New Britain herald., 1922-02-11
THE OBSER YER
Makes Random Observations
 On the City and Its People


 No more important committee exists
 than the new committee which has
 been appointed to consider means for
 abolishing the annual unpleasantness over the salary situation. The deci-
 sion Of this committee may have
 bearing on the lives of all present city
 employees and Of those 10 come.
 Under present regulations there Is
 very little uniformity in raising or
 lowering salaries. II an employe en- joys the friendship Of the chairman
 Of this board, q recommendation may
 be made to the committee on salaries of the common council in favor of in-
 creasing his salary. The committee gives a hearing. usually subjects the applicant to embarrassing questions and makes it's recommendation. If the report to the council is favorable, the applicant is almost sure to be made uncomfortable by the remarks of some smart member of the council who dislikes him or the commission by whom he is employed. Finally, if the increase Is granted, the applicant accepts it with feeling of resent | tude or thankfulness.
 The day has arrived for New Brit ain to systematize its salary problem The Observer would like to recom- mend the appointment, under char lter amendment, of a permanent sal ary commission to which members of lany other public commission or board or members of the common council would be ineligible, although 1t might l be desirable to have the city treas- urer act as member ex-officio. This commission could elect a secretary, who would not hold membership, pay ing nominal sum for his services. It could communicate with other cities which correspond with New Britain in size to learn what salaries are paid elsewhere, and by keeping this data up to date on charts could tell at a glance just whether New Britain is above or below standard in the mat ter Of salaries. The commission could also learn what relation salaries bear to the entire expenses of New Britain and other cities and in this way could proceed intelligently when petitions for increases were received or when chairmen of other boards suggested a revision.
 All petitions for salary increases would be submitted at an appointed time each year to this commission. City employees would first seek the as- sistance of the thairmen of their re- spective boards. and if the chairmen declined to act, employees could peti ton the salary commission direct All petitions brought before the commis sion would bt heard in public. Chair ! men of boards or petitioners would be permitted to speak. By comparing local salaries with the data obtained from out of town. the salary commis- sion could reach a decision whether to make a favorable recommendation to the common council. In case the commission decided not to approve an increase in salary, the petition would be returned to the petitioning chair man or individual with the words Not approved" stamped on it. That would be the end Of it.
 The council would have the last word to say on all petitions which met with favor on the part of the sal ary commission and no increases could become effective without the councils It would have nothing to say about petitions which were re- jected by the salary commission.
 In some respects, the work of the commission would be similar to that of the present salary committee of the council. But it would have this in it's favor: it would be a per board which would accumu- late data on the subject and be pre- pared, by being in constant touch with salary standards in other cities, to say New Britain is too generous or is paying an unjust scale. At pres ent the salary committee may write to other cities for information when the salary question comes to the fore. Statistics are necessarily gathered hastily and snap judgment is some- times the result.
 There would be an advantage in having an independent commission, on which would be