The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-14
Green Is Inclined to Favor Fire.
men Salary Ordinance Today.
Ii Preliminary Figures Are
Right He Will Sign Bill.
is PLENTY OF MONEY.
Commissioners Will Have Years
Taxes to Spend in Nine Months.
Mayor Plans on Raising Salaries
of All Departments | 4 Per Cent.

After a preliminary tussle with facts
and figures today. Mayor William
Green said that he hardly thought
that it would be necessary for him to
veto the firemen salary ordinance
which has caused so much trouble in
the city council for the last three
months and was passed last Monday
night.
II have been looking into the mat
ter pretty carefully" said the mayor,
missioners wiz have years taxes to
spend in period of nine months This
puts the salary question in a different
light as far as the cost is concerned
and I feel now that 1 will have no oc-
caSion to veto it,
Mayor Green has been figuring on
the basis of raising the salaries in all
of the city departments. Il feel that
the salaries should be raised all
around, said the mayor. Il think
that the police deserve as much as the
firemen and in the case of the street,
sewer. etc. departments We all know
that by the present schedule it is al
most impossible for them to earn their
daily bread. 1 am in favor of the fire
men raise if all of the schedules are
revised. Upon this basis I am figuring
out the practicability of the ordinance
which raises the wages of the flremen.
In his battle with the figures this
morning, Mayor Green has found out
his results in round numbers only. He
will take up the proposition figure for
figure as soon as he can collect the
records together, which will be done
some time tomorrow. The result of
his investigation should be announced
by the middle of the week and the
veto either made or dropped at that
time.
But through these figures the mayor
found that next year the commission
ers will have access to about $150,000
in taxes. Furthermore, they will have
a years taxes (the mentioned amount)
to spend in nine months, as the COM
mission fiscal year beings in January
the council in April.
On the basis of $15O.00O year.
then, the city commission would have
$1S7, 900 to spend-with the concession
that there will be a so-called surplus
of $4,000. The commissioners would
not have $4,000 to spend. but the
expenditures could be based on this
rate. They would have this amount in
proportion to the expenditures at this
time on the basis of a year
The mayor has figured out that on
the strength of the firemen raise the
percentage of raise is IA. If the other
salaries in the city We're to be raised
1T would mean a., general uplift of IA
per cent of all salaries in all depart
ments. 1t has been found that this
would mean an increased expense of
500 annually9 For nine months it
would be rs per cent of this amount,
or about $12,500.
Then Mayor Green took all the ex-
penses that will come to the commits
sioners, which he called "extraor-
binary expenses. Totaling the whole
list up he found in round numbers
that the total increase over last year
would amount to about $4,000. The
total surplus amounts to about $37 900.
Thus it will be seen that there would
still be $4,000 for the commissioners
to make use of.
Upon the strength of these figures,
dug out this morning, representing an
unofficial preliminary to the work of
dollars and cents tomorrow Mayor
Green believes that the firemen will
receive their raise in salary and that
he will not veto the ordinance
Upon this theory the friends of the
firemen and the favoring councilmen
are resting their faith today