Re: [DL] Salaries?

[balance@tubas.net]

On Sunday, February 17, 2002, at 01:36  PM, Daniel Gwyn wrote:

> Hi,
>     On the whole, I think you are seriously underpaying your posse.  I
> remember reading that average wage of someone helping to build a 
> railway was
> $1 a day under normal conditions.  Furthermore, I believe the same wage 
> was
> paid to ordinary sailors.  Therefore, I would conclude that $1 a day 
> wage
> was something like the normal wage for an able bodied, but essentially
> unskilled white labourer.  Remembering that this is before unions were
> allowed and that women, blacks and asians were paid less, feel free to
> extrapolate to particular labour markets.

Thankfully only a few characters are actually direct parts of the 
government: The mayor (who doesn't get paid) and a deputy.

Of course, this small Kansas town has developed a burgeoning Chinatown, 
and due to a hasty decision by the mayor, the entire (overstaffed) 
police force is all Chinese!

Of course, they're actually the most honest in town, but they still have 
a nice racket going...

>     In addition, remember that some positions such as Sheriffs or town
> marshalls and their deputies were sometimes paid less than a proper 
> salary
> as the position might be viewed as either part-time (and therefore they 
> are
> expected to have another means of support), or that they got a 
> percentage of
> any fines and/or taxes they might be responsible collect.  In Law Dogs 
> (p.
> 22), John Behan, the Sheriff of Cochise County (i.e. Tombstone) gets 
> 10% of
> the taxes he collects which adds up to $30,000-$40,000!  Then again 
> there
> are also rewards and bribes to be considered.  Law Dogs also gives 
> salary
> ranges for various positions.  Sheriffs $50-250 a month, Town Marshalls
> $50-$225 and deputies $40-125 a month depending on the size and wealth 
> of
> the town.  They also get $6 a month for ammo and equipement (Law Dogs, 
> pp.
> 15-16)

Thanks. I think after reading your message I;ll retroactively bump those 
up to $10/week. Due to some interesting geography, the Kansas town 
happens to have a silver mine that's recently started to produce your 
toxic friend and mine, ghost rock.

Of course, now I jsut need to keep them out of the chamber that is 
guarded by cursed undead werewolves and everything will be all right.

Thanks again!

--
Brett

LORD, WHAT CAN THE HARVEST HOPE FOR, IF NOT FOR THE CARE OF THE REAPER 
MAN? (Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett)