New-York tribune., 1916-07-17
Family of Five Cannot
live on Less than SS4O a
Year, Tirrell Reports.
HIGHER PAY URGED
TO ATTRACT TALENT
BETTER Conditions Needed to
Compete with Private Firms
Bureau of Standard Says.

The desire Of the city to be model
..,over. in SO FAR as ii is financially
~. = orc Of the important features
-. Introductory statement OF the
80, :. Of George L. Tirrell, director of
~. -, Bureau Of Standards. which has
-, submitted to the Board Of Esti-
na,e
~. hse,. IN a way. measured in regard
-, work ne performs, and the ou-
10. recommended salaries consid-
N, higher than those paid by pri-
.. .orporations Many of these con-
20. have taken advantage Of unem-
-, and other market conditions
~ inadequate salaries, the report
says. W..
o-. - the conclusions drawn by Mr..
Ill :, the estimates of the report
-. compiled is that below sS4O a
o, u,skilled lsborer's family OF
-. ,o-sons cannot maintain stand
- of living consistent with American
ideas.
p-actical application Of this con-
.,~,,o7 no maximum rate below ss4O
-, bee7 recommended for the rank
and e's Of The Street Cleaning Depart
nan, and the bureaus of street clean
,-- !, Queens and Richmond for un-
..sre5 lsbo-ers, stablemen. hostlers
and drivers.
A serara.o report on the life Of the
,,st.uea laborcr was made by the Bu-
-ear Of Standards. with the assistance
of.be Bureau OF Municipal Research.
4 norton Of the report is devoted TO
.t. slow advancement OF persons in the
...,,s errlov and 70 the fact that many
-rivste employers do not regard an eN-
1sr,orce I'm municipal service as par
tcr'srlv good recommendation.
Merit Not Recognized.
arrcsr. IN relatively small number
--... .o-s " saws the report, the
....,. Service is not at the present time
..tra.-,ve 10 the best talent IN pro1eS
..oral life business. universities ana
.,boois Advancement and promotion
are SLOW. and 10 is generally oelleNeu
.bs. +bev are not based upon merit
~verv persons refuse to enter the
..., service because they do not wish
IN .pbroit 20 civil service examinations
in initial appointment or promotion.
Z. ronv branches private business
,zers far greater opportunities lor
..-s-tcvous material success than gov
.r- ,rantel employment. II Is necessary
b.. -.,, birber rates than those paid IN
.. r,ost progressive private employ
~.,+s II il is hoped TO attract ana re-
cain equally competent employees. f.
n, tbe other hand the peculiarly Ia
,.orsb1e conditions surrounding certain
or,nlovnents in the city service are
.o1sidered in the report. Attentlon i
called 10 the fact that hours OF "oI n
ard provisions for vacations ana S'VNN N
leave are more favorable there 'han III
private employment.
CITY Unnecessarily Generous.
There are certain employme ents'
nsrticularlv in the skilled trades says
the report, IN MnlCh the N'SS I'll
necessarily generous employer; ne
civ is employing large numDe5 VI
skilled workmen from 2Is TO 800 9aets
a wear and paying them the preValilns
rate for each day. Some Of these en-
pioves I3v ~ are kept at work of minor i'm, i'm
ror,ance when there is not a full day $
work in their particular trade. A nun, m,
ser Of employees who nominally WORK ,;or
svs~v dav In the year. such as station
srv engineers and fremen, are IN TACT
relieved three or four days a month.
aTbe rate which the city. pays is COM
nonlv called the prevailing rave VI
wsges law. In many cases the city nas
49, rave which is not the prevailing
one. one but the union rate. Those .;, EN-, !
ploye5 % by the city, however, as skilled
isborers are not subject to any trace
auc,uations, but are at work con-
stantlv"