The Bismarck tribune., 1933-02-21
Foreign Representatives
SMALL. SPENCER, BREWER
(Incorporate6
CHICAGO NEW YORK BOSTON
Those Salary Cuts

Those Salary Cuts
With the pleas of an harassed elec.
torate dinning In their ears, member!
of the legislature are finding 1t diff.
cult indeed TO maintain their per.
spective and to keep the needs of the
state and OF individual citizens III
their proper positions.
Perhaps Speaker Minnie D. Craig
was limiting at something of the same
thing the other day when she gave
the house a verbal spanking in con-
nection with the states fiscal affairs
Her words, as quoted In press reports
at the time, are worth repeating
here:
when you came here you were
told there was no money even to
pay you, and arrangements had
to be made to pay your salary. If
YOU continue as you have been
going, you will come back here to
get the state out of the biggest
muddle you ever saw. You have
taken the penalty and interest off
Of taxes. You have taken every
leverage off to enforce the pay
u1ent of taxes.
do you think you are going to
get any more taxes from these
laws than you got before? What
are you going TO use to run the
state and these institutions when
YOU have no money? have nev-
or seen anything run yet without
a little money to pay the bill. It
is time for you to think and think
seriously. In the remaining days
Of this session you have crisis
to face and sentiment has no
place in facing that crisis"
Mrs. Craig, apparently, was in favor
OF sharp reductions In state salaries
under discussion at the time, and
that reductions are needed in order
to balance the states fiscal situation
Is unquestioned.
In the house, the appropriations
committee has swung the axe vigor.
ously In an effort to get the state;
expenses down to a point where the
people can pay and, on the whole, has
done good job of it. We always
have felt that we could get along with
less government and now we shall
have an opportunity to try. 1t is no,
SO much a matter OF desire as OF
necessity.
In all friendliness. however, it is a
question as to whether they have not
gone too far in the reduction of sal.
aries. This newspaper was one o
the first to contend that the abilit,
Of the taxpayer to pay is the con.
trolling facor in the budget, but i,
also is in position to realize the dan.
gers Of being too niggardly.
In the states service are man,
skilled men who, in normal times
would not consider working for tn,
salaries which the state now propose
to pay them. Now, probably, the,
have no choice. Jobs are few and fal
between and the man with job, nj
matter how little it pays. finds it bet.
ter than nothing at all.
But It Is . reasonable hope tina
conditions soon will improve; that
people soon win recover their ability
to pay moderate taxes and that the
states fiscal situation will be better
II this occurs two things via happen
in quick succession.
Tho6o employees Of the state Wit
are skilled In particular lines VII
abandon the state service Tor privat'
industry. New Iasn viii take thei,
piaces and North Dakota then viii
have the Job Of educating them Il
their posts. Il also viii foot the bill
The result may be. In tho end, "a
more expensive than II the reduction
made now are not too drastic.
Another factor to be considered
that the legislature meets only ever,
two years. II, within . year afte,
the legislature leaves, conditions Just.
ify an increase from the rock-botton
wage now proposed. there Win he n
way Of ansliorating the situation Il
which these employees find thsm'
selves.
There 4 another factor which any
one hesitates to touch upon. yet 1
should not be ignored. Many Of thes,
employees are in positions where the!
have access to-the peo.
pies money. others-many others
are in positions where any deyiatios
from duty On their part weuld b