Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-07-16

L r. EAlylIkf-lx12 G4A4AOXN Or 4A4A]
GAS WORKS EMPLOYEES FOR AN IN
CREASE IN WAGES Had TO BE De
FERRED, OWING TO A LACK OF
FUNDSOTHER BUSINESS TRANS
ACTED AT THE MEETING.
The Council Committee on Finance
and the City Gas Board held very i'm
portant session at the City Hall, last
evening. The full membership OF the
Board was present, with quorum OF
the Committee. City Clerk Watkins
| acted as secretary Of the meeting.
AS a preliminary it was necessary
to select a chairman Of the Finance
Committee Mr.. Morris Horkheimer,
the old chairman, having resigned.
Mr.. Thomas DAVIDSON was nominated
and unanimously elected.
A communication was received from
City Collector Hall, calling attention
| to the fact that it was time to make
the annual city levy. 1t was fixed at
! the usual rates-ffty cents for general
| purposes and ten cents for the i'm
| provements of streets, and this will be
recommended to Council at it's next
regular session.
The chief object of the session, the
petition of portion of the employees
of the gas works for an increase in
wages, then came up. In order to
make the situation clear, some ancient
| history must be resurrected. Shortly
after the hard times came on, In 1893,
| the employees Of the works, who were
| then working twelve hours day. at
the rate of 1910 for chargers and gas
makers, and So % for mud men, petition
ed Council, with the endorsement OF
the Trades Assembly, for a reduction
| in the hours of work to eight per day,
| that a third shift of men might be
employed, thus giving additional work
| to the extra men, and making three
eight-hour shifts instead of two of
| twelve hours. This was granted, as 1t
| involved no extra expenditure, and has
DeoQ IN vogue ever SluCe
On the oath of May petition from
the gas makers and mud men was pre-
scented to Council, asking for an in
crease in wages. Council acted favor
ably, and referred the matter to the
| Gas Board The Board sent back the
| matter, with statement to the effect
| that it would be happy to make the
| increase as soon as Council provided
the necessary money. This was read
in Council, and a joint meeting OF
the Finance Committee and Gas Board
was arranged for, and this is the
meeting which took place last night.
When the joint session was called
to order, Mr.. Buchanan, of the Gas
Board, was made President Mr.. Buck
man made statement to the joint
session, embodying the information
given above, and was followed by
Secretary Schul, who adduced figures
showing that to grant the increase
asked for would entail an extra ex-
pense of about $4,517 per year, and for
the remainder Of the present year,
after August LIST, 1t would be
81, 7O1.95. He also stated that the old
over-check of the works still
amounted to about $4,000 in round
numbers, and that the receipts had
fallen short about $500 for the past
month, making it impossible for the
Board to make the increase out of it's
own funds. If an increase was to be
given the money must come from some
outside source. The matter was de-
bated in all It's bearings, and it was
agreed that the Board could not supply
the money to meet the demand, under
the circumstances. 1t was also further
| asl eed that ~ the men petitioning
were granted an increase all the en-
ployes of the gas works and city light
plant would have to be increased as
well, which would swell the necessary
amount for the remainder of the cur
rent year to the neighborhood of 81
500. After this discussion the joint
session was dissolved, the Gas Board
retired, and the Finance Committee
took the matter up. 1t was talked over
in all its phases, and agreed that the
Committee had no means of raising
the necessary amount of money, as the
probabilities We're that the amount al
ready appropriated by the Committee
last spring would not De realized by a
dozen thousand dollars or so. and to
further swell the estimated receipts on
paper would only be to add to the
difficulties of the position The mat
ter was, therefore, set down as impos-
sible, and report to that effect will
be made to Council
The next business before the commit
tee was the petition of W. ]. Colts and
others for curbing on McCulloch and Ba-
ker streets, in the eastern portion of the
city. AS the appropriations for works of
public Improvement have long since been
made, 1t is out of question to do anything
with she matter this year. and the pc
tition was endorsed for reference to the
| Finance Committee of the Council to be
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