The New York herald., 1922-03-13
new DRIVE TO RAISE
! POLICE EA DF|RE PAY
First Grade Men Join in Ef-
fort to Get 81. 500 a Year
Miniml m.
GTRONG PLEA. Is MADE
Ten Large Cities Show Bet
ter Than New York in
Paying Guardians.
WORK HERE is GREATER
Data Gathered to Educate Of
ficials and Public on Merits
of the Cause.
WORK HERE is GREATER


salary for all first grade policemen and
firenen. present compensation being
only s2.2S0. the Patrolmen'ss Benevo-
lent Association and the Uniformed
Firemen's Association. compr Sing al
most 100 per cent of the uniformed
force of the two departments, began
yesterday a campaign of far reaI hing
plans to educate and win the approval
OF State and city officials and of .he
public.
The two organizations put into cir :.
culation two elaborate reports cover
ing exhaustive Investigations into the
service rendered by New York police
men and firemen as compared, with
siv'i'a~ work in other large cities, and
emphasizing the difficulties of the po-
lice ard iremen here on account of the
trenn na-dors concentration of human
beirg~ ard valuable property. These
rero"'c wee made bv the Labor Bu-
reau Tno Of ! Union Square. Data
was glthered in TIE ten largest cities.
TIE sarvres would indicate that sal
arits u Now York policemen and fire.
men ar" Inadequate when judged Ly
any ono Of these tests (D. the needs
OF thc 7'en 10 MAINTAIN decent standard
of living: (2). the service performed
as compared with services and salaries
In other cities; (3). the comparatively
large salaries paid to officers of the two
departments in New York.
Expenses Exceed Salaries.
In his city at the present time it cost
a fireman Or q policeman s2,342 a year
tc maintain himself and his family on
the lowest level of health and decency,
according 20 the twin survey. This fig
ure was obtained by applying the Of
ficial United States Department of Labor
estimate Of the kind and quantity of
goods and services required to support
a working mans family to the existing
prices for these goods and services In
two typical sections of New York, Har-
lem and South Brooklyn.
The present salaries of fremen and
policemen are inadequate by S62 for the
maintenance Of even n minimum of
report Since 1914. it is maintained
fremen and policemen have lost s4,222
In inadequate salaries because increases
were not granted proportionate to in
creases in the cost of living.
AS showing the pinch of the unfairly
low salaries paid to the services here.
the report states that at least so per
cent. OF the uniformed forces was com
PEELED TO borrow money between 1915
and 1920. Figures obtained from a con-
Germ lending on a well known plan show
that no less than 6,402 loans were made
to firemen and policemen in that period.
Charts and tables of statistics amply
set forth the contentious that New York
policemen and hremen shoulder a great
er responsibility than is carried by the
services IN any other city. The New
York district rated as congested and
therefore hazardous contains $4,000
acres. In Chicago the congested district
is 491 acres and in Philadelphia 1t is
only 332 acres.
Property Guarded Valuable.
IN New York city there are 210,f46
automobiles as compared with 150.800
in Chicago and 77.e01 in Philadelphia.
Ir October, 1921, in the New Yors.
Assay Office alone, lay 81 per cent. OF
all the gold IN the United States. more
than a billion and a half of dollars In
gold bullion and gold coin. The amount
OF Londs, stocks, commercial paper and
securities in New York probably ex-
ceeds those in the other nine cities COM
bincd
in no other city OF the country is TIE
efficiency score of both police and Are
ren so high, despite the low salaries
paid. In New York only 3.47 of the
annual budget is spent for fire salaries.
ms against 1863 for Cleveland and 1915
for % Angeles. and 7.3 for st. Louis.
Yet the amount OF real property pro-
tected for every 81 Of salary in New
York is s1,0o4. as against an average
or $50 for the ten largest cities. The
aggregate salary received by the New
York fireman Si.52 per year for every
person protected. The average for the
ten cities liz S1.64.
II New York firemen were paid as
much for the total of fires they put out
as Philadelphia firemen are paid. they
would get $3.50 year: II as much as
Cleveland firemen. se.00s year And
IL New York patromen were paid at
the rate If Pittsburgh patrolmen. they
would get no lees than sii,S4S n year
The reports point out that there Is
an excessive disparity between the sal
aries OF officers and enlisted men in the
f.yo sarvicc0