The Key West Citizen Newspaper, April 12, 1951, Page 10

me | ae st Bt ~ ts fate 7 » i Ly Ma aig te tdns ea FE Te es we Today In History | Stone e Of Scone State Auditor Bryan ‘Willis Tells County Clerks Their Salaries Worth Only $3,700 SHRUNKEN THAT MUCH SINCE LAW PASSED DECLARES PURCHASING POWER SAS Honorable Bryan Willis, state auditor, gave the following talk before the State Association of County Clerks’ convention at Miam? Beach recently: Mr. President, members of the County Clerks’ Association, dis- tinguished guests, and friends, I want to,express to you my ap- vreciation and thank you for your kind invitation to attend this meeting. It is always a source of pleasure to me to meet with you and to join with you in your discussions of our common problems. Since I am only on gram for fifteen minutes, I thought the best thing I could do would be to bring you up to date on the compensation of the clerk’s office. Since I am an auditor and deal in figures and can only talk figures, I thought perhaps I would pass a few figures along to you. I have taken.the figures I gave you two years ago in Or- lando and have brought them up to date. The figures I have here were taken from the Comptroller's re- ports on county finances; there- fore, they are official. It seems rather strange to have to report to you in this day and time of high prices, high taxes, high salaries, and general inflation that the gross receipts of your office have declined almost seven per- cent since 1939. These receipts in °39 were $2 million against $1.8 thousand in ’49. The clerks are certainly out of tune with the times. I believe the decline in receipts reflects the decrease in the volume of tax redemption fees. Property taxes . are more eurrent, and delinquencies have declined; therefore, the volume of these fees has decreased. Prob- ably most tax redemption de- partments are not paying their way at the present time. In this connection, it is inter- esting to note that there has been no general revision in the fees of the clerk’s office since 1927. I doubt whether you will find many private businesses charging the same fees today for their services that they charged 24 years ago. On the expense side of the ledger, we note it cost you 26 per cent more to do business at the same old stand than it did 10 years ago. While gross receipts were decreasing, ex- penses were increasing: they jumped from $900 thousand in 39 to over $1.2 million in 1949. Your employees and supply and equipment houses have i better than you have, and they are not politicians. But, and this is the pay-off, your average compensation has decreased more than four pér- cerit since 1939. Let me repeat that again: your average compen- satian has decreased more than four percent since 1939. This com- pensation is also based on a 1927 law. Not only have the fees for your services not beén chang- ed in 24 years, but your compen- sation has also not been changed in that length of time. It is still the first $5,000 of the net income (gross receipts less expense) Plus 60 percent of the next $3,000. plus 40 percent of the next $2,000 not to exceed $7,500. This does not mean that every clerk receives a salary of $7,500 a year because the records show that in 1949. under the formula set out in the eh law for computing a clerk’s perisation, only: 18 clerks re- ved ihe maximum nets 2 in} ‘Hossible, under the Jaw. ets (49 of them) received Vv: img amounts from $2,000 to under $7,500. As a matter of fact, only. 33 clerks’ were above $5, which includes the 18 already mentioned. The other 34 clerks were all below $5,000. The aver- age compensation of all clerks in 1949 was $5,600. Now this $5,600 does not represent take home pay. for the following reason: In 1927 when >the present county officers’ salary law was passed, state and county officials and employees were not subject to a federal income tax. Since that time, in 1939 to be exact, the United States Supreme Court ruled and Congress later passed a law, subjecting these officials and employees to the federal in- come tax. Today, the effect of the above ruling and law has been to re- duce the maximum compensation of the clerk about $1,100 a year if he has only one dependent be- sides himself, and about $900 if he has two dependents., But that is not all, the purchasing power of the dollar has declined. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta says the 1939 dollar is worth only $.58 in today’s mar- USE T-4-L FOR’ ATHLETE’S FOOT BECAUSE— It has greater PENETRATING Power. With 90% undiluted alco- hol base, it carries the active medi- cation DEEPLY, to kill the ger ontact. Get happy relief “Tm HOUR or your “, back at any drug store. Today GARDNER'S PHARMACY the pro-x. ae oa Wood-Giendel Are Married Enrique Esquinaldo, Jr., formed the marriage for George .Whayne Wood of Louisvillg, Ky., and Hildegard Marta Guendel, of Costa Rica in his office, 608 Whitehead _ street, Tuesday, it was learned today. SHELTERS FOR ARABS CAIRO.—(/).—The Arab News Agency reported ina_ dispatch from Jordan‘that Amman, capital of King Abdullah, has set aside $60,000 to build.21 air raid shel- ters. per- ceremony ket. Its purchasing power has declined, The purchasing power of the maximum compensation of the clerk in today’s market, after taking out income taxes, is only about $3,700, and you still have to run for office. From a resume of these find- ings, I do not believe you can include the compensation paid to the 67 county clerks as one of the reasons for high taxes and for the high cost of government in Florida. eguancnausungnniaennn Monroe PAUL P. 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DOZEN e é Yn KEY Wasi CiVizuin 1693—William Bradford sets unl Has Been Found historic first printing press in| New York. 1845—The New York Life In-} surance Company founded. 1859—First national match played in Detroit. } 1860—First Pony Express rider reaches Nevada from St. Joseph, |}; Mo., in 8% days. 1861—Fort Sumter fired beginning the Civil War. on— THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1951 1917—United States 500,000 volunteers in Germany. 1942—Corregidor dozen times during day by Japs. 1945—Died: aged 63, President Franklin D. Roosevelt. 1948-—-John L. Lewis orders| 350,000 miners back to work| after winning his $100 a month pension plan. : 000 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 1951 | 1848—The Illinois and gan Canal completed. 1866—Country’s first Y.M.C. founded in Boston. 1873—Capt. Jack, Indian leader | in the California Modoc War, kills | Gen. Canby and Rev. Thoma who Had come to negotiate peace with him, 1895—William, Goebel of Ken- tucky, falls war with bombed a the} Michi- later to become governor. kills prominent Kentuckian, John} fire Sandword, in duel. 1918 — The German-American} Alliance resolves to dissolve andj turns its funds over to the ‘Red} Cross—World War I. 1937—Nine shot in union strife at Galena, Ill. 1942—Tokyo announces her oc- cupation of Bataan completed. 1943—-Pres. Roosevelt signs bill raising debt limit to $210 billion, with rider abolishing executive sinclar cg Market! Phone 411 WwW o~ ~ 17-Oz. Size 2 jars 35c ez ay DD 0 Sa EBs. RR ARNE. LEE. ES EE) Alls RE: EE: lh felt ec 3 CANS Large Size pkg. 29¢ 3 Lbs. 2 5c f ca E i] iJ oq billiard» I for |; $ now in service in that city, on 2 report published in the Teleph e e press. | 51 ae | ing net incomes to} | 1945 Jap mortar and _ rocket bombs stop Americans on Ok-| inawa. don speech opposing Truman’s Greek-Turkish aid -- arousing a great furore. 1950—-Russia announces that U. S. Na 1878—Notorious Boss Tweed of | >" New York dies in jail. 1908—Big Chelsea, Mass., fire. | tic Sea. Let’s Face It | cha | shot | ton. rE, Scotle DUNI April 12.— first trol-|and cry in pains. Foundations AGUE.—(/P),—The THURSDAY, APRIL 12, ee | WOLF OUT OF BOUNDS YORKTON, | pound male timber » 1951 P).—A db- wolf sed by men on horseback and t about 12 miies east of York Harry Swallow, president of Sask.—(: was i's hist coronation | ithe Yorkton .Fish and Game eae | League, said it was.unusual for to thee f Ar. a timber wolf to venture this far he custodian of Ar- Abbey near here. | south. West ste git . age Sire that were once foundations are i fei tains loosening up a bit. Teeth that morning the famed were once Tite-Fits no longer can aced‘on the high altar boast of such. Nerves that were d, on the once unheard of are now gee the Lion, ing around under skins with and from lightning effect. If we folks = bey, which stand it a little longer grey Hace Se in| we'll be the better for it, an argely | GEORGE M. RAY | Key West can get back to aan 1ed letters were left foundations, tight toatn ane iwith the st One ,ddress-! 1 think we've all gotten used to steady nerves. It'll tal en ed to King George t xth; the the blasting sounds that come/time. however, to sei jo other to the genet: mbly of | from the Bight at the elbow of|clock about 5 in the 5. ore jthe Church of Scotl: a Roosevelt Boulevard, but some- and not have the twitches. | te : how everybody is worrying about| it’s all in the name of progress. | BULGARIA BUILDS BUS the awful impact. 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