Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-31
COUNCIL ENDORSES
SALARY INCREASE
Commissioners Pay Boost
to $4,000 Is Approved.
by Citizens.

The movement to increase the sal
aries of the District Commissioners
from $500 to $4,000 a Year was
given the Endorsement of the Citizens
Advisory Council at 4 special meeting
last night which was called TO con
!. slider bill pending in Congress pro
viding for a reorganization of the
business methods of the office of the
recorder of deeds.
The motion for a higher salary for
the Commissioners was made by
Harry N.~Stull, who called attention
To the fact that the policy of keeping
the bay of the city executives com
mensmate to those of members of
Congress was not adhered to when
the Legislators voted themselves an
inc1ease from $500 to $4,000 several
years ago.
III know at least one Commissioner
N who has actually had to pay out of
ATS own pocket in connection with the
&htertainment of mayors and such
Tfiicials from other cities said Mr..
Stull. THE Commissioners should
have fund, I'M my opinion, out of
(which TO meet such expenses, but l
( suppose it is out of the question to
expect that. Therefore. their salaries
ought to be increased
School Head Gets $4,000.
DR.. George G. Richardson pointed
out that the maximum salary of the
superintendent of schools of the Dis
trict is $4,000 a year. although his
office is subordinate to the Commits
sioners.
Chairmen of the subcommittee of
the District of the Senate and House
will be asked by the council, in ac-
cordance with Mr.. tStull's motion,
which was adopted unanimously, to
include an item for raising the sal
aries of the Commissioners in the ap-
preparation bill for the next fiscal
year.
A $4,000 salary for the commits.
soners was first advocated by Engi-
neer Commissioner J. Franklin Bell
at the recent testimonial dinner for
former Commissioner Cuno III. Ru-
doiph. Since that time several organi-
j cations have Endorsed the higher sal
AIRY scale.
The bill to reor'ganize the office of
the recorder of deeds and modernize
its business methods was approved,
following a favorable report by
George G. Havenner, who made II
study of this office for the Bureau of
Efficiency.
Fee Change Defeated.
Robert Faulkner and Councilman
sun DDJSGteQ 10 a provision con-
tanned in the measure making the
president responsible for approval of
any changes in fees for recording in
struments. following recommendation
by the recorder. A substitute provi-
sion was offered by Councilman Faux
ner tor the assignment of this minor
duty to the Commissioners, but it was
defeated by vote of to g.
The outstanding change in the pres.
ent system called for in the bin is
the substitution of loase-leaf printed
forms for recording instruments, in
stead of the use of bookk eeping ma
chimes and bound volumes. with au-
fhorizatiOn for a further change to
the phctOstat system when the new
building for the office OF the recorder
OF deeds shall have been provided.
= ne measures do not provide for an
immediate change to the photostat
| method, Councilman Havenner ex.-
hpiained. because the present office of
ne recorder lis so Inadequate and cut
p'' that it would be unwise to per-
nit the installation of such system.
The bill does provide. he said, that the
photostatic plan be adopted when the
new building is provided.
Mr.. Havenner also pointed out that
the new system proposed in the bill
VIII effect number of economies and
save the writing of approximately
100, coo 900 words annually with q re-
suitant reduction in the fees for re-
cording.