Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-11-24
COUNCIL DESIRES TO
INCREASE SALARIES
ORDINANCE, NOT CHARTER,
PROPER METHOD
Will Submit, However, Amendment
Dealing. with Insurance Payments
to Firemen and Members of
Police Force

The firemen's petition for the sub
mission of a charter amendment IN
cIeasing the salaries of the depart
ment to a minimum of $500 month
will not be submitted to vote Inc
council yesterday, after considering
the matter, voted to submit no amend
ments concerning increases in salaries,
except for heads of departments. The
chief objection raised was that in put
ting the salary question into the char-
ter the city would be delegating Its
powers to the state.
The amendment asking for an i'm
provement in the firemen's insurance
will be submitted. This provides that
the families of firemen killed while on
duty shall receive one-third of ms
salary and $1,000 in cash, and that Ior
permanent injury the fireman shall De
retired on half pay.
No sooner had the council taken ac-
ton on the firemen's petition than one
was submitted by the police depart
ment with practically the same propo-
sition. The same action was taken.
Members of the council let it be
known that they had no objection to
increasing the salaries of f1remen ana
policemen. In fact, all admitted they
were underpaid, but they believed sal
arv increases for all but heads OF de-
partments should be made by ordl-
nance ana not DY the ClAeiA bNAs
The question of increasing the sal
aries of chiefs of the fire and police
departments will be submitted with the
general increase in salaries, which Is
one of the amendments under consld-
Grafton.
The council will meet at 10 o'clock
Wednesday morning, when the matter
of charter amendments Will pc Iur-
Their considered. 1t was hoped the pro
posed amendments would be ready Tor
action by the council yesterday AFTER
noon, but City Attorney Hewitt found
it impossible to prepare them in time.
Objects 20 Elections
A communication from the Sixth
Ward Central Improvement assocla-
ton was read to the council yester-
day. In this communication the as
ISOLATION declared it objected to call
ing speciaI elections, except where alb
solutely necessary, and did not believe
it was necessary to call an election
for the charter amendments. IL Cd
iected to an amendment electing all
councilmen at large instead of by
wards. The only thing it did seem to
favor was higher pay for members
of the council, provided those mem
bers would give their entire time 10
the city's business.
Just before the council adjourned
yesterday 1. B. Dockweller ana ,. H.
Marshutz of the library board ap-
peared before the council and dis
cussed amendments pertaining to the
library. They objected to the pro
posed amendment putting the library
on the same basis with other depart
ments and giving it an appropriation
in the annual budget, instead OF the
per cent it is now allowed by charter
What they wanted was an amend
ment giving the library department
the power to issue 100000 Worth OF
bonds to nut up a new library build
ing. the interest and sinking fund of
the bonds to be met by setting aside
a certain portion of the library funds
and the taxpayers to be at no ad-
ditional expense for the building. In
this way the library department would
erect it's own building on the INSTALL
ment plan.