Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-05-09
POLICE RAISED,
FIREMEN SEEK
PAY INCREASE
Petition To Mayor And
Council Asks Same
Scale Of Pay

Declaring their belief that they
are entitled to the same scale of pay
as the city policemen, whose salary
was raised $40 per month by the city
council last Thursday night, the
members of the city fire department,
ten in number, have submitted to
Chief Naylor a petition addressed to
the mayor and council, asking that
their salaries be increased to the
same level as those in effect in the
police department. The petition has
been presented by Chief Naylor to
Councilman G. H. Burke, chairman
of the fire committee, who will pre-
sent it to council.
The men signing the petition are
Murray A. Dunn, G. E. Guerry, K. l..
Kidd, W. T. Johnson, F. T. Jennings,
Il. Davidson, Carlton Shy, R. W. Ay-
cock, Ira Hallman and P D. Terry.
The petition set out "That on
September 25th, 1919, they petition
ed this honorable body for small
raise in salary and asked that they
be put upon the same footing and
standing as the police department OF
the City of Americus. That this
honorable body realizing that their
salary was insufficient gave them
raise in salary and agreed to put
them upon the same footing and
standing as the police department OF
Americus.
Point To Police Raise.
Petitioners have been informed
that this honorable body on May 9Th,
1920. raised the salary of the police
department from $50 per month to
500 per month and that of the lieu
tenant of the police department from
500 a month to $110 per month, to
take effect at near date. Petition
eys would now show that their sala-
ries are 500 per month for the or
dinarv fireman and 500 per month
for the assistant chief, or in other
words your petitioners now receive
the same salary that the police force
received prior to their raise OF May
9th. :,
"Petitioners would show that the
cost of living has greatly increased
since their petition of September
25th. and that the salary which they
now receive hardly amounts to Nv
inc wage. Petitioners would show
tn This honorable body that several OF
their members have recently resigned
their positions with the fire depart
rnent because of the fact that so
rnch better salaries could be earn
al in other fields of employment and
r,or,r netitioners realizing that unless
thev receive a salary that will per-
U,it them to earn a living wage, VnaC
others might be tempted to resign
to enter other fields OF employment
Below Other Cities.
"Petitioners would show TINS non
orable body that the salary OF an or
J;narv first year man in the tlre de-
nartment at Albany, Ca, IS $llO per
month. and that of an ordinary tniro
rnar fireman $120 per month, while
fse salary of the firemen IN the
Americus fire department is only
coo ner month. Your petitioners
Souo been advised that there is not a
s;rgla citv in the state of Georgia as
1ar@o as Americus, which pays sal
a~y TO the personnel of the fire de-
rartment as low as that paid by the
CITY of Americus to their tlremen ana
vour petitioners do not believe that
this condition should exist.
ssYour petitioners would show that
+ha duties of the members of the
Americus fire department are very
strenuous, they being required to be
nresent at the fire hall practically
twentv-four hours out of the day;
thev must keep a man constantly on
antcb Of all hours of both day and
n;cbt while the personnel of the po-
lice department have regular hours,
tSev being on twelve hours and off
twelve hours.