The Washington times., 1919-12-12
FAITHFUL us.
WORKERS GET
LEAST SALARY
Glaring Iniustices Pointed Out
BY RecIassification
Statistician.
The United states Government pays

The United States Government pays
some OF its junior telephone opera
tors s64o per year, while it pays 9TH
ers $1,000 for doing the same grade
of work 1t pays one OF its chief
operators s72o per year. while II pays
a Junior operator 81 zoo. 1t rewards
length of service by paying one chief
operator. employed less than a year,
u,467 per year. and another, in Its
employ for nineteen years. $1,000.
Such astonishing inequalities were
placed before the Congressional JOINT
commission on reclassification of sal
aries yesterday afternoon by Lewis
Merriam. QUESTIONABLE ststisticlan.
Mr.. Merriam presented statistics of ex-
haustive Investigations which con-
clusively prove that the United States
Government. as the largest employer
in the world. has handled its personel
with a carelessness bordering on un-
concern
Many Injustiees-
The work of the reclassification
commission has disclosed many in
stances Of injustices and irregulari-
ties In the Governments working
force. but 1t Is doubtful whether any
have been as convincing as Mr.. Aer-
iam's tabulations. His tables are
faets. substantiating what heretofore
have been looked on by some as as
sumptions, regarding deplorable con-
dittoas among Federal employees
According to Mr.. Meriam's figures
the Government pays chief telephone
operators salaries ranging from $72o
TO 100 per year. The salaries of
senior operators fluctuate from $720
to 81 400. and those of junior opera
tors from SEQ to $500.
>vWy Froa S73o to S1,lee.
me salary OF the chief operator Is
S7zo at the State Department and
500 At the District building. as con-
trssted with 81 $50 at the War and
Navy Depastments. and $1.400 At the
Treasury and chipping Board.
The salaries OF senior operators At
the Departments OF Justice and Of the
interior are $71o per year. while they
are $50 IN the Treasury. $500 in the
Interstate Commerce Commission,
81 200 In the Department Of Agricul-
ture and the alien property custo-
dams office. and 81 400 In the Post
office Department, the Department of
Commerce and the Council Of National
DEFENSE
Junior telephone operators IN the
Government Printing Office receive
$40 per year. They receive S720 in
the FEDERAL Trade Commission. the
Department Of Justice and the State
Department In the War Department
they are paid S9O1. in the office of the
alien property custodian. $1,000. in
the Navy Department 81 100, in the
Smithsonian Institution, S1.14o. and
with the tariff commission, $1,000.
H.athfuI Are Uarewarded.
While tabulations on the telephone
service are the only ones to be made
public by the reclassification COM
mission At this time, II is understood
that the findings in them will gen.
orally apply to other Government
services with varying degrees OF fluc-
tuations.
In the first place, IL is found that
some employees in the telephone serv-
Ice are receiving nearly twice as
much salary as others doing the same
work Second, il is found that gen.
orally the older employe, in respect to
age, Is receiving less than the young
employe-
As examples. chief operators in the
Government service less than one
year are receiving an average annual
rate Of pay Of 81 l,46T. while those in
the service more than fifteen years
but less than twenty are receiving
an average pay of 81 200
Junior operators eighteen years old
but under twenty receive an average
annual rate of pay of Ss2S, while
junior operators nifty years old and
under sixty receive an average Of
s6O0