A County Pay Raise in the Middle of a Depression
Wahkiakum County officers got an extra $895 a year from the legislature. The Cathlamet Gazette asked who would pay for it.
From the Cathlamet Gazette.
It may surprise the people of Wahkiakum county to learn that in the wisdom of the legislature the salaries of the county officers have been advanced to the extent of $895 per annum, as the table printed with the item showed.
The new salaries will take effect and be in force at the next election. In four years another raise may be expected, as the present population entitles us to be placed in the twenty-fifth class, which will still further increase the salaries about $150, making a total raise in four years of $1,506 per annum in salaries alone. To pay these salaries taxation will have to be increased. To the average farmer or logger, who is struggling under a heavy load, the future is not bright, and unless present conditions change, will result in bankrupting the county.
There was absolutely no excuse for increasing salaries during this depression, and if we know the temper of the people they will hold the party in power directly responsible at the next election for needlessly increasing their burdens. The pledges of economy made before the election were a hollow sham.
“There was absolutely no excuse for increasing salaries during this depression, and if we know the temper of the people they will hold the party in power directly responsible at the next election for needlessly increasing their burdens.”
County salary schedules and tax revolts remain dependable local-news genres in Washington. The Gazette's charge that a pay raise during a depression was a 'hollow sham' could be lifted almost verbatim from a modern county budget hearing.
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