Behind the Headlines

In 1939, guess who was the highest paid employee in the county? Guess how much he was paid?

Researching the county board history for a story, I’ve come across some interesting and/or humorous stuff. The first thing I found in our clips file – the actual story or additional papers involved in a story – was a letter to the chairman of the board of supervisors from the salary committee, dated Oct. 19, 1938.

The top position to have in the county was sheriff. The salary for 1939 was set at $4,000 for the year. But, a new clause in the contract required him to pay his own gas, electric and water bills. Harsh. There were six deputies on the payroll. Judge of Probate was the next highest paid, raking in $3,800 annually. The county clerk, prosecuting attorney and the county treasurer could look forward to $3500 a year – a $500 raise for the treasurer and prosecutor. While the salaries are a little outdated, the highest paid positions are similar.

Which leads to the conclusion that some things don’t change. The probation officer – only one of them from what I can tell – earned a measly $500 a year while the jail kitchen cook was paid $1020 – an increase of $10 a month over the previous year’s salary. A little odd – Circuit judge, unless it was typo, was earning $600 a year.

Road commissioners took a hit, with one commissioner taking a decrease of $300 over the previous year. The three of them all earned $1200 a year once that was adjusted. Employees on the road were reimbursed $.05 per mile.

My favorite part was that the Detention Home Matron was allotted $.25 per meal, per child with “no allowance for extra help.” Detention Home Matron. What a title.

The work day ran from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and all employees were given two weeks of paid vacation – not bad by even today’s standards.