A SOCIALIST’S SALARY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 144129, 26 June 1913, Page 7

A SOCIALIST’S SALARY.

An amusing controversy has arisen at Schenectady, a town of some 75,000 inhabitants, which for the last two years has enjoyed tho doubtful blessing of a Socialist administration (remarks the New York correspondent of the Daily Mail). The Mayor of Schenectady is tho Rev. Dr. George R. Lnnii, who was a candidate for re-election some time ago. Dr. Lunn persuaded Mr. Charles Wood, the defeated candidate for the State Sonatorship, to become editor of his Socialist Weekly Citizen. Mr. Wood and tho Rev. Robert Bakeman, who recently resigned the position of assistant pastor at Dr. Lunn’s church and became the foreman of a gang of street cleaners at a salary of 10s daily, have now turned against their leader with the proposal that all municipal salaries shall be equally divided among the municipal employees. The eight-shillings-a-day street cleaners and most of the Socialist citizens not on the city pay rolls are enthusiastic supporters of this “jack pot” scheme, which is also favoured by the Socialist aldermen, who draw a salary of only £IOO a year. Dr. Lunn, whoso salary is £7OO a year, denounces the scheme as preposterous and not in accord with enlightened Socialist doctrine. There are fifty city officials drawing £2OO a year in Schenectady. Without exception they approve of the Mayor’s opposition to Mr. Wood’s demand. At a recent mass meeting of Socialists Mr. Wood amended his original proposal and called a second meeting for the following Tuesday for tho purpose of appointing an unofficial Socialist Board of Estimates. The function of this board will be to fix the amount, based an earning capacity which tho Socialist city employees shall be allowed to retain out of the municipal salary, with the proviso that no salary shall exceed £3OO a year. Mr. J. T. Murphy, manager of tiie North Egmont Mountain House, reached the top of tho mountain to-day with a young lady. Ho believes it is almost tho first ascent made in winter. It was a lovely day, and the snow was very hard. It was necessary to cut . many steps . from below Humphries’ Castle.