Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-11-14
POLITICIANS HOPE
FOR COURT ORDER
INCREASING PAY
C;tv Officeholders and Office
seekers Eagerly Await
Decision
.MJDGES ACT F l N A L

,-.ds of poltical ofTiceseekers and
h.N,sors attached to the Municipal and
g..,,,on pleas Court expect the Judges TO
- mandatory the salary increases and
,.nv positions they have asked councils tor'
~" r "cI,ncils follow Mayor Smiths direction
Z u ~ gsnore the requests. In the event OF the
snu irsistinE on the new places and
cou c onnointing the placeholders securing
80 salaries for them by mandamus, the
.sdI,,onal cost to the city will be approxi-
.oa,ely $50, 900.
ns,s ns,..,or smith. in asking Councils to ignore
asU nlaces and salary increases, in
,',a,no the 500 extra policemen and more
80 one hundred extra firemen asked Tor,
.nade no exception of the unusually heaW
5nr,ands Of the courts. In view OF TINS tact
Councils will approve only such salary
80 and positions as were allowed the
H,,r,s during the present year This action
In he taken. despite the power resting
lei the Judges to make mandatory all
Dlaces asked for and TO enforce the pay
r,ont nv city officials Of the salaries asked.
TIM iudRes want to increase the salaries
~ sixteen court stenographers from s25OO
~ $4,000 These positions only short time
90 carried a salary of $4,000 The de-
,nand for an increase caused surprise as IT
,s n wel-known fact that many of the
S,onosraphers make unusually large sala-
rios through the sale of court notes to at
,ornevs The demand will, If present plans
,sre carried out, be ignored on Wednesday
when Councils Finance Committee takes
dnal action on all questions of salary in
ereases and new positions
COURTS POWER ADMITTED
Chairman Gaifney of Councils Finance
Committee, todny, in discussing Mayor
Smiths stand, sud:
''The Mayor has made no exceptions and
evidently Intends to ignore all new places
and increases whether they are in the
courts or in city or county departments
Hinder the law the Board of Judges can
raise salaries irrespective of the attitude
NJ Councils. Should Councils decline to
Grant the increase asked for the stenogra-
phers and other court officers, the Board of
Judges can fix the salaries as they Please.
The ofiiceholdeIs could then mandamus the
CITY for whatever part of the sum fixed
by the Judges tiut not allowed by Councils"
The Municipal Court alone is asking for
ninety-nine neiv jobs at a cost of $l22,56O
year. Salary increases asked will add
$4,000 to this figure. Few salaries were
overlooked when the Judges made up their
advances for 1917. Places which the
Municipal Court desires to create include: :
Assistant proba ton officer $4,000 a year !;
ffty-two probation officers, eight at $4,000,
nine at $500, fourteen at $780, thirteen
at 5000 and seven at $500 a year.
Besides these places the courts want six
, more stenograrhers at $1,000 n year each /;
five more steno Braphers at 5000, six clerks
at $1,000, five clerks at 5000, two telephone
operators at $500 and two filing clerks at
5000. At the courts branch at the House
of Detention there are wanted four more
clerks at 5000 "A year and two additional
guards at 5000 each.
JUDGES INSISTED
In the event of Councils ignoring all re-
guests for new places and salary increases
IN city and county departments, the action
Of the Board of Judges relative to the same
question Is awaited with great interest, as
1t is believed that the Judges before includ-
ing the new places in their budget had fully
decided upon thu increases and the need for
the new positions, Only a short time ago
the Board of Judges availed themselves of
their authority by boosting the salaries of
the stenographGrs and the court interpret
ers The latter are now receiving $4,000 a
year with shor ter and fewer working days
than the majority of city or county office
holders. Whether the Judges again will
avail themselves Of their authority remains
% be seen.