The Semi-weekly leader., 1922-03-01
HOUSE SLASHES
STATE SALARIES
Payroll Cut $1OO,OOO.OO When
Economy Factions Get
Busy.


of 100000 year was trimmed from
the pay of state officers and employees
in carnival of slashing in which
the Mississippi House of Representa-
tives INDUCED in from 8 a. m. until
nearly p. m. today.
When adjournment was forced af-
ter several futile efforts the retrench-
ment ak was posed ready to descend
upon the last item in the bill, the
salary of the lieutenant governor. In
addition to this cutting, the House
by good majority, voted to place
the state revenue agent on $4,000
salary and to reduce his 20 per cent
commission on all money recovered
for the state to / per cent and reduce
the commission of the attorney gen.
eral for the same purpose from Is
to 8 per cent for revenue recovered
These two items involved the most
important questions before the Leg
islature. They have eonvulsed the
politics of the state in the last year,
through the filing of various suits,
the principal one of which was that
by State Revenue Agent Robertson
against the fire insurance companies
under the antitrust laws, in which
verdict for $S,500,000 is pending
in the State Supreme court.
The Office of adjutant general was
the only department abolished, al
though various jobs in other branch
es of the government were elimina-
ted. The salaries Of many Of the
jobs were reduced to such mini
mum that it is asserted the holders
of them will be forced to give them
up and seek other employment. Wo-
men were the greatest sufferers from
jobs abolished. The jobs held by
them which were not eliminated re-
ceiyed pay cuts ranging from 20 to
40 per cent.
Not one state office escaped the
swinging of the ak and the sum to-
tai of the savings for the taxpayers
of the state is about one-f1fth of
each one cent paid for state taxes.
Numerous small jobs such as the
which many assert are the most i'm
portant jobs of the state patronage,
we're abolished while the heads of
every state department received a
healthy cut in his pay.
The state superintendent of edu-
cations salary was cut from $4500
to $3000;. the superintendent of the
penitentiary had his pay cut from
$4,000 to $4,000. Two thousand dol
lars year was Topped off the pay
of the Supreme Court Justices while
district judges and chancellors lost
thousand apiece, with district at
torneys cut from $4,000 to $2400.
The governors salary was cut from
$500 to $4,000 in bill which pass
ed both houses of the Legislature
several days ago. This does not affect
Governor Russell
All the other cuts go into effect
with the passage of the bill. A gen.
eral increase in salaries was granted
in 1920 and the cut of today reduc-
es the salaries to that figure, and in
SOME cases DGlOW 1t.
SUPREME COURT SALARIES CUT.
The swinging of the 20 per cent
ak first descended upon the post of
private secretary to Governor Russell
held by Miss Ivy Hicks, said to be
the only woman in the country to
hold such a position. The salary is
$2400 and it was reduced to $4,000
with jeff Collins of Jones leading
hard fight to make it $500. The
salary of the governors stenogra-
pher, which is also held by young
woman, was reduced from $500 to
$4,000.
Next came the slashing of the COM
pensation of supreme court judges.
They receive $45Q0 year but two
years ago, to increase their salaries,
the Legislature created commission
to be composed of all the justices
to pass upon certain notations and
gave them as extra compensation ST.,
900 year. Mr.. Collins amendment
to strike out this extra $4,000 was
adopted, Next the salaries of the
two stenographers for the Supreme
Court were reduced from $500 to
$500. Mr.. Collins then ordered an
amendment to reduce the salary of
the Supreme Court reporter" from
$4,000 to $1,000.
He declared the best lawyer in
Jackson could be obtained to do the
work for $1,000 while lone company
was willing to do the work for moth
ing. His reduction amendment was
adopted,
The salary Of the "stenographer
court reporter Of $500 came UP
next and Mr.. Collins moved to strike
it out entirely. His motion was a.
dopted and the job abolished.
The porter of the Supreme Court
whose salary is 5000 escaped the ak.
Next in order came the marshal of
the Supreme Court at $3.50 a year.
Mr.. Warren moved to abolish the
job saying the marshal seldom was
on his job. His amendment was a.
dopted and the marshal's salary a.
bolished.
The State Tax Commission, the
State Treasurer, State librarian, AS
sistants pay and others were reduced.
The office Of adjutant general was
abolished and that Of State Factory
Inspector retained.