New-York tribune., 1921-03-08
.annnany Bill
Bars W age Cut
For Fat Jobs
Hearst-Hylan Measure Of
fered i'll Assembly Seeks
to Establish Present Sal
airy Scale as Minimum
Want Votes for Mayor
Uniformed Police and Fire
men to Oppose Plan,
Declares Albany Leader
By Denis Tilden Lynch
From q Staff Coyresnon5e,t


ALBANY, March -7.-High officials in
the Police Department and Tammany
Hall leaders are behind a bill intro
duced tonight by Assemblyman
Thomas f. Burchill Tammany repre-
sentative of the Sd Assembly District
Of New York County, making perna-
nent all salary increases obtained by
T1mmany jobholders in the last four
years, and insuring The continuance
of all increases in salary by the tens
of thousands Of favored proteges Of
politicians since the creation OF the
greater city in 1898.
All this is accomplished bv making
the present salaries of all city en-
ployees the minimum they shall be
paid, by prohibiting any reductions in
salary. The Burchill bill is regarded
as the most audacious piece of legis,a-
tion ever offered in the Legislature.
The bill amends the greater New
York charter by adding a new section,
to be known as 56A, which reads.
Notwithstanding the provisions of
the preceding section, no salary of any
officer or person, coming within the
provisions of such section, shall be re-
duced below the amount Of such salary
as the same is fixed at the time this
act takes effect
Plan to Help Hylan
The measure is looked upon as an
2ttempt by the Hearst t-Hylan-Tammany
machine to win support of the entire
otfice-holding population n New York
City as preliminary to the formal
launching of the Hylan boom for re-
nomination.
VI course, an effort Of this sort to
be successful, would have to be camou-
tagged. And the sponsors of the bill,
in attempting to jam it through the
Legislature, are painting the measure
as an attempt to protect the little
fellow in the small job from political
persecution.
To those familiar with salary in
creases in the City Of New York the
absurdity of such a statement Is OBJ
vious. The fact, however, is that the
principal beneficiaries' of the Hylan
administrations generosity at the ex-
pense of the taxpayer have been the
high -salaried district leaders and their
hcnchmen.
AS an example of this. the salaries Of
police captains, which were $2.1O0, are
now $780, an increase Of $1,000. A
small increase of $22o promised patrol
men last year by Mayor Hylan was de-
MED them at the last moment A SINH
lar increase promised the uniformed
firemen was denied them. The patrol
men and firemen who We're unable to
get this promised increase, a matter of
about S4 weekly, have declared war on
the Hylan administration and in the
last election threw their suppor. to the
Republican candidates.
Bid for Lost Support
There are 10000 patrolmen and 5000
tiremen in New York City. |. IS esti-
mated that each of these men controls
from six to seven votes, or, in round
numbers. more than 100000 votes
This is only a small part of the total
vote controlled by he small-saaricd
men OH the New York City pay roll.
'Iammany is striving to get back this
vote. That it had lost it was first
evident in 1919, when F. II. La Guardia
and Henry II. Curran, Republican can
didatcs for President of the Board Of
Aldermen and Borough President of
Manhattan, defeated their Tammany
opponents.
The Burchil bill is the first sop
thrown to the small saaricd men. 1t
is also intended to show the good faith
OF the Ncarst-Hy ylanT Tammany admin
istra:on toward the high alaried of
fee holders whose annual incomes have
been increased $4,000, $4,000 and even
-mo:e by the generosity of their po-
l;::caI ovey!oris.
Thc 3c...ion uow 5cics c;lcslatod
anonymously in Now Io'l. Ci.y and
tcontiaa'd Oh page ss