The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-13
alleged to have damaged the walls Of
the apartments she occupied. The case
was set for trial today.
THEY WANT MORE PAY.
City Firemen Ask for an Increase In
Salaries.

Salaries
At the meeting of the board Of fire
commissioners held last evening the pc
tition from the committee appointed
from the employees of the department
asking for raise in salaries was pre-
sented. The petition was referred to
committee of three to be appointed by
President Clark. The committee was
not named last night owing to the alb
sence of Mr. Clark from the meeting.
The salaries of the employees of the
department were reduced in 1894 about 10
per cent owing to the shortage in the
fund and the salaries have never been
put back to the basis then paid Mem
bers of the board, as well as Chief Cook,
admit that the employees are receiving
less pay than in other cities of it's size
in the United States, but as but $780,
900 has been allowed for the department
for the past thr@, years, it is impossible
to raise salaries and operate the de-
partment on this amount. The charter
places the maximum amount that can
be expended by the department in any
one year at $215,000. 1t is figured that
by increasing the budget for the de-
partment in January next to the full
amount allowed under the charter, sal
aries might be placed back to the figures
paid in 1894. 1t would take about
$4,000 more than is now allowed to
| raise the salaries as requested by the
committee. The petition presented was
as follows:
We, the undersigned, a committee ap-
pointed by the members OF the fire de-
partment, do respectfully ask your hon
orabie body that some action be taken to
restore the salaries of the members of
the department to their former schedule.
! When our salaries were reduced In 1894
| we were informed that it was only a
TEMPORARY times
| got better they would be restored.
Judging by the advance of wages all
over the country, and especially by the
action OF the sister city of Minneapolis In
advancing the wages of the firemen 10
their former basis, we believe these times
| are here now
asking anything unreasonable. The st.
| Paul fire department, for its size and
efficiency, is the smallest paid fire de-
partment in the United States today,
/ records of the various departments
| throughout the country. The unusual
| heavy expense of our uniforms and the
frequency with which they are destroyed
at fires; the liability of injury ard sick
ness to which we are exposed, day and
night, make heavy drain on the wages
| at present received
| We are all proud of the department;
proud of it's undeniable reputation for its
! efficiency, and all we ask for is the sub
| stantial appreciation of this honorable
| body to whom this petition IS mummy
submitted.
j. E. Mccarthy,
John Doty,
John Devlin,
Eugene Irvine,
William Macarthur.
Duncan Ferguson,
j ]. Strap,
M McKenna,
r. J. Miles,
C E. Wright,
p J. McDonou2h.
| The report Of Chief Cook for August
| gave the number of alarms at slXty-fve
! The insurance on buildings was sS9,4oV
on contents, 81, $50; total insurance In
volved, $141, 100; loss on buildings, S5,914.6o;
loss on contents, 1S,S0S34; total loss,
! S19, 2S302 insurance over loss, Sl2l, Sl69O.
The secretary reported a balance on
| hand of $53, 1884, from which pay rolls
for September, October and November IS
to be paid The pay rolls will average
| $13, 700 per month. .,j. -.
Chief Cook was directed to purchase
! two horses for the department on the
! strength of an explanation that all the
| horses in the department were.in' service,
and if anything should happen to any
one of the steeds the department. would
be crippled
Electrical Inspector Varnum reported
ffty-six inspections of electrical appa-
ratus made during August, and thirty
eight permits for new work issued Inc
estimated cost Of the new work was
.124.