Evening star., 1917-09-16
HIGHER PAY SOUGHT
FOR D. c. EMPLOYEES
Increase Over Current Bill Is
to Be Asked When Annual
Estimates Are Given.
TWO SHIFTS FOR FIREMEN

General salary raises for District
employees to meet increased living
costs.
The two-platoon or two-shift system
for the fire department.
Liberal appropriations for school
buildings.
Adoption of an equitable plan for
maintenance of the water service sys-
tenn and extensions.
These will be the outstanding fea-
lures of the next annual estimates for
the District. according to authoritative
information obtained by The Star.
Work on the budget has started in
preliminary way. notwithstanding Pres
ident Wilson has not named a successor
to Mai. Newman, former member of
the board of District Commissioners.
Because the law requires the estimates
to be completed and submitted to the
Secretary of the Treasury by October
Is, Commissioners Brownlow and
Knight have decided to make a start
on the budget-framing, which is good
four week job, and. in a general way.
they have determined upon number
policies wnlCn Will govern lASii
recommendations to Congress.
To Offset High Cost of Living.
While the budget cannot be made
public until it reaches Congress in
December. it can be stated that the
Commissioners believe better pay should
be allowed all employees of the local
government to offset the advance in the
cost Of living. and they will emphasize
this recommendation when they appear
before the Senate and House commit
tees handling the District appropria-
tion bill.
The current appropriation act pro-
vitled a 10 per cent salary raise fog all
District employees receiving $1,000 and
less per annum and a per cent raise
per annum. The Commissioners. 1t is
understood, will recommend a general
raise above the and 10 per cent al
lowances for the current year. though
how much of an increase they may sug-
gest Is not known.
That a recommendation for the adop-
ton of the two-platoon system for the
FIRE department is to be included in the
budget will be good news not only to
members of the fire department. but to
a great many citizens associations and
individuals who have been urging this
reform. Under this plan. fremen will
not be on duty continuously, as at pres
ent. but will work in shifts. 1t is un-
derstood that the proposed system
which is in operation in . large number
OF cities. will not necessitate an ex-
tensfve enlargement OF the present hre-
fighting force. The total amount ap-
men approximately is half a million
dollars. The Park View Citizens As
sociation was the frs organization of
this character to recommend adoption
of the two-platoon system, and. in the
three or four months that have elapsed
since it took this action, a great many
civic bodies have passed resolutions in
support of it.
Public sentiment favoring the better
working conditions for hremen has
missioners are convinced this is one
improvement which everybody in the
District desires.
Because of the high prices of ma
terials and labor the budget will con-
tain no recommendations for bridges
and buildings that are not absolutely
required at the present time But
war prices, it may be stated authori-
tatively. will not enter into the calcu-
lations as far as plans for new school
buildings are concerned. Whatever
school buildings may be needed to re-
lieve congestion in existing structures
and meet the demands of the ex-
panding population will be recon-
mended. The Commissioners, however,
will not take up the school items un-
til after they have received the recon-
mendations of the board of education.
Water on More Equitable Basis.
The budget will carry a provision
designed to put the maintenance Of
the District water service on a more
equitable basis. Just what the Com
missioners may propose along this
line remains to be determined The
fact that taxpayers use only As per
cent of the water consumed in the Dis
trict (the other 55 per cent being used
by the local and federal governments),
but pay the entire cost of maintaining
the service and providing extensions,
which is estimated to give the United
States return of IA per cent an
nuaily on the million dollar in
vestment in the Districts eighteen
million-dollar water service plant, con-
stitutes an inequfty which. in the
opinion of the Commissioners should
be adjusted.
1t also is probable that the Commits
sioners will make some recommenda-
tion whereby waste of water by Dis
trict and federal government institu-
tions may be prevented.
After the Commissioners get the
budget out of the way they will re-
sumo public utility valuation hearings
before the public utilities commission.
early in November.