Evening star., 1917-09-19
EMPLOYEES
TOATTACK WAR BILL
One Clause Regarded As OBJ
i. jectionabIe Affects Night
Schools in District.
WILL APPEAL TO SENATE

.
The big war appropriation bill which
VIII De formally presented to the Senate
tomorrow. and on which hearings havs
started before the Senate COMMITTEES ON
appropriations. will be the subject Of at
tack by tho Federal Employee Union.
now in convention here. because OF iegis-
ladon adopted by the House Of Repre-
sentative Scott of Michigan, who voiced
iSation.
,, IN addition. Representative Borland of
missouri succeeded in knocking from the
Dili q section designed by tho appropria-
IONS committee for the benefit Of better
teacning In the night schools of the Dis
OF Mississippi. a member of the appro-
pr1ations committee, pleaded with Mr.
6ofiana not to insist upon his point Of
oroer' out the latter would not yield.
Points of Objection.
In brief. the situation created by the
passage through the House Of the bin in
It's present form is this:
no one drawing moro than $1,000 4
year from the government can accept q
District Of Columbia
z. NO employe o fthe government may
be transferred to any other Rovernmene
estaonshment, where a lump sum ap-
propriatfon prevails. at a higher salary.
In the first instance. It is claimed.
the situation Is created because a point
OK order was made and sustained
against the proposed legislation, to
cure palpable injustice. In the Sec
ohd instance. the legislation remains
because the member making the point
OF order was induced to withdraw IL.
TO understand the effect OF Represen-
tative Borland's action on the night
school system it is necessary to recall
that previous acts Of congress, having
carried q provision preventing em-
ployes OF the government drawing ST..
COG a year or more from receiving any
outside financial emolument or com.
pensation. Several instances where
one man was holding two good gov
ernment positions were brought to Light
q year ago and Congress-. dfsapprovfng
OF the situation. framed two appro~
priation bill riders to meet II.
Discovery by Controller.
It was found by the controller Of shs
currency that these laws prevented the
District Of Columbia from EMPLOYING
the higher paid teachers and instruc.
tors in the night schools. The appro-
prfations committee, of which Repre-.
sentative Borland is a member, gave
considerable attention to the need for
remedial legislation and drafted q sec.
ton to meet the case OF the schools.
Mr. Borland had 1t in his power to
knock out this remsdy by . point of
order. and Nid so. despite Repr esenta-
tive Sisson's explanation, In which he
when we drafted the section to pre.
~ ~ fHS s5ssSSs 5asies i4kes SlS noe arom ph;p SJ
A1pafbd to night school teachers A cers
tain amount Of night school work. for
instance. is necessary. where young
men are trained tor employment In the
navy yards. and II Q naember Of the
navy yard who might be detailed Re
work at night and teach in the night
schools. training the young men who
wanted to take that training. he could
draw no pay for the school work IL his
rate of pay was more than $1,000 In
the navy yard. This greatly hampers
this work OF fitting young men who de-
sire places in the navy yard because
in the daytime and cannot. therefore,
go to school,
Other Conditions Noted.
Representative Sisson directed atten.
ton also to the fact that the teachers
Of long experience in the public schools
would be barred from using their ex-
perience in the night schools under
Representative Borland's plan Of ac-
tion. He also called attention to the
fact that the controller OF the currency
figures that teachers are paid on q per
diem basis and that a teacher receiving,
say. 41.200 for, ten-naonth term. and
doing night school and summer school
more than $4,000.
II will state to tho House." he said.
"that 1t was not the intention Of Com
gress to disturb this school work in tho
District of Columbia The money fog
night schools is appropriated and VIII
be spent, but the school authorities Will
be compelled to take ,I .ne ~ ieast ss a eapHari.
man from Missouri wishes this state OF
affairs to continue he can insist upon
his point OF order. but assure the
House that he is saving no money ana
IL making it impossible to get the best
teachers. He simply does the schools
an injury and saves no money.
Even under this unusual Criticism
from a member Of his own committees
Borland made no at.
tempt to withdraw his destructive poine
of order, and the remedial legislation
was dropped from the bill.
MI. Scott's Point Of Order.
Representative Scott of Michigan
made a point Of order against section
7 Of the bill, which prohibits civil
employees of the government from be-
ing transferred at higher salary from
one establishment to another. under
lump sum appropriations. The expiana-
ton of what the section does and why
II was placed in the bill was made by
? Fitzgerald. chairman OF
The committee on appropriations, who
hw his plea induced Representative
Scotf to withdraw the point.
Renresentative Fitzgerald's explains
t,on was long, but was listened to atA
tenfiyeIy by the members present.
"T,he purpose of this section Is to pre-
want a Great abuse in the government de-
nartments," he said. by way OF an intro.
duction.
~Aa IN
have been taken out Of those positions
and transferred to other departments at
an increased compensation, and in some
instances have been transferred second
time with another increase OF compensa-
tion and then transferred a third time.
with an increase Of compensation. What
tbe committee has endeavored to do is to
prevent q situation existing under which
fhe erossest favorttisIn can be shown ana
fhe 9rossest abuse in expenditure OF
money! which is provided for the tempo
rary needs Of the government. AZ have
Already stated, Congress very literally
nas provided lump sums Of money in very
arxe amounts to enable the department. :
nj obtain the additional employees required.
md when it is found that with theop
s,,nda available men are taken out OF pD4
.if;ons with dxed salary and simply Yuf
~, the roll on these hump sums in order
Io Increase their compensation without :
anv resulting benefit to the government
+ Il an abuse which should not be toler- (
,ted Now, II this proposition were coma
M from members Of the minority Of thu
House it might be suspected that some
,,,;risfration in its work. This propo-
cr;.inafAd with me as the r,eslfle