The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1907-07-20
THE WEEKLY JOURNAL.
ISSUED Thursday, One Dollar a Year
PAY OF THE FIREMEN.

as a consequence OIL the dCllOu VI tuS
fremen of the city asking for higher
pay is far from satisfactory Like
the teachers in the public schools they
have asked for higher wages, not for
the purpose of following an example
but to decently fortify themselves
against soaring prices They have
CALAMITY fought fires while they have
seen the price for the necessaries Of
life part company with their ability to
pay It. More in. desperation than any
thing else they have asked to be con-
sidered from the point Of view Of men
who are engaged to do serious work
and who are worth their hire.
In many ways the situation which
confronts the fire ladies is exactly
like that which confronts the teachers
in the public schools. The single ex-
ception is the difficulty which besets
them in undertaking to conduct SINH
lar campaign. Confined In their en-
CINE houses it has been impossible for
action while 1t has been easy for the
teachers to gather together and discuss
the ways and means of forcing their
convictions upon the city authorities.
There are those and they have not fail
ed to make themselves heard in the
teachers campaign who assert that 1t
is improper for employees of the city
in pay. The Journal and Courier has
no patience with this idea, for it has
been abundantly proved that pressure
from without is necessary to arouse
the attention Of boards of adnlinistra-
ton There would have been no agita-
ton Of the question Of teachers sala
ries had the Board of Education
shown an interest in protecting the
teachers. There would to-day be no
petition asking for more pay for the
tiremen if the Board Of Fire Commits
sioners had been as active in behalf of
the firen1en as It's members have been
presumably active in fortifying them
selves against the higher cost of liv-
ing.
The situation as it affects the fremen
is this If we have followed the con-
troversy intelligently. The men asked
for pay equal to the policemen and
stated that it was necessary for them
to receive such compensation if they
were to meet their monthly bills as re-
CURED by the rules of the department.
The Board of Fire Commissioners took
the proposed schedule under consider
alton and proceeded to do as the Board
of Education, make an inquiry among
cities of similar size in order to fix
upon what must be considered dis
culinary schedule We have never
been satisfied that the educational
commissioners substituted another
schedule for that arranged by the
teachers for other than disciplinary
purposes and we find the conviction
grows upon us that a like state of
mind on the part Of the fire commits
sioners led them to substitute a sched-
ule of their own for that submitted by
the firemen. The Board Of Finance,
by vote Of five to four, rejected the
schedule of the commissioners, presum-
ably upon the ground that it believed
the flremen were equal in worth to the
policemen. Since then 1t has been the
endeayor of the flremen to have the
fire commissioners reopen the question
and undertake settlement which
would be satisfactory to all concerned
but they have not succeeded. For
some unaceountable reason they do not
meet and there the matter rests.
The commissioners should be only
too glad to reconsider this petition of
their brave ladies and instead of
waiting upon an agitation such as
brought the modest Board of School
Commissioners into the lime light
readily take the initiative The justice
which lies back of the petition of the
firemen is exactly that which lies
back of the petition of the school
teachers they deserve the pay they
ask for, every penny of it. They do
efficient work, they do dangerous work,
they are on duty all of the time and
they are deprived of the family life
which the members of every other de-
partment of the city government are
at liberty to enjoy This entities
them to a living under comfortable
and self respecting conditions without
reference to the pay given firemen In
cities of a corresponding size of whose
social conditions we know nothing, Nor
should the fact interest the commits
sioners a second that there are men
willing to take the places made va