The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1920-01-03
War Time Conditions
Emphasize Needs of
Government Employees
CONTINUED FRos, PAGE ONE.

CONTINUED FRoD PAGE ONE.
hearing before the full committee
was October 9, this year.
Although the bill had its incep-
ton six years ago the figures in It
have not changed. The minimum IL
still 37k cents an hour. So a day,
$50 month or S1.0S0 a year. The
amounts are exclusive of the $40
bonus granted employees last July
and. which added, makes the total
$3.50.
The military establishments and
the postal service are outside the
provisions of the bill In respect
to the postal employees this was
done at the request of the workers
themselves. backed up by the POST
Office House Committee, which
thought that salary readjustments
in this branch could best be handled
by the committee.
Another important measure before
Congress is the Lehlbach- Sterling
bill For the retirement Of employees
in the classified Civil Service and
for other purposes" This is gen.
orally known as the Retirement
BILL" 1t pro- Ides for pensions for
those who have reached the age OF
IS. excepting school teachers and
officers and members of police and
fire departments in the District Of
Columbia. The age limit for me-
chanics. city and rural letter car
riers and postoffice clerks is So and
for railway postal clerks 60.
S72O Maximum Annuity.
Employees who have served thirty
years or more may be entitled to a
maximum annuity OF 1920 with
minimum of $3.50. From the top
figure it descends on a graduated
time scale until II reaches fifteen
years OF service. which provides for
a maximum OF $3.50 and a minimum
of $3.50. In order to provide a nu-
cleus for a retirement fund ~ per
cent OF the employees basic pay is
withheld.
The measure is now before both
the House and Senate and there is
a possibility that it will become
law shortly.
Conditions prevailing in the many
departments during the war and af-
ter forcibly brought to the atten-
ton of Congress the low scale of
wages and inequalities in pay and
service of government employees.
The fact. for instance. that compen-
satiOn in one branch was double
that in another for exactly similar
service indicated chaos. When in
many cases the low rate applied to
A veteran in the service and the
high to a newcomer, it further &C
centuatcd the need for readjust-
ment. ApoIogists. however. pointed
out that the lower salary meant
permancncy while the higher was
of possibly temporary character.
Labor Turnover 100 Per Cent.
The state Of affairs might have
continued indefinitely had not
more potent factor entered. De-
partment chiefs showed that the la
Dor turnover in some departments
was an even 100 per cent during a
calendar year. This meant that at
the end Of the year just as many
had left the department as had been
ther" at the beginning of the year.
In ether words private interests
had. in some instances, swept the
scrviC" clean. II was at this juno
tUrc that war salaries" had their
inception but temporary reforms
failed to aid the mass
Congress finally took notice and
thus the Congressional Joint Com
T1ISsion on Redistribution of Sal
aries" was created by an act of
Congress. Tho final objective of this
commission is salary standard "a
ton hut this term is elastic. as the
commission has discovered. As stat
ed in the bill. the commission to in
v"stjEate and recommend by bill
or otherwise. as soon as practica BILE.
what reClasSifiCation and readjust-
mont OF compensation should be
mace >" as TO provide uniform and
equitable pay for the same charaC-
ter " employment throughout the
District Of Columbia" The NaEa'
Basis OF RcadJustmcnt.
Yard and parts II the. postal service
are not included
The duties. including responsible
tiles. and the qualifications required
for the several positions. will form
the basis of readjustment. This may
include a revision downward as well
as upward. In this connection com
parativc figures will he utilized and
an effort may he made to SO place
the government that comparatively
it will no longer be at the mercy of
private employers.
Although the recommendations OF
the committee will only affect gov
eminent employees in the District of
Columbia il is taken for granted
that they will be extended to every
branch of government service
throughout the country. The inves-
tigation is the first serious effort in