The Washington herald., 1916-12-03
Union Urges Citizens to Aid
u. S. Clerks in Salary Fight
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

employees of the Acquedpct receive pay
for all National holidays. with Saturday
half holidays In the summer months. The
same privilege is denied the per diem
workers in the Water Department through
the ruling Of the Comptroller of the
Treasury. The Comptroller rules that all
/ field workers must give eight hours un-
der the municipal service, while four
hours on Saturday in the summer months
under federal departments is equivalent
TO a days pay. II Is inequalities like these
that the organized employees hope to bet
ter, and We hope Congress will appreciate
the justice of our cause"
/ Senator Chamberlain, of Oregon, chair
man Of the Senate Committee on Military
Affairs. believes in a general increase in
the salaries of government employees. He
said yesterday:
Where salaries have not been Increased
in the past ten or fifteen years to meet
the ever-advancing cost OF living, / be-
lieve that Congress should take some
measures to increase them. I have not
studied the matter thoroughly. so can
not at this time discuss how this increase
should be made"
Newton for Bigger Pay.
Byron R. Newton, Acting Secretary
of the Treasury, came out squarely for
increased compensation to aid the poorer
paid clerks and reiterated his belief in
the Saturday half holiday all the year
round in the government departments.
Where salaries have not been in
creased in the past thirty or forty years,
and in some cases have been reduced.
I believe they should be increased to
meet the advanced cost Of everything"
he said. "A dollar now goes less than
half as far as 1t went thirty years ago
and what was a comfortable income then
is a bare living now. What l think
l..
the fact that / voluntarily gave one the
day before Thanksgiving. There Is no
doubt that some of the government EN-
ployes are underpaid, and while actua.
working conditions are better than they
are in most private concerns, I think
that the salaries should be increased"
Assistant Secretary of War Ingraham
indorsed the movement for better pay.
II am assuredIy in favor of an increase,
and I shall be very glad II Congress sees
At to pass a bill giving the employees
more money" he said. with the cost
Of living as high as It is. some Of the
people who get small salaries must be
having an exceedingly hard time to get
along. 1 believe in giving the employees
a half holiday Saturday. the year round.
think they would work faster and
better If they had that much more time
for recreation"
Paid Legislative Agent.
Many of the poorer paid employees are
cared for in the appropriation bills which
OCCUPY the attention of Congress at the
session that convenes tomorrow. There is
no general increase for the employees at
$50. $50 and SO per month, however. as
many had reason to expect
| Among the important matters to be
acted upon at the meeting of the Board
of Representatives of the Federal EN-
ployes' union tomorrow night will be the
question of having a paid legislative
agent
Many members favor retaining Presi-
dent II. NJ McLarin at a monthly salary
of $3.50 to appear before Congress in be-
half Of the employees. He would relinquish
his position at the War Department and
give his entire time to the movement II
favorable action is taken on the motion
for a paid representative.
Amdavits supplemented.
Individual cases of Inequalities in rat
ing and pay continue to pour into the
union. supplementing the affidavits filed
with the House Committee on Labor in
the Nolan bill. Among the more pathetic
Is the effort of a mother with a consump-
tive son to try to support q family of
three on $25 per month which another
son receives in one of the government
departments. The mother recently was
compelled to leave the position she held
in the government service to care for the
sick boy, and since then the only income
is s25 a month and what little extra she
can earn as a seamstress.
Individual members Of the union with
voting residences in other States but
working in the District will be instructed
by union officials to canvass their mem
Der Of Congress and enlist his support
for higher salary and retirement legisla-
ton. This work will commence tomor-
row. and within the next ten days the
members expect to know definitely how
each member of the House stands on the
Nolan $3-a-day bill and on the question
of a general increase,