The Washington times., 1917-12-08
POSTALC CLERK
PAY BILL IS
TO Be TAKEN
UP MONDAY

With the appointment today Of a
subcommittee of the House Commit
tee on Postoffices and Post Roads,
to investigate the question of in
creased pay for postal employees, the
first important step looking to imme-
diate results in the fight for ade-
quate salary increases for sll Fed
eral employees has been taken.
Following the presentation to the
House late yesterday of the Post
office appropriation bill by Chair
man Moon, of the Postoffice Com
mittee, Congressman Moon today
announced the appointment of the
subcommittee, as follows: Bell of
Georgia, chairman; Cox of Indiana,
Blackmon Of Alabama, Steenerson of
Wisconsin, and Madden of Illinois.
viii Meet on Monday.
The committee will hold its frst
meeting Monday, and will later re-
port to the full Postofhce Committee,
itH findings with regard to the in
crease In pay the postal employees
have long fought for.
The poStofaeS appropriation bill
will be the first supply bill to be
considered by Congress, and an imme-
date alignment OF the forces back
OF q large increase for all Govern
ment employees will result. A test Of
the temper OF the House on the Ques-
tion of the substitution of labor's
program for q 25 per cent increase
for all employees, graded downward.
aS provided for in the bill intro
duced yesterday in the Senate by
Senator Penrose OF Pennsylvania, will
be had a. the result of action by
the Postoffce Committee of the
House, ~ the postal employees tight
is the nght OF employees OF all other
departmenta
Increases Favored.
There has been q marked tendency
OF members Of Congress in favor OF
Increasing salaries, to start with the
Post Office Department. This IL
shown by the Osborne bill introduced
in the House, the Penrose bill in the
Senate, and by the labor members OF
congress In their private conyersa-
tfons.
As pointed out in The Times, the
postal employees are to be included In
any increase authorized, and what
ever scale determined on by the sub
committee appointed by Congress
man Moon, will be the increase by
which increases for all employees may
be gagged
A woman is taking the leading part
in the fight for just wages for Federal
employee Florence Btheridge, dele
gate representing the National Fed
sral Employees by forcing acticn last
night at the meeting Of delegates rep
resenting 100000 civil service en-
ployes held in the American Fedora
tion of Labor Building. has taken a
definite stand for a determined fight
TO have Congress take immediate ac-
tion.
The following resolution presented
by Y. P. Keller unanimously passed:
That this meeting heartily endorse
the program OF the American Fedora
tion Of Labor for increases in salaries
materially greater than the present
increases and in some measure COM
rnsnsurate with the increased cost Of
living"
HIchasi +, o'Donohue, q seventy
year-oId srnpIoys OF the Patent offce,
told the meeting:
The Government iG losing import.
ant workers every day because OF
the poor pay received. They will
lose more and more Of these hrst-claEs
men a. long ~ this war lasts. Let
me warn you-thiG country 10 not over
the top yet bT any Tneans."
The meeting last night was oBtsn.
afbiy called 20 consider tho question
ok pensions for EupSfannuAtOd ON.
pioTSG Of the 0oVSrnmsnt, but IL aaAL
~ resolved Itself into Q meeting de-