The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-21

Pollard the fixed charges on tho city
+, for payroll and for interest on the city
debt would soon eat up all of the rcvc-
nac There would soon be little. ii
anything. left for public improve
k mcnts
! Four departments alone arc asking
+, for salary increases OF s9e.4e4Di. The
street cleaning employees. the public
| school teachers. the fire and policc de-
! partments are clamorng for almost
100000. Tho public school teachers
alone want s5a.l63.Ss. The most mod
! cat demand on tho list OF totals is
that Of the Keeper of 81. Johns Bury
ing Ground, who desires an increase
| OF SIS per month.
II is easy TO see whittier we arc
drifting. Before spending any more
| none; on compensations Richmond had
better stop and take stock. Is tho city
getting It's moneys worth? Are the
present salaries Inadequate: Does the
efficiency displayed q. the present war
rant an increase of salory? Is the
city getting fun days work Tor Il
tuii days pay? There In no cmpIoyo
VINO gets what he thinks he ought "a
get II is an Instinct with the en-
p'oye to seek more pay. Tho fact that
ne desires II. however. Is not sufficient
reason for his getting It. Tho question
is: Docs no deserve 1t? Is IL necessary
for him 10 have It? II tho street
cleaning employees arc given a sic.-
6Sosi raise, VIII their increase in cfr-
cheney and in work be worth sl2.-
'oo.'4 TO the city? Tho Same ques-
uon applies equally to all other classes
of employees?
Are ;hese employees who are clamor-
ing for more money now giving the
city It's moneys worth? Arc they Civ
Ing the city nil their time? Arc they
doing MI they arc paid 10 do. and. II
SO. ar. they doing it efficiently? Ques-
uons like these are tho ones which
the citizens should ask themselves. In
our opinion, tho people Of the city have
not been shown the necessity for all of
the Increases asked for. There are
doubtless cages where the compensa-
ton ought to be raised, cases where
not getting what they deserve, but
there ought not to be a wholesale
salary raise. Instead there should he
discriminating selection between
those who deserve raise and those
who do not
There are persons in the empIov ~
the city who are getting the same
salaries they got ten and ifteen years
ago. when the cost of living was very
much lower than II is now. There are
employees who arc doing the same
work ms other employees and vet arc
being paid less for It. There is no
wage standard in the city administra-
tion' and there should he. Subcrlinates
IN some cases receive more than SUI
periors, end mere clerks moro than
skilled men, simply because the more
highly paid have "pull"-thc great
curse upon mun'cipal efficiency every
where. There ought to be some uni
formity, some consistency, some stand
ard in the payment of employees En-
cheney and training ought TO command
more money than mediocrity ana DO
Htical influence.
The time has como when the city |
must stop and inquire as 10 its OK
penditnres for compensation. Bccause
one class deserves raise is no reason
why anPher class deserves II. Just
is essential To Increase
salarier Wholesale is unbuslness- like. |
and the practice cannot be carried any
further. Let inquiry be made In every
case as TO whether an increase In com |
pehsatioh means an increase In ctF |
cheney ana as to whether the increase |
is merely desired or is really deserved |
In that way only can be checked the !
cancer which Is eating into our
hnancss at a rate that is mnnifcstly |
destructive.