The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-02-25


ply with the demand made by members
of the Ardmore fire department, to the
board Of city commissioners, Is taken
at once, the department will be sadly
crippled after the first OF March, in
which event insurance rates Will DC
materially boosted.
At a called meeting OF the board or
city commissioners, last night, Il petit
ton signed by members of the fire de.
partment was presented asking for 4
raise of S25 per month in salaries be
given each member of the department.
Failure to do 50, the petition said,
would result in each fireman resign
ing and seeking other employment.
whore they can earn a better wage
The request creates Il situation that
places the mayor and commissioners
in very awkward position. The city
has barely enough money in the fire.
mems fund at present, the administra-
ton states. 10 pay salaries, rs they
are now scheduled, 10 the end of the
fiscal year, and as it is impossible
under the law for the commissioners
TO order warrants issued upon funl
they do not possess, or to divert money
from one fund to another, they told
the firemen that it would be- impos.
sible at this time 10 grant their
request.
The firemen are paid from $50 10
s11j at present. and are on duty ~
hours q day. At this rate they state
that they are drawing approximately
$3.lG per day while they cite in their
petition, that common laborcrS 1ro
getting as high as $3.50 per day in
Ardmore. This coupled with the fact
that most of the men are married and
have families, house rent to pay with
occasional Doctors bills ana the gen
eral high cost of living impelled
them to ask that their pay be IN
creased.
Tho mayor told them last night that
he recognized the reasonablenes- OF
their request, but said the law tied
the hands of the commissioners and
made it impossible to grant their
request at this time.
The mayor further said that the
county excise board last spring clip
ped approximately $4,000 off the city
estimate and there was no money
that could possibly be used TO pay
them more than the salaries as fixed
until after the end of the fiscal year
He stated, however, as there was
but four more months before that
time that it seemed to him as they
had pulled through the winter months
that they might appreciate the situa
tion and continue to serve the city
until another estimate could be madf
and he assured them if they did sc
power to grant them substantlal
raise.
II realize the justice of your claim
your wages are too small, but it Is
against the law, a felony to draw
warrants or a fund that has not beer
specifically set aside in the budget foI
this purpose, and ! am sure that not
one Of you would wish the mayor
and commissioners to do anything
contrary to the statutes, whereby they
might jeopardizc their liberty.
''If we had the money, or if there
was any way whereby we could gram
Your request We would willingly do s,
but you see the situation we are il
and l state to you frankly, that we aTt
not doing this or taking any adverse
action on the matter because we wan
to, but for the simple fact that ",
are compelled to do 30 under tht
law"
Commissioner Fraley stated that III
was sorry that the request could no
be granted, and expressed the hop
that the men stick to the job unit
such time as a new levy could b
made. This was the sentiment o
Commissioners Carter and Wilson also
Paul Payne, as spokesman for th
flremen. stated that it was impossio
for men with families to live upoi
the salaries paid in the fire depart
ment at present, and said that. as tha'
had been offered jobs which worl
pay them much better. they were 81
ing to accept these jobs unless som
provision was made to give them tn
raise they asked for. 1--WE are com
PEELED TO remain away from home a
night, and are on duty for the cit.
practically all the time, for that rel
son we think that some provision
could be made to accede to our dt
mands" he said.
AT this point the mayor aCai