The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-07-09
GIVE EXPENSES IN DETAIL

! Have Jumped Since 1914.
List of Prices of Food, Fuel and
/ Clothing in Topeka.
| City Fire Fighters union No. SO, of
! Topeka. today petitioned the mayor
and the city commissioners for a gen
eral increase in wages of SO per cent.
! effective January l, 1921. The petit
ton was presented to Mayor Herbert
]. Corwine this morning by a commit
! tee representing the firemen's union.
! The firemen are making their wage
request at this time, so that 1t will be
/ provided for in the 1921 budget, which
/ is made up in August, this year.
Firemen are now paid much less
| than the city pays its common labor,
I in spite of the hazards of the employ
ment. the training and skill required
and the degree of responsibility to the
/ public. according to the petition.
! The petition submitted by the fire
men contains a detailed recitation of
/ the increase in the cost of living since
1914. The necessities of life have adj
vanced in price approximately $50 per
/ cent since that time. according to the
petition, while the wages of the fire
men have increased only SO per cent.
The cost of living increases are listed
I
clothing. in excess of 1856 per cent, and
fuel, in excess of 103 per cent.
Fire Department Payroll.
The 80 per cent increase asked
would make the fire department pay
roll as follows:
Present Salary
Salary Requested
! Fire marshal. ........ $20S.3315 $270S315
Asst fire marsha1..... $4,000 234.00
Building Inspector. 1865 29O, es75
| captain .....--......s. 1900 . Ilo-oo13
Lieutenants .....-..... 1266625 1896
dst Class Class f fTs@en 1 le 1SsSS
! Master mechanic. 10000 20S.00
Bookkeeper and steno-
Telephone operator -. 1900 $50
Night boys -.---..--.. 1O.OO 13-OO
The members of the fire depart
Iment, the petition recites, receive
smaller compensation, hour for hour,
than the employees of any other de-
partment of the city. The following
scale paid in other city departments
is set forth: Common labor, approx
.mateIy At cents per hour; members
of the police department, 46 cents per
hour, while the first grade firemen
are paid at the rate of approximately
3S cents per hour and the second
grade men at the rate of approximate
! ly % cents per hour.
! The petition also sets forth that
twelve hours is the average working
day of a fireman, that he is on duty
seven days a week, with the exception
of two weeks allowed him for vaca-
! ton; that a man is not considered an
efficient fireman until he has been in
| the service at least year, and that,
after becoming a fireman, he is gov
erned by civil service and department
rules which do not allow him the
same political and other privileges
that the ordinary citizen enjoys
/ 1--WE are asking for a wage COM
mensurate with the wages in effect
prior to the beginning of the period
of high prices" the petition reads,
considered a fair wage. and we, as
workers. ask that we be given wage
which would be considered at this
time as fair as the wage in effect
then"
Costs Of Necessities.
The petition then gives a complete
list of the costs of the necessities of
life today as compared with the costs
in 1914. Under food, the following
are listed:
GSsat 4 ne. peek Cent? 2af o NOV IS b ss On
ter. 32c, now CSC increase 112 per
dnefease 500 per PEI p cent?; FOUND steak.
1Sc per pound, now SOC increase 17S
per cent? 1 6Eeakfsst 6a sf4 1'c en per
pork chols, 15c per pound, now Ssc lin
crease 143 per cent? eggs per doz 2sc,
lard 15c Fer pound, now 35c increase
1913 per cent?; beans, sc per pound,
25c per per pound. now 4sc increase %
per cent? bread has increased approx
mateIy rs per cent and milk ST per
cent
Under the heading of fuel she fol-
lowing differences in prices beSween
1914 and now are given:
semi-anthraeite lump, $3.50 per ton.
now $12.T5 increase DC per cenD'
] Frontenac lumD. $50 ton,
1925 per ton increase los per cent
Usage lump, 1925. now 50 per ton. Tin
crease III per cent?.
The petition also cites the statement
8 Of one local coal company that the
! price of coal will be very much higher
7 the coming winter. and adds that il
will take one-fourth of a fireman.
q salary thru the winter to keep him in
s fuel.
Under the item clothing. increases
Il of 123 per cent on the lowest priced
8 mems suit and 241 per cent on the
& highest priced one are shown. We
q mems and childrens clothes have in
Il creased even more, the petition reads
The price of firemen's uniforms have
increased approximately 200 per cent
& Shoe prices have jumped from 100 t.
125 per cent
In concluding their petition. the
Il firemen state that they do not desire
Z to unduly burden the taxpayers
q However. It must be admitted, tbs
II petition reads. that the wages of th'
81 employees of the taxpayers must b.
81 considered, and that a municipalit.
which will not pay fair rate of wag'
s to its employees will eventually be af
S fected by a lowering of the standard
Il of efficiency of these employees.
The committee which called on tbs
: mayor was: Capt. William Cawker
: lpresident of the union; Thomas D
81 Steele John Blankenship, Ralph l
q Weaver, Guy H. Hylton and H. P
& Little.
s. DEATHS AND FUNERALS
81 nr1c ~ rpT-NEp diaa 4h5s r,or1;n,