7
academic staff of the schools of higher
education.
Sal. per Mo. ■ Num ber
Per'Qerit
100-199
63.48
5017
2450
200-299
31.00
¿300-399
,382
4.83?
)400-499
■ 42 |
.53
500-599
10
.13
600-699
, 2 '
.03
The average salary for these em-
loyees is $191.50 per month.
The above does not include 1214
hourly paid employees of the highway
department who are paid an average
of $1.07 per hour or about $ 18 V per
m onth based on' the 40-hour week.
Comparison with Private Industry
g As of September 30, 1947, the fol
lowing average salaries were being paid
in | private industry. The figures are
taken from the February Statistical
Bulletin of th e , State Unemployment
Compensation Commision;
Construction j ^ H |$258.34 per mo.
aper Manufacture _ 279.11 per mo.
I Printing & Publ. „ 2,50.42 per mo.
Transportation
3 2 per mo.
Finance & Ins. ____ 209.73 per mo.
| Utilities ________ 246.56 per mo,
Retailers — 4 - —- ? 193 .11 per mo.
Service ___________ 183.87 per mo.
i
Comparison with Other States
W hat are the neighboring states do
ing? Here are some typical examples.
In Oregon the highway department’s
beginning salary for chainmen is $165
per month, in Washington $220 and
California' $200. In Oregon, a resident
engineer is offered a beginning salary
of $280 per month, in Washington
$3 50 and California $395. The glar
ing difference is comparable in all
classifications.
State Is Losing Valuable Employees
■ Day by day the cost of living con-
Wnues to rise. Day by day more state
workers are forced to find employment
where returns fpr their labor is more
commensurate w ith living costs.’ The
Civil Service Commission furnished
these figures: in October 545 people
left the state service, in November 344,
in December 350 and in January 486,
approximately a 20 per cent turnover.
Some Typical Cases
T h e c ity engineer of Salem is mow
augmenting his force of trained and
skilled engineers by recruitm ent from
the highway department. The state can
not hold its skilled draftsmen against
such competition, as the city will pay
$20 per month more (as a starting
salary) than the highway department
will pay an engineering-draftsman after
years of experience and faithful service^
The city of Corvallis has recently
taken a skilled bridge designer from
the highway department under similar
circumstances.
A state, employee w ith many years
experience and specially skilled in struc
tural research and design has recently
left state, service to take an im portant
position, in federal service at a starting
salary of $4900 a year, just $630 more
per year than the state will pay. There
is no one available w ith the special
skill’ and training to replace this es
sential | employee!
Applicants for positions, by the score,
come looking for jobs, but when told
of the salary offered (always the m in
imum) they do hot come back to take
the job.
. A t present, a, supervisory engineer in
charge of a dozen skilled engineers,: is7
working over a .drafting board in an
effort to help carry the burden forced
on this department by recent resigna
tions of men who have left to take
better jobs.
These are illustrative of hundreds of
cases. More than a thousand in the last
fpur months!
Some Typical Effects
i „In the highway department, there is
a ‘ ¡serious shortage of engineering help.
Many contractors wait many months
before receiving final pay for work
performed. This is.. because the engi
neers are overworked, there is a short
age of skilled helpers and consequently,
the field engineering, inspection and
computations of work performed do
not get done.
The tax commission is endeavoring