From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Jan. 30, 1973:

The Lawrence City Commission today reaffirmed and defended its position in favor of a pay differential between police officers and firefighters. City Manager Buford Watson at a morning news conference had released a letter that had been sent to all firemen on behalf of the commission and a memo detailing listing seven reasons for the pay differential. The letter stressed that in the past five years firefighters’ hours had been reduced 20 percent while police hours went down 9 percent, while starting salaries for firefighters had increased 27.75 percent and police beginning pay had increased 28.16 percent. Watson said that a city offer of pay parity and slightly increased working hours was regarded as “gong backward” by firefighter union leaders. The women’s auxiliary of the firefighters’ union began picketing City Hall this afternoon in protest of the letter, which had received unanimous support from the commissioners.