Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-01
LIMIT REACHED
ON SALARIES
ASSURANCE THAT COUNCIL IS
THROUGH is GIVEN
Chairman Smith Of Finance Committee
Declares That Employees Are
Worth Advance and City
Can Stand II

Calcula tions that have made the
raise in salaries for city employees ap-
pear to be S24,S00 month over the
present payrolls are declared to be
erroneous by Councilman Smith, chair
man of the finance committee.
1.-THE increase is less than 5h per
cent" said Councilman Smith yester-
day. "The total increase is less than
$500 a month
1--WE are through raising salaries. for
this year at least The proposition TO
increase the sewer fiushers from S3 a
day to $3.50 was sent to the committee
of the whole Monday afternoon for the
purpose of giving it a good long rest.
1t will not be acted upon by the pres
ent council unless it is to deny it. The
sewer flushers were raised by this
council from 50 to SO a day, and we
don't believe we are called on to do
anything more in this direction.
Say Limit Is Reached
"The sewer fiushers are compelled to
provide themselves with a horse and
wagon, and we recognized early in the
year that they were entitled to more
money on account of this fact That is
the reason we gave them So day be-
fore we considered raising the wages
of other employees. But they will re-
ceive no more money from this council.
We have reached the limit
I'm giving the city employees an in
crease we have added less than $lO2,OO0
yearly to the payroll. We considered
the case a long time in the finance
committee and came to the conclusion
that the employees were worth the
money and that the city finances were
able to bear the strain of the increase.
The board of public works is anxious
to learn who in the council was respon-
sibIe for the attempt to increase the
salaries of the boards stenographer
from SIS a month to 800 and the as
sistant secretary from 800 to $125.
"The board has made no request for
any such increase" said Mr.. Hubbard
of the board yesterday. I'VE first
asked that the stenographer be paid
800 a month, and when the council saw
fit to scale it down to $75 we accepted
this amount with good grace and had
no idea of coming in at this time and
asking for an increase for any one.'
Reply to a Lecture
The board feels that somehow the
council brought up this demand for an
increase and promptly refused 1t Tor
the purpose of taking little dig at the
BOARD Tor 1JS RcLuFe 10 lile CoullSh oA
the increase of salaries. The board, in
its report Monday, told the council
that the condition of the labor market
at the present time hardly warranted
the increase that had been granted all
along the line. 1t was immediately y
after this that Houghton moved that
the proposition to increase the salaries
of the employees in the office of the
board be taken from the committee of
the whole. When they were out of the
committee they were promptly ano
emphatically denied. although ap-
parentIy much to the surprise OF
Houghton, who believed he was acting
in good faith.
Mayor McAeer has signed all the
salary ordinances that have come be-
fore him. The ordinance raising the
salaries of employees in the park de-
partment is the only one that has no'
received the signature of the mayor
and this is only because it is still helC
in the hands of the park commission
AS soon as this ordinance comes before
the mayor he will attach his signature
to it. The increases for the fire anC
police departments were demanded
largely at the suggestion of the mayor
It was rumored last week that th'
chief executive would refuse to approV'
some of the ordinances granting IN
crease of salaries, and the council wa
prepared to pass them over his veto
hut no such action will be necessary.