The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-03-31
MANY SOLONS'
PAY IS small.
Compensation In II States
Less Than StenOgrap-
hers And Pages
b. SAM KNOTT
United Press Staff Correspondent

CHICAGO, March 31.-(UP).
The problem of whether state
Legislators should be paid like
day laborers or feel hOnOred to
work for nothing has become III
creasingly important with 1898
going into the records as the
most costly and at the same time
the most economical Legislative
year in history.
A fact not generally known IS
that legislators in 81 states still
receive compensation" un d c l
the country squire system IN
heritcd $50 years ago from Eng
land.
Legislators in II states receive
less actua! compensation than
the pages who carry their mes.
sageS or the stenographerS who
type their letters.
In 81 states, legislators receive
$40 or less a day. In 25 states,
they receive ST or less a day,
plus allowances for travelling OK
penses. In most cases, this
"pay" is not enough to meet liv-
ing expenses.
The question arises Of wheth-
er this is just or proper. 1t is
especially important now because
a record-total of $5,87G,23O is
being spent for expenses Incl
dental to legislation.
Taxpayers, on the other hand,
are getting far more than their
moneys worth. More than $780,
100000, or 40 times the cost, is
being saved to taxpayers through
reductions in taxes and eXpcndi-
lures.
Legislators generally feel that
officials who can negotiate q
business deal' of this kind
should be paid Dat least some
thing" for doing it, and that
their problems should receive
more serious attention.
at is a matter of public inn
portance to ascertain whether
better pay would mean better
personnel in our legislatures and
whether it would improve the
public attitude toward the legis-
Ilatures and their Statutes" says
Director Henry W. Toll Of the
American Legislators association,
New York, Pennsylvania, Cali
fornia, Illinois, Ohio, Arkansas
and West Virginia have discarded
the country squire theory that
Legislators should work for moth
ing even though they may sacri-
flee personal business to do so.
The seven states listed, and Is
others, pay legislators lump sums
ranging from $500 to $500 9
session. Their pay per day rate
of pay depends upon length OF
sessions. At the last New York
session (this years is not Over)
the payment was equivalent to
$50 a day. In Illinois it was
1871. Pennsylvania $28, and Ar,
kansas SIT.
Twenty-four states have SEES
siOns this year pay per diems
ranging from SO to SIS. Eight
pay $40 or more. Only Arizona
and Wyoming in this group pay
more than 81.
Toll contends that under the
country sQuires system, legisla
tors face censure regardless OF
how they gain their offices.
"Since his campaign is con,
Quoted to advise voters that he
is prepared to work for nothing
it must be paid for from private
funds" said Toll. "Will the can.
didate foot the bill himself? II
he does, we wink and wonder
where he's going to recoup the
money. If he does not, we winl
because he had permitted the un.
derwriting of his election by
some individual or organization
In connection with efforts this
year to reduce public expendi
lures, proposals were made to re,
duce legislative salaries in sev.
eral states. All such proposals
were killed.
There is M sIIhst;fufe foy