(And the $23,000 figure does not include wages paid “on a mileage basis” to “night run – Chicago” pilots R. Lee Smith, Mel Fried, A. R. Mensing, Hugh Ruschenberg and Allan Olson. Joe Kimm, or anybody out there, do you know the formula? Joe, a co-pilot, was getting $150.)

This information is from a remarkable two-page document entitled “Northwest Airways, Inc. – Organization – July, 1932 – Personnel Assignments and Monthly Salaries” which hangs on a wall pillar at the NWA History Centre. As stated, it gives a good look, not only at salaries but at how the airline was organized at the time.

Top salary in July, $1,000, belonged to Northwest’s talented founder, vice president and general manager Lewis H. Brittin. (Listed as L. M. Brittin on the document). At the other end of the scale, up in the U.S. – Canadian border metropolis of Pembina, North Dakota, maid Leslie Low made a dollar a day. (No criticism is meant, here. Researching Col. Brittin, the History Centre truly believes he was worth every cent he was paid. His skills and dedication led Northwest through some very, very trying early years).

Most of the pilots made out pretty well. Operations Manager Walt Bullock, Chief Pilot Fred Whittemore and Ford Pilot Homer Cole received $775 a month. Chicago pilots Mal Freeburg, Deke Delong and J. F. Malone were at $600. Winnipeg pilots Joe Ohrbeck, Russ McNown and C. Les Smith, $525. Duluth pilot Jerry Sparboe $500. Green Bay run pilot “Cass” Chamberlain $400. Fargo-Bismarck pilot Carl Luethi $450. Co-pilots Kimm, R. M. Johnston, C. J. Schlapiol and Bert Ritchie were at $150. (As was Kimm, co-pilot “Bobby” Johnston was a former Steward. As such, he survived Northwest’s first crash, a Ford Tri-motor, in St. Paul’s Mounds Park area June 24, 1929. Pilot “Eddie” Middagh died in that accident).

Top salaries in other departments started at $300 a month except for Accounting, where Comptroller J. M. Cooper received $400. Monthly $300 checks went to C. E. Chadwick, Traffic (sales) Department, legendary Jim LaMont, chief mechanic, Motor Department clerk-steno Leonard Holstad received $80 a month. Holstad went on to become Treasurer of Northwest Airlines and in the 1950s embarked on a second executive career in the Big Apple. He was universally liked by all who knew him. Traffic Department’s assistant manager, at $125 a month, was C. L. Stein. That’s Camille “Rosie” Stein, folks, who became the first bona-fide woman executive in commercial aviation and later served on Northwest’s Board of Directors.

The airline also stationed Traffic and Operations Department people in Chicago, and in Milwaukee, Madison, LaCrosse and Green Bay, Wisconsin (Green Bay on Northwest’s old Fox River Valley route). Others were based at Duluth, Pembina, Jamestown, Valley City, Fargo, Bismarck and Grand Forks. Those salaries, except for pilots, ranged from $200 downwards.

Throughout this Sales and Operations summary are many other names identified with Northwest’s history, many of whom remained with the airline for another 25 years or more. ----A. T. Peterson, R. C. Anderson, Ralph Geror, M. E. Anderson, Tom Hillis, Clayt Dalrymple, Walt Kollath, Russ Sorkness, Rex Middlestadt, Ron Stelzig, John Vars, Hank Aune, Emil Heideck, Joe Schuster, Ben Foster, Nils Fleming, Clarence Opsahl, Henry Walstrom, Manfred Boe, Nels Larson, Paul Fenske, Clarence Magnuson and Lou Koerner. To those not listed, we apologize.

But, all was not candy and gum, not by a long shot, recalled Maintenance Chief Lou Koerner in the 1950s. “It was touch and go in the old days, back when we first started,” says Lou.” I remember once we had to mortgage our only spare engine to meet the payroll.”