Evening star., 1953-06-09
CasePresses
12% Raise for
Police, Fremen
Hopes to Get
Compromise Before
Senate This Week

District Committee today is seek
ing to get before the Senate this
week a new compromise police
and firemen pay bill, calling for
a IL per cent wage increase.
The measure, approved yester-
day by a 5-to-1 committee vote,
would provide savings of about
$581 900 under a House-passed
bill. which would raise the sal
aries a total Of about 16 per cent.
The dissenting District Com
mittee member was Senator
Gore, Democrat, of Tennessee,
who said he would support no
more than an 8 per cent pay
raise. That percentage was pro-
posed by the Budget Bureau.
Senator Gore also served notice
he would object to the commit
tee-paSsed bill on the Senate
floor. Such action would pre-
clude its consideration under
unanimous consent agreements.
Case Hopeful.
AS a result, Chairman Case
said he would confer with Re-
publican leaders in an attempt
to have the bill taken up after
an appropriation measure on
Wednesday. He said he is hope
full it could be taken up by early
next week at the latest.
The IL per cent increase fig
ure applies to its total cost, es-
timated at about $1,943, 900 for
police raises and $752,000 for
firemen boosts. The cost of the
House-passed bill was estimated
at 81, ,426 900 for police and $780,
900 for f1remen.
In a surprise move, the Senate
group proposed a $500 pay raise
for both Police Chief Murray
and Fire Chief Sutton, which
would bring their salaries to
$12,500. The increases are not
proposed in the House measure.
However, members of the Sem
ate committee said the chiefs
deserve the raises, although they
"modestly" had not asked for
them.
Raise Varies With Grade.
1he percentage of pay increase
proposed varies greatly accord
ing to grade, with the lowest
ranking men getting the bulk of
the money. The greatest per-
centage increase would go to
Class 4 privates, who would get
20.3 per cent salary raises from
$1,000 to $4,641. The biggest
dollar value increases per year
would go to sergeants and lieu
tenants. with the former getting
an 1885 annual raise and the
latter. 1914.
The basic salary increases pro-
posed for police follow:
Chief, $500: deputy chief, $425
or So per cent; inspector, $442
or 6.6 per cent; captain and
special investigator, 1929 or 1913
per cent; lieutenant, $874 or II
per cent; sergeant, 1886 or 1872
per- cent: corporal, $500 or 14.1
per cent; private, class 6, $481
or 11.6 per cent; private, class
S, $631 or 1873 per cent; private,
class 4, $781 or 2O.3 per cent;
private, class 3, $668 or 18 per
cent; private, class 2, $555 or
1876 per cent; private, class /,
$490 or 14.2 per cent.
The f1remen'S increases are
similar for comparable grades.
Similar to House Scale.
Generally, the increases are
patterned on the same sliding
scale as the House-passed bill
proposes. Exceptions, however
are the raises for the chiefs, for
rookie police and firemen and for
motorcycle police.
In the case of Glass / privates,
the committee decided to up pay
from the present $3,410 to a flat
$1,000. For motorcycle men, the
group voted to raise additional
compensation from $3.50 a year to
$500, in Difference to danger in
volved in the job.
Both the Police and Firemen's
Associations have fought vigor-
ously for the House passed bill,
as has Chief Murray. The police
chief has stressed the need for
increases in the lower ranks in
order to spur recruiting and cut
down designations in his depart
ment.
Raises Park Police.
The cost figures estimated for
the new proposal include re-
tirement pay increases and raises
for the Park Police. Similar
raises would be granted the
White House police, but their
expense is not credited against
the District.
Yesterdays Senate committee
action followed unanimous ap-
proval by a three-man subcom-
mittee, headed by Senator Beall,
Republican, of Maryland. The
other two members were Sem
ators Payne, Republican. of
Maine and Mansfield, Democrat,
of Montana.
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