Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-25
COUNCIL IS DIVIDED
ON SALARY INCREASE
FlREMENS PAY JE0PARDIZED
BY SPLIT
Entire Matter Will Have to Be Recon-.
sdered or Plans for More
Money viii Be De-
featcd

Although every member of the coun-
ell is decidedly of the opinion that the
fremen should have an increase III
salaries. the increase is likely to be
lost through a. fight that has devel-
omen on the amount and method of the
increase. When the matter came be-
fore the council yesterday it resulted
in a vote of to 8, and as six votes are
necessary to pass any money measure
If was lost There is nothing before
the council that will increase the pay
of the firemen. and to accomplish this
purpose entirely new proceedings must
be begun.
When the salary ordinance for the
fire department came before the coun-
ell Yesterday Councilman Lyon de-
clared il would be better to lay the
matter over. until this afternoon, as a
battIe rOyal would enSue over the mat
ter Councilman Wallace chairman of
the budget committee, believed Coun-
Gilman Lyon referred to an increase
recommended by the budget committee
that really resulted in a decrease, and
said he did not anticipate a battle Of
any kind. because he was prepared to
correct an error that his committee had
! made inadvertently.
This error was the recommendation
of an increase to S95 a month to extend
! over a period of five years, This meth
/ Cd of increasing, it was found, would
| really decrease the pay to be given the
second and third year men, and Mr..
! Wallace said the budget committee
! had changed it's plans, and proposed to
make the increase begin at once and
continue until the fourth year. The
| amounts We're to be $50 the first year,
! $50 the second year, 500 the third year
and $95 fourth and subsequent years.
Wants Larger Increase
But Councilman Lyon quickly pointed
! out that this sliding scale would m
| crease the second year man only S1.65
/ month, and would be no increase at
| all for the third year man, who now
! gets $50 a month. He moved and was
| quickly seconded by Healy that every
member of the fire department from the
youngest hoseman to the chief be given
/ a fat increase OF So month.
/ This was put to a vote and resulted
! in vote of for and against 1t did
not carry, and the budget committee s
Recommendation was voted on. This
! recommendation resulted in the same
vote reversed, and left nothing before
| the council Some compromise will
/ probably be effected.
The salary ordinance for the police
/ department did not pass the council
Yesterday because Lyon ana healy
/ wanted the chain gang guards put on
/ the same sliding scale as regular patrol
men. Chief Dishman said he did not
] consider it necessary and had not rec
commended it to the budget committee.
As it was evident there were not the
necessary six votes to pass the meas
ura action on it was deferred one week.
/ The salary ordinances for the other
/ departments of the city We're passed,
/ and they provide for but few in
creascs in pay. City Clerk Lelande
/ was given one more counter deputy,
4 city Assessor Mallard was allowed three
additional deputies for four months,
and Tax Collector Johnson was allowed
| five moro collectors for two months.
/ Some more unsecured personal property
taxes will have to be collected. Col
| IectOrs who received money when they
levied assessments on personal prop
erty fixed the valuation at $1.25 on the
500. which was the valuation last year.
But the tax rate has ben increased to
S1.47. and those who paid their personal
taxes on the $1.25 rate Will have to pay
% cents more for every $100 This will
bring about $4,000 additional into the
oityr trpa SIlIV.