The Washington herald., 1916-12-13
BOISE PENROSE' BACKS
PAY RAISE MOVEMENT
Pennsylvania Contrasts Nisgardliness
ofU. S. With Private Concerns.

1.-The House proposal of salary Increase
for government employees to enable them
to core with the high and constantly IN
creas sing cost of living Is entirely made
ouate," declared Senator Boise Penrose
to The Washington Herald yesterday.
"I propose to make a fight for these
faithful servants of the public when the
legislative. judicial and executive appro-
priations bill reaches the Senate. More
over, l expect to appear before the Ap-
propriations Committee of this body ana
press for consideration my amendment
which provides something at least. to ald
the governments employees to live in the
manner that their service deserves.
Corporations Generous.
'The large corporations of the country
are taking heed of the unprecedented
costs of living. Why should not the
government be equally jealous for the
welfare of it's employees? Surely the
quality of the service Is such that 1t de-
serves adequate reward and the require
ments for entrance into the service are
sufficiently rigid to attract to the govern
ment a highly efficient and skilled class
OF citizens, both men and women.
THE corporations. as we read in the
papers from day to day, are granting m
creases which will substantially aid the
operatives. We do not see any OF these
corporations making temporary advances
of as little as per cent. The advances
are to go into effect at once or during
the holiday season.
THE increases provided by the House
appropriation bill, in addition to being
Inadequate, are of a temporary charac-
ter and will have to be renewed with
every appropriation bill II they are TO
survive There is no reason to believe
that the cost of living Is to be substan-
TALLY reduced overnight or within
year. No real reason exists that l can
see for compelling the army OF govern
rnent employees to appeal to Congress
once a year to find out just what their
income will be in the months to come
Certainly it would disorganiZe most any
ones mode of living"
Amendment offered.
The Senator put his opinion in con-
crete form when he offered an amend
ment to increase the pay of all govern
ment employees, employees of the District
and of the two houses Of Congress. His
scale OF increase Is comprehensive and
substantially what the employees have
been asking. 1t provides . per cent ad-
vance for employees at $500 a year or less;
20 per cent increase for those whose sal
ary is now more than $3.50 and less than
81. 400; Is per cent for those at a salary Of
from 81, 400 to 5000 year and 10 per cent
increase for employees at a rate OF be-
tween 5000 and $500.
The language OF the Penrose resolution
provides for an Increase Of wages sal
aries and compensation" This broad
language viii include per diem employees
whether they be clerks in Washington
departments, extra clerks in postoffices
during Christmas holidays or employees
Of the government in navy yards or other
construction work
As an additional evidence OF his desire
to help employees of the government Mr.
Penrose introduced a bill which legal
ICES Saturday half holiday the year
around for all government employees