The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-29
F|REMFN ASK FOR
INCREASE IN PAY
Fire Board Members Approve
the Request, but Say It's Up
to Charter Limit.

III Z COMMISSIONERS petlllOn dl1
increase of pay and for the abolition of
the present graded district system,
under which men in different grades
performing the same work receive diff
ferent compensation. The petition,
which is signed by every member of
the department, sets out the grievances
of the men and asks for the ''substan-
tial appreciation" of the board.
Mr.. Hickey, in explaining the petit
ton to the board last night, said that
the graded system was regarded as
unjust by the men, and urged the COM
missioners to place all the men in the
various ranks on the same scale. He
also urged the board to pass a reso1u-
ton asking the charter commission to
re establish the schedule of pay
which was in force in 1896
AS the board has twice yainly gone
before the charter commission with an
application for increased appropria
tons, the members were inclined to
believe that a third attempt to secure
more money would have the same re-
suit, and the question was raised as to
whether it would be possible for the
board to compel the charter commits
sion to place the matter before the
public. The question will be inveSti
gated and the matter brought up at the
next meeting of. the board.
Claim Grade System Is Negotiable.
The petition championed by Mr.
Hickey, and regarded favorably by the
members of the fire board, thus recites
the grievance:
"a captain in the second and third
grades does the same work, puts in the
same amount of time and has the same
responsibility as a captain in the first
grade, and receives 50 and 81 less sal
airy per month. 1t is the same with
lieutenants, engineers, stokers, pipe
men, truckmen and drivers, and is the
cause of great deal of~diSSatiSfaction
among the members of the department.
Our department is the only one we
know of which has the graded dis
trict plan; it has been tried in other
cities and found impracticable and has
been abolished.
1--WE would also ask that some action
be taken to plaee-ou salaries on a
more equal basis with cities of similar
size to St. Paul. You will see by the
accompanying schedule of salaries paid
in other cities to their fire department
that we are not unreasonable in our
petition; the. unusual heavy expense
of our uniforms and the frequency
with which they are destroyed at fires;
the liability of injury and sickness to
which we are exposed day and night,
make a heavy drain on the wages at
present received"
IF an amendment to the charter is
necessary to procure what the men
want" said Mr.. Hickey, they ask that
the board pass suitable resolution by
which the request may be brought to
the attention of the charter commits
sion and the public. The men realize
that the limit of expenditure imposed
by the charter one the department is
$215,000 annually, and that about $780,
900 of this is devoted to salaries, and
they therefore urge the board to bring
the question before the charter COM
mission understand that the judges
of the district court intend to soon ap-
point a new charter commission.
Mr.. Hickey quoted mass of figures
showing that the pay received by ST.
Paul firemen is less than that receiv-
ed in cities of similar and larger size
in the country.
of which is desired by the men, pro-
vided for the employment of 800 men,
with a total monthly expenditure OF
| $16,040.99. The average monthly ex-
penditure during 1902 was $14,6S5.15,
| being $1,35584 less than the eXpendi-
ture under the 1896 schedule. The diff
| ference between the total annual ex-
| penditure under the 1896 schedule and
| that now in force is $16,270.0S.
Board Favors the Increase.
"Tbe data you have presented is al
| most identical with that which we have
exhibited to the charter commission al
ready, without succeeding in securing
| larger appropriations" said Reuben
! Warner Jr., president of the board, in
reply to Mr.. Hickey. 1.-THE advance of
| the mems salaries has always been a
| salient feature of each application we
| have made for larger appropriations,
| the increase for maintenance and i'm
| proVement of the department being
| secondary.
"An increase under the present ap-
preparation is impossible, because the
| board is at present restricted to the
| expenditure of $4,000 for the mainte-
nance of the department.
I'm reference to the graded system
| 1 would reply that it is in use in Chi
| cago and New York. The only way in
which we could abolish the graded sys-
| tenn in this city, under the present con-
| ditions, would be to reduce the salary
| of the first-grade men and to advance
| that of the men in the lower grades
| This would, fear not prove satisfac-
| tory. We realize that st. Paul has one
! of the best, if not the best, fire depart
ment of any city in the United States
and it has always been the desire and
| effort of the commissioners to give the
1 men WIldl they Q6SGIfe. IL 1t would De
| possible to secure this by going before
| the charter commission third time we
| are willing to do so. Speaking for the
board, 1 will say that we will do all
| we can, but at present. with only $685.
| 600 with which to conduct the depart
4 ment, our hands are tied"
| Commissioner Freeman and Commits
sioner Schweizer inquired whether il
would be possible to compel the charter
] commission to place the matter before
the public.
"The commission ignored our pre-
vious attempts to secure greater ap-
| preparations said Commissioners
Schweizer, "and we would now like
| to know whether it is possible for us
or any public board to compel the
charter commission to acknowledge
our claims and give the public chance
! to pass upon them"
| In the absence of definite koWledge
| as to whether this would be possible
Mr.. Hickey was asked to make an in
vestigation, and he replied that he
would report on the question at the
next meeting of the board. In the
meantime the petition of the men was
referred to the committee Of the wholc