The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-09-08
Says Asked for Increase Would Mean Additional
 Outlay of $20,0OO WHY MEN DID NOT { PETITION SUPERIORS Fireman Tells Farmer that the Men Pursued the Proper Course in Appeal ing Direct to Common Council.

That the pay of members of the fire
 Apartment will not be increased with
 out some such difference of opinion, relative to prerogative, as arose be- hween the Aldermen and the members 5of the police board when the pay of members of the police department was hncr eased, became apparent this morn Ing when President A. H. Bullard of }the fire commission declared his oppo-
 sition to the grant of more pay to 6iremen, and said that the project had Iuever been submitted to the fire board Nor It's approval.
 I Sole power to reduce, or increase, the kwages of city employees not fixed py Lrharter, is reposed in the Common ECouncil This is in accordance with usage dating to the formative period iof the English parliament when the electors strove to take the power of fthe purse from the King and gave it Ito the representatives of the people. The principle involved was thorough ny tried out In the police pay case, kwhen the Supreme court found that khe power to fix wages is in the Com Hnon Council that when the power has been exerted so as to make an expense Hhaf such expense must be provided Ikor by the Board of Apportionment and Maxation, According to President Buuard the expense involved in the t,ay increase sought by the firemen Xviii be s20OOO annually. This esti- Imate does not take into consideration khe plan of the board to have the de- pertinent composed entirely of perma- fnent men.
 President Bul1ard said this morning:
 CT am opposed to the pay increase asked for by members of the fire de- kartment. The schedules proposed I7Tould increase the expense of con hucting the department something like t820, 900 annually. The members of the hepartment are already as well paid as the members of the fire depart ments of Hartford and New Haven" | Tn his further discussion of the reso- hution President Bullard declared that neither the resolution nor it's subject matter had been submitted to the board of fire commissioners for ap- kproval.
 "rhe fire department" he said, t.tcannot have two heads. There should be but one head. The matter of in- lcreasing salaries has never been pass led upon by the members of the fire board. do not know how the other members of the board would feel to- ward it. But think g majority of khem would be opposed"
 f "A member of the fire department Isaid this morning: "The introduction kof the resolution into the council is hot only proper, but any other course Fwou1d be improper. The council, (which Is the Legislative pody repre- bsenting the people, and which is clos lest to the people. is given power to regulate all salaries and con1pensa- kions not fixed by charter. This bower of the purse has always been Eiven to elective bodies and only in Very exceptional instances to appoint live bodies. The board of fire commits tsioners have no power in the matter. Therefore the petition for more pay Ishould not have been addressed to khem. What is the use of petitioning somebody who has no power to do the hhing it is desired to do?
 "The fire commissioners have cer- itain duties to perform in connection with the fire department. The chief bf the fire department has certain oth- Eer duties. It would be just as proper to petition the chief of the depart Ement for more pay as to petition the Commissioners. Neither would have power to grant, or deny, the request. The commissioners may recommend to lthe council that the petition be re- fused, or that it be granted. They are not deprived of any privilege that belongs to them, either as fire com
 missioners or as citizens, by the course that has been taken with respect to Hhe council"