The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-11-09
Councilman Green Proposes a
New Schedule.
Would Mean an Advance of z
Per Cent in Wages.
A is NALL.
Less Than Is Received in Cities
of Same Size.
An 0utgrOwth of Proposition
Started by Alderman Simms.

The following schedule for changes
in the salaries of the members of the
fire department was proposed by Coun-
Gilman Green at a meeting of the ways
and means committee of the council
last night:
$500.
Assistant chief. $500 to $1,000.
Six captains. 1902 to $3.50.
T-wenty7seven fremen of the first
Seven hremen of the second class,
$685. to 1920.
to about a Z per cent raise. Council
man F. B. Simms introduced a resolu-
tlon at the Monday evening session of
the council October %, calling for an
increase of 10 per cent.
The claim is set UP by the fire de-
partment that the salaries now paid
are Inadequate in comparison to the in
creased cost of living. AS the result
of this it is stated that it Is impossible
Tor members of the department to lay
up anything. Promotion is slow and
the consequent increase in salary only
comes after years of waiting.
The recommendation of the ways
and means committee has been with
held pending an investigation into the
cost of running departments of cities
of about h same size as Topeka.
We only engage men of the highest
type said G. Q Wilmarth, chief. 1.-THE
men have to come up to high require
ments and as a result we have an eff
hcient force which with the
best OF the departments in the United
States. The fact that one city may
have a few thousand more population
should not stand in the way of Topeka
paying its firemen as much as the
larger town; it's efficiency that counts
and If they. are doing the same grade
Of work they should be paid the same"
The following salaries are paid in
cities which approximate Topeka in
population. Fire Marshal Wilmarth has
collected the data and viii submit them
to the council committee.
P~ueblo-Chfef. $500; assistant. 81, 32O.
nine captains, $1,000; fremen from 1861
".
Lincoln. Neb.-Chief. $500: assistant
81 100; l~ieutenants. $50 a month; cap
tains, S85; three grades of iremen rang
ing from $55 to SIS a month.
Newton. Mass[Chief, $2.10O; assistant
chief, 81, 400; captains, $1,150; lieuten-
ants, s1,100; hremen from $3.50 to So a
day.
Dallas. Texas-Chfef. $1,000: assistant,
$50 a month; captains, $75i lieutenants
and fremen, $65.
Youngstown, Ohio-Chfef, 81, 600; as
sistant. 81, $50; fremen, $500.
Brockton, MassZChief, 81. 500; assist
ant. $1,000: captains. $1,000. H~eutenants,
s1,175: hremen from $500 to $1.100.
birmingham, Ala.-Ch1eT, 81, 500. cap
tains, $50 q month; fremen from S65 to
s75 a month.
"They paid more in 1880 to the as
sistant chief and he had less work to
do than I have now" said Assistant
Chief Ed Babcock, who has grown gray
in the service. There is a great deal
more for US to do now than there was
q number of years ago, yet in a number
OF instances We are getting paid less
for it. The cost Of living has increased
n it is a hard matter for US to save
anything out Of our salaries"
Councilman Simms old the members
! of the committee last evening that
skilled labor was being paid far more
than the members of the fire depart
ment and that common laborers were
paid more per hour for actual labor
than the bremen who were in service
at all hours of the day and night. IN
der the present system the members
get one day of out Of every nine.
The. construction of an extension to
the sewer in the Fourth ward north Of
Fourth street was recommended by
the committee, the estimated cost be-
by the property owners receiving the
benefit from the Improvement.
IF the property owners in the Douth-
lit tract agree to stand for a special
assessment for the construction Of a
drain in that suburb, the committee
will recommend that it be built. The
sewer which was built two years ago
Is not low enough to drain the cellars
and the drain is to take care of this.
Councilman Montgomery has been APP
pointed to confer with the property
owners interested.