Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-03
WILL BE FORCED
TO LET MEN GO
CHIEF INSPECTOR EDWARDS
HIGHLY INDIGNANT
BLAMEs FINANCE COMMITTEE
FOR CUTTING ESTIMATE
Desires TO Keep Entire Force Em-
pIoyed, and Believes the Workers
Themselves See Necessity of
Submitting to Reduction

D. X. Edwards, chief inspector. OF
public works, returned from short
vacation yesterday morning and learned
with some Indignation that the coun-
Gil proposed to file his ordinance reduc-
ing the wages of laborers from 1925 TO
81 daily, and in its place pass an or
dinance adding three new sewer flush
ers and an excavating inspector, and
maintaining the present number of en-
ployes at $225 day.
IF the council passes such an or
| dinance how does it expect these men
are to be paid?" he said. THE finance
| committee, in making up the budget,
cut $1,000 a month off my estimate for
| wages and yet expects me to keep the
same force at the same wages. There
is only one thing for me to do. If the
council passes an ordinance maintain
ing the wages at 1925 a day shall be
compelled to discharge at least twenty
men to keep within the allowance. l
don't want to discharge these men. l
would like every man to have job If
L had it to give, but if there is no
money to pay them with there is no
alternative but to let them go.
Some members of the council inti-
mate that if 1 will come before it and
ask for more money l will receive it. I
asked for just what I needed in my
estimate for the year. l told the finance
committee the estimate was figured
down to the last penny, and 1t would
not admit of cutting one cent. The
| finance committee did cut it $1,000 a
month and the council sustained this
action by voting in favor of the budget
submitted. If they want me to keep
| the same number of men employed at
the same wages they know the amount
| necessary to do so. 1t is plainly stated
in my estimate for the year and they
can allow my department the amount
| cut off.
THE public does not thoroughly un-
derstand my position in this matter.
am not proposing to cut wages to save
| the city any money. l simply want to
keep the men employed. L feel con-
fident that if lined up the $50 laborers
employed in the street department and
put the case plainly to them by say
ing, Men, 1 have $3.50 day to pay
wou with; this will pay the wages OF
100 of you at S2.25 a day, or all of you
at 50; which shall it be-? 80 per cent
of these men would vote to reduce the
wages especially as no man would
| know but what he would be one of the
twenty to be discharged.
This is the situation in a nutshell
With $1,000 more month 1 can keeI
| the men employed at 1928 a day. AT
the amount am now allowed / must
either reduce the wages or discharge
| twenty men. Either alternative is bad
but in my opinion it is better to reduce
the wages than to discharge any men
when jobs are so scarce.
"I have been criticised my members
of the council for cutting wages of the
| laborers and not those of the men
higher up. L think they did not read
| the ordinance / introduced or they
would not have said this. Salaries are
reduced as we'll as wages. l began
with Homer Kennedy, secretary of the
department, and cut $40 a month off his
salary, and so on down the line
Salaries higher than that of Mr. Ken
nedy are fixed by charter and cannot
be either reduced or raised.