The Washington times., 1919-10-29
us. WORKERS.
UNDERFED ON
PRESENT PAY
Comfort and Even Decency
Barred by Wage Report, Say
Union Members.

There certainly is no comfort and
mighty little decency possible under
the health and decency budget pre-
pared by the Bureau of Labor Statis-
tics for the Congressional joint COM
mission on reclassification of salaries.
which sets $2,262.47 minimum
salary necessary to support a family
of five in Washington"
This is the expression today by
members of the Federal Employees
Union, in discussing the bureaus
budget.
During hearings on the Nolan bill,
it developed that about $4,000 Federal
ingsless than SO a day. or basic SAL
enfpeoyes in Washington are receiv-
airy of 81, 1,0s0 annually. or this num-
ber it is declared, there are thousands
with families of FIVE and more. 1t
was recalled today rnat there Is
statute which fixes the maximum pay
of unskilled labor in the Government
service at ss4o year.
Long Fight to a Tie.
officials of the Federal Employees
Union pointed to a statement made
some time ago by Congressman STAFF
ford of Wisconsin, Then a member OF
the subcommittee of the House Com
mittee on Appropriations.
For years, in the Committee on APP
propriations, 1 have been seeking to
raise the salaries of the lowerpaid
government employees. those receiving
s720 and sS40. But my efforts have
been unavailing. This year, the effort
failed by a tie vote" Mr.. STAFFORD
said.
Upon this. ohcers of the Federal
Employers Union commented:
This statement is assuredly both
interesting and enlightening. Think
Of it! Years of effort required, in
eIuding the lean, hungry years on
which our lot of late has fallen, to
rise to the height of tie vote in tho
Appropriations Committee of the
House of Representatives. on the
question OF paying these government
workers, on full time, more than the
bare pittances OF $50 and $40 a month.
Little Prospect of Victory.
IF these employees, kept on starva-
tion wages, could in years make no
headwaY, what is the prospect for the
permanent relief of the thousands of
their feIlow-workers who are some
what more fortunate in the stipends
drawn by them. except as by means
of collectice action they may be able
effectually to bring before the coun-
try and Congress the justice and
urgency of their causeS"
Since the health and decency bud
get has been presented. the Buerau of
Labor Statistics has declared that it
is subject to revision, but that such
revision certainly must be upward
instead of down. Officials of the bu-
reau realize the absolute rock-bottom
minimum presented in their figures.
Many Underfed.
The bureau believes that many
Government employees have been un-
derfed and undernourished because of
their small salaries. While they may
have had a satisfying quantity of
food il is declared that in the prac-
tice of economy many have sacrificed
the proper quality and selection of
focdH
The not infrequent criticism of
standards of living studies, the state
ment, that families actually do live
on smaller than the indicated incomes
is, in itself, not a valid criticism" :"
says the bureau report to the advisory
committee on wages of the reclassi-
fication commission.
Families may, and do. live. al
though underfed, under clothed. un-
healthily housed. overworked, espe-
cially the wife and mother; and de-
prived, particularly the children. of
many things essential to the develop
ment Of healthy and useful citizens"