New Britain herald., 1927-01-05
FIRST HEARING 0N
 SALARY INCREASES
Dept. Heads Explain Why En-
 plOyeS Should Be Raised

No intimation of the attitude of the salary committee of the common council towards the question of sal ary increases for city officials and employees was given at the opening session last evening. Hearings were given and it was decided to meet tomorrow evening at 7.30 o'clock when hearings will be given Supt. James H. Towers of the board of water commissioners, and rcpresen- tatives of the police and fire depart- ments. The committee will prob- ably prepare report at a meeting next Thursday evening.
 Chairman R. F. Towers of the board of public works spoke in fla vor of the increases for the em- ployes of the department which the board recommended. He said the work is increasing and it is only q question of time when q division of departments must be made. When City Engineer J. D. Williams took the position at d salary of s3,500 he was promised s5,000 if he proved competent, yet his salary is only S4,S00 and he has a great amount Of work with no sign of q let-up, Chairman Towers said. "He earns every dollar he receives" the chair man said. He also spoke highly of Secretary Johnson. Superintendent of Sewers O'Brien and the foreman of the filter bed plant, for whom in- creases are recommended.
 , Brooks For Park Dept.
 Chairman w. F. Brooks of the board of park commissioners told the committee he would not remain in the chairmanship over night if Superintendent k. E. Wainright left the employ of the department The superintendent Is faithful. conscien- tious and competent, and he at- tends to a large amount of work, MT. Brooks said. MT. Brooks said he has been on the board over 20 years and the only emolument he ever received was q half cord of wood yet heads of other depart- ments are paid for their services. He feels that the superintendent should be paid a salary commen- surate with his duties and the com mittee should take into considera- tio that the chairman and the other members serve without com pensation. The recommendation of the board is that the superintend- ents salary be increased from S3,- 75o to s42Oo per year.
 Health Board Petitions
 Dr. Gertrude J. kinsela, chair man of the health board, said the recommended increases for the de- partment employees are not as great as the board would like to have granted, but it is realized that com paratively small increases are the order and therefore the board re- trained from recommending the amounts the various positions are actually worth. She spoke highly of the work of First Sanitary h. spector John A. Dolan, who is suh- ject to call at all times and has always been faithful and highly eff cient. She said the board would be at a loss 10 know where to turn to fill his position. His salary is s2,000 and the recommended salary is S2,100. All others in the depart ment do their work efficiently she said. Tony Calabrese, janitor at the slaughter house, has an espe- cially distasteful work to do, but he performs it well and in the opinion of the board the recommended in crease from $500 to S1450 is vefy reasonable.
 Raises in Building Dept. Chairman 4. P. Leavitt of the building commission said Mrs. Annie L. Schrey, department clerk, is ex- perienced and competent, and her attention to her work and knowl- edge of the details of the depart ment make it possible to function without a deputy building inspector. Relative to the plumbing and cleo | trical inspectors, for whom in creases are recommended, Chair man Leavitt said they do their work well and their positions should be more highly paid. In the event that changes are made in these two posi- tions, he felt the commission should be in a position to offer adequate salaries to attract competent sue ccssors.
 In 1926, the department received S11,943 in fees and will turn back to the city treasury approximately Sl,Soo, he said, so that the granting of the salary increases would not be a drain on the city's funds Council man 4. J. Olson made the point that the residents who erect buildings actually pay the fees, so it is not