Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-04-08
Council Votes to Raise Scale
From $3.50 a Day to 35
Gents an Hour, Beginning
at Once.
MAY MOTORIZE ALL
FIRE APPARATUS
High Cost of Hay May Re-
suit in Change in Depart
Standardization of the
Parkings in the City Pro
posed.

The raising Of the price of common
laborers in the employ of the city from
$3.50 per day to 35 cents per hour,
beginning Monday morning, the au-
thorizing of Councilman Stevens to
purchase an automobile at cost less
than $1,000 for his department, order
ing the sale of a horse and buggy on
the next auction day and an investiga-
ton into the motoriZing of the big
steamer at the Central station, thus
doing away with three horses, were
the most important matters transacted
at meeting of the city council Sat
urday afternoon.
Councilman Finegan brought to the
attention Of the council the advance In
the cost of living, and declared 1t had
gotten to a point where 1t was almost
impossible for a man to support a fam
lily on wages of $3.50 per day. He
made the motion that common labor
ers in the city be paid 50 cents an hour
beginning Monday. Councilman Stew
ems who employs the next largest
number of men in the city department,
seconded the motion, which carried
unanimously.
WATER FOR CITY LOTS.
tention to the need Of growing all the
crops possible this season and urged
that some steps be taken to secure wa
ter for city lots that would be plant
ed. The council agreed to wait on the
heads of the water companies to see
what could be done in this line.
Councilman Stevens reported that
many city lots would be planted this
| enrin0 ha had fhak 81,
| five times as many vacant lots had
been ploughed up this season as had
ever been ploushed before. At this
point Councilman Finegan again took
the floor and said he hoped publicity
would be given to the need of economy
in seed and that it was useless to
plant potatoes in the shade, but that
he hoped the parkings would be planted
to some productive crop wherever
sunny enough to warrant a harvest.
He also called attention to the fact
that in the eastern cities many parks
were being ploughed UP for the pur-
pose of growing crops.
! Mr.. Finegan made the motion to
look into the cost of motorizing the
| fire engine at the Central station, call
ing attention to the fact that it would
| ue several IlOnInS DeIOTe LneTe "Oului
be q crop Of hay, as many farmers
would be obliged to pasture on their
hay fields, and would thus lose the
first crop, which would cause the price
of hay to be up for some time.
Councilman Davis said he wished to
extend a vote of thanks to A. Bartlett
for delivering hay to the city at 81
per ton baled, when he could have
sold for twice that figure.
Mayor Hays called attention to the
fact that there were $50 positions reg
istered in the city employment bureau
and that there were less than a dozen
applicants for them.
BILLS ALLOWED.
The estimate of the work on the
| lighting contract of the Idaho Electric
Supply company was s2431, which was
ordered paid.
Bills for March were allowed on the,
different funds as follows: General,
$573s.f1; road. s3O10.6s; sprinkling,
s1Os.o5; library, s1Ss7S; cemetery.
| $302.s1.
Ray Palmer. hoseman at the Central
station, was dropped from the payroll,
as he had gone TO join the colors for
his country. and II. B. Pratt was ap-