-hr.s,-
the estaaii shmeut az the el.ht-hour da,
IA al city work, from which il follows
that the city should pay Just as uauch
for It's eigAt-hour Day as private rsarffss
pay for a ten-hour day. I think the "a
cents p,r dag ROW paid bv the city in ex-
cess of market rates is Sufficient rrargfr
70 assure us that the city's rate Is not ou-
e 2ti1< 20 t<press wages In The iehox mar
kcA 4ais position seems ali the more
t1st and safe when We take into account
5hs fsct that IN me last TWO general sal
arr reductions made by the city during
the tvn years past no reduction has hen
Iia-st-- tn ordinary labor. while Successive
rt irfto7> have occurred n almost al
Other branches - the service. Sssrh a
i7r---lVe seems 81 thc more unfast ara
sn' aststf1t wheu Ne consider That IL o.
F-fe in an ordnance intended a. a rrfssr
-taH r- CIV expenses and rsn Pc accom-
piit'i only tv making rs-tsctioas ~ 9th
- tTaffFs ~ Ire sers ice. where success
siVe reflections have - made a-sy,rs
ana where the l.mit q safe restu-t5ar, mas
Ia many cases hevn already reached.
FOURTH ohte~rsion-I ne rsrars,s=8 ar
crease - orics&ycrs' wages from 4 70
rer day seems fnconsisieu. with IN.
sage - 8 . fixed for carn~nters ara "a
Therefore objected -
tifth oe,ccfior-The p-onoSeH rs-t..e-
tens aEzTEvase conditions IN tha rs1f.gi,.
se-tics witch lt seems % ne nav. -
rezty proceeded too far To pay A sr-
captslI only $ Ter raeuth more han .aa
4eas1 tXrsErtt~ reed Trae--h@- ~ 49, -