Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-19
puted as salary in constituting this Sec
ton.
Clerks Have Many Champions.

puted as salary In constituting this Sec
ton.
Clerks Have Many Champions.
Cudsels for the clerks were taken
mp vigorously by members IN oeo osds
When Representative Keating. wno
has put through much legislation OF
benefit to government employees ana
labor, introduced the amendment Tor
observation-disclosures xty-doilar bonus
Black of Texas, Representative Sis
son of Mississippi. chairman OF the
subcommittee on District appropria-
lions; Representative Stafford OF Wis
son, defeated for reelection by VIC
tor Berger: Chairman Sherley OF the
appropriations committee; Repre-
sentative Byrns of Tennessee, chair
man of the subcommittee on the legis.
lative bill. and Representative Gooo
of Iowa.
Champions of the proposed increase
included Representative Mason OF IL
linois member of the House Dis
trict committee: Representative Gal
lagher of Illinois, Minority Leader
Mann, Representative Wood OF In
diana Representative SNYDER of New
kentucky, Representative keatins
of Colorado. Representative Nolan
of California and Representative
OShaunessy of Rhode Island.
Representative Gallagher called at
tention to the humanitarian interest
in fellow man showed by the House
in voting 500, 100000 to feed Europe
End asked how at present prices Tor
food n man in the government serV-
ice could be said to get good pay
when he -as receiving SEQ a month.
He and Representative Mason both
emphasized conditions in Chicago as
illustrating that it is growing more
difficult to get persons to work TOT
the Government at the salaries OF
fered
Says Living Wage Must Be Paid.
Minority Leader Mann said that
while it was recognized that this was
rot the best time to fix the salary
scale. the government could not
afford to paw less than a living wage,
as it has been doing He said me
government cannot afford starVihs
wages and has no right to expect
men to work for that. Cannot the
government itself afford TO be JUST!
he asked He contended that a gov
eminent employee should get a salary
sufficient to provide decent living
TO educate his children, and so that
he could afford to have children.
Representative Wood of Indiana
eiehty-five cents dozen, and asked
how a mother with seven chlldren
can keep their souls and bodies
together when the husband end
fathe- gets but $50 or se5 a month
He called up the salaries OF car
knockers. common labor. mechanics
showing that all of these have been
getting large increases IN WAGES
during the war period. while IRE
government empIove alone was work
Ing for the same $50 or ss5 as before
the war He said that the govern
ment employees are the poorest paio
class Of workers in the country
REPRESENTATIVE Mason said that the
meaeer. starvation salaries are I'M,
pairing the government service ara
impairing the good name of thep
government
Would Make It More Than $500.
Representative Langley of Ken
tuckv said that as former federal
eroploye who knew the hardships or
the government clerk he -cons'deren
it an honor to support the SaoV
increase, and wished 1t was much
larger.
quoted statistics showing that In less
than a year there have been - 900
appointments and 10000 designations
in the government service as snow
to temporary employees during the
war period the government cannot
retain their services in competition
with outside employment.
Representative Heating argued tnat,
since the coets ~ foodst''fTs have f"ne
up more than 100 per cent in the last
wear. the government employees saia-
rios have been ont In hafves even
while they have been making lou per
cent records in their bureaus ana
a. n 70 n
erty bonds. He threw into contrast
the action of the government IN
granting big increases in salaries 10
railroad and shipyard employees ana
other Industrial tseryice WHINE inc
clerks increase. insignificant in COM
parison. is the subject OF stubborn
opposition. He said that the $3.50
bonus would be not only Justice, out
would add imme asurably to the EN-.
cheney of the government service
Holds Investigation Essential.
Chairman Byrns. in charge of the
bill. fought against the raising OF
for a commission to investigate the
entire question of federal salaries,
e-viuo ~ ore roanv inequalities end
that uniform system for all the de-
pertr"e-' 9 corresponding work
SHOULD be adopted.
Minority Leader Mann objected to
certain provisions of the bill regard
ing the temporary government build
ings. contending that it would make
It possible to maintain these estab-
1ishments until their removal was
specifically directed by law. He said
that the sooner the temporary build
ings were removed the better. This
part of the bill also went out on
point of order by Representative
Walsh of Massachusetts,.
Representative Wingo of Arkansas
offered an amendment providing that
leased buildings should not be re-
tanned if it was possible to get space
elsewhere in government buildings or
at cheaper rental, but this was lost.
DoIIar-a-Day Increase