Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-29
us. MESSENGERS
AND TRANS[ATORS
ASK FOR MORE PAY
Brief of Former Given Re.
classification Body With
out Oral Testimony.

Messengers and translators in the
government service here today pre-
sented briefs asking for increased
salaries to the joint congressional
commission on Redistribution of sal
aries in the District.
For the first time since hearings of
various services were begun before
the commission a sealed brief was
presented to the commission without
any oral testimony. This brief was
that Of the more than 5000 messen-
gers, as presented by John P. Nc
Dowell of the Interior Department.
Speaks for Translators.
The position of translator in the
government service should be raised
from it's present equivocal position
to one of professional standing and
responsibility" declared Leifur Mag
nusson of the bureau of labor sta
tistics, presenting the brief for the
approximately 100 translators in the
federal service here.
This can be accomplished, Mr. Mag
nusson continued, by raising the edu-
cational qualifications for admission
to the service. 1.-The recommendations
of this committee in the matter of the
basic salaries" he continued, "is de-
termined by our request that trans
lating be made a profession, that it
is at present an underpaid service,
that it is not now on par as respects
salary with non-professional or even
with a large number of the industrial
occupations, and that large increases
have taken place in the cost of liv-
ing"
Accept $4,000 Positions, Is Said.
Men in the Federal Trade Commits
Ci
sitions in the business world, accord
ing to statements made between the
hearings of the messenger and trans
lator services. When Mr.. Mcdowell
messengers the commission faced
about two hours waiting for the
translators to present themselves, the
time of their hearing having been set
for IL o'clock.
Speaks for Trade Commission.
At this juncture Edward l.. Smith
of the trial staff Of the Federal Trade
Commission came forward to repre-
sent between 400 and $50 employees
of that office. he said.
Mr.. Smith asked that the commission,
in drafting it's bill to Congress, pro-
vide a compensation for any employees
in the government who may in the flu
ture be prohibited by Legislation from
leaving the government service. He
explained that Senator Harris has in
troduced a bill which would make it
an offense for any employee of the
Federal Trade Commission to accept
outside employment before five years
after severing connection with that
body in any business that has been
investigated by the commission.
"Employes of the Federal Trade
Commission" Mr.. Smith said "neces-
sarily acquire first-hand informat ton
of practically every industry in the
United States"
The turnover with the Federal
Trade Commission, Mr.. Smith asserted,
is probably greater than in any other
are leaving it every day, he con-
tinued, by reason of large salaries Of
fered on the outside.
Leave Service for Big Salaries,
II understand that men of the Fed
| eral Trade Commission are going out
and getting $4,000 and $4,000 q
year" said DR.. w. f. Mosher, research
director of the Redistribution com.
mission He declared that the mar.
ket value of Federal Trade Commits
sion investigators, because of the in.
formation which they have. must be
high.
Commissioner Heating then asked
Mr. Smith what sort of proposition
he would propose TO the reclassifica
tionists.
Il haven't thought of the PROPOSE.
ton. to be frank" replied Mr.. Smith
proposition without thinking about
it, have you?" asked Commissioner
Heating. What suggestions would
you make to this commission? Isn't
| it a matter to be urged upon Con-
gress, instead of coming here and ask
CONTINUED on Second Page.l