Minnesota Highways, May 1957

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VOL. 6,  NO. 7
1246  University Ave., St.  Paul  4, Minn.
MAY,   1957
Pay Boost Is
Set for July
Salary increases averaging
8 per cent for nearly all Highway department employees,
effective July 1, were assured
by action of the 1957 State
Legislature. The increases, to
be accomplished through advancement of job classifications to higher salary ranges,
will apply to employees
throughout the state government.
The Legislature allocated
sufficient funds to salaries to
cover the upward reassignments of ranges, as determined by the Civil Service department.
Purpose of the upward adjustments is to get state salaries to
levels more nearly in conformity
with pay for similar positions in
private business and industry and
also to thereby protect the state
against loss of personnel by their
moving to higher paid jobs outside the state government.
The new pay plan provides pay
boosts generally of from $7 to $40
per month in 138 of the Highway
department's approximately 145
civil service job classifications. The
amount of increase for each employee will depend upon the number and pay level of the range or
ranges over which his or her classification is advanced bv the Civil
Service department.
Since the differential between
pay ranges is 4 per cent, changes
at the larger ranges will show
larger salary adjustments.
In terms of pay ranges, the increases for the different classifications in the Highway department
vary from one to five ranges. Most
of the limited number of classifications which will remain at pres-
(Continued on page 4)
«SSE* -    •'•
Seeing himself as his fellow workers claimed to have seen him during his long Highway department career, Mike Hoffman, left, enjoyed the ribbing as much as anyone
present at the Appreciation dinner in his honor, including A. O. Torgerson, assistant
commisisoner. They are watchig one of the "Long Road" skits on the commissioner"s
career.
Larson Given Bemidji Post
Carl M. Larson, formerly assistant district engineer in the Bemidji Construction district, is the
new district engineer for that district. He was promoted to succeed
Henry A. Pabst, following Mr.
Pabst's death March 22.
Replacing Larson as assistant
district engineer is Edward W.
Johnson, who for the past 11
months has been relief maintenance district engineer.
Larson, who had been assistant
district engineer at Bemidji for five
years, entered the Highway department in 1931. After service as
a checker, draftsman and instrument man, he was a project engineer for 12 years.
[ohnson joined the department
in 1922, working as a timekeeper,
rodman, computor, draftsman and
instrument man before his appointment as a project engineer in
1933.
Edward W. Johnson
Carl   M.   Larson
'Mike' Feted
By Employees
Esteem of Highway department members for M. J. Hoffmann, their retiring commissioner, was expressed at the
Appreciation dinner they gave
in his honor April 23 in
the Prom ballroom's Arizona
room.
More than 400 persons, led by
Governor Freeman and including
department members and former
members, a number of county engineers, representatives of the
U. S. Bureau of Public Roads, and
others, were present to express
their regard for Mr. Hoffmann and
to wish him future happiness.
Governor Freeman spoke on behalf of the state.
Mr. Hoffmann retired April 20,
a veteran of 43 years in the department and its commissioner for
the past 18 years. His successor,
one of the honored guests at the
dinner, is L. P. Zimmerman, chief
engineer since August, 1955, and
a department maintenance and district engineer from 1921 to 1933.
Mullen Speaks for Employees
The employees' formal expression of appreciation was voiced by
John H. Mullen, the department's
first chief engineer and a longtime friend of the guest of honor.
On behalf of the employees, Mullen presented Mr. Hoffmann with
a gift of money, an inscribed
plaque and scroll and a packet of
letters from persons unable to be
present. Hi Damsgaard, executive
clerk in Construction, presented
him with an album of photos from
his life.
A program feature which was
enjoyed bv Mr. Hoffmann as much
as anyone was "The Long Road,"
an "Odvssey" of his life, professional, military, and recreational.
With dramatic skits, projected
pictures,  and  narration by  Elmer