The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1920-01-01
]. S. ACCOUNTING
JOBS UNDERpAID|
large Number Of Resigna-
tons Reported to Reclas-
si6cation Commission.
HEARINGS ARE ENDED
|. c. C., Income Tax, Inter-
nal Revenue and Federal
Trade Troubles Told.

An alarming number Of designations
because of insufficient salaries In the
accountancy service was the feature
OF the Anal hearing before the Joint
Congressional Commission on RecIass-
tiication yesterday.
Alexander wylie, chief examiner. In
terstate Commerce Commission. testi-
ned that sixty Of the 225 accountants
In the Bureau Of Valuation have re-
signed within a short period to ac-
cept positions outside the government
service, most of them going to COM
mon carriers at higher salaries.
Replies to questions Of commits
sioners brought out that the Bureau
OF Valuation. which was created In
ls13 to evaluate railroad properties In
the United States, expects to complete
It's work some time this year.
z In stressing the highly technical
work required for accountants In the
Interstate Commerce Commission. Mr..
20 go to the railroad companies to OBJ
tain men familiar with that line of
work. Railroad accounting. he said.
was different from any other kind Of
accounting.
Tells Tax Bureaus Troubles
John J. Remy. chief of a section OF
an income tax unit. and T. F. Colvin
hnd Mr.. Kindred, chiefs of sub-sec-
Hons. asked substantial salary in
creases for that service in order that
The government might prevent its ef-
6cient men from leaving to take
higher paid commercial positions.
The bureau has lost many Of its
Best men because they were able to
Command higher salaries elsewhere,
the commission was told, while other
more or less inefficient employees took
advantage OF the free schooling Of
fered by the bureau and capitalized
thei' Government experience by offer
hng their services to private CORPORA
lions and business firms as tax ex-
berts"
Mr. Remy told how a school for au-
ditors was conducted daily after 40
Tor new employees, the chiefs actins
IS teachers without pay.
: The fact that auditors in the In
ternal Revenue Bureau can and have
offered their services to private firms
firms whose tax statements had gone
trough their hands-was stressed by
The commissioners and emphasized by
the witnesses.
: In Federal Trade Service.
4 Conditions in the accounting de-
,partment Of the Federal Trade Com
mission were pictured as even worse
by Charles Napier. assistant chief ac-
countant. At the time of the signing
OF the armistice. Mr.. Napier said, the
Ftaf Of accountants was composed
Of sixty-fOur men. Since that time,
twenty-five have been lost, nineteen
By resignation and six by transfer
TO other departments.
The commissioners brought out that
some Of these men had accepted posi-
lions with firms which had been un-
der Investigation by the Trade Com
mission Commissioner Hamlin oo-
seryed that the information obtained
BY these men while investigating a
hrrn. such as the methods Of doing
business. the total yearly business OF
the nrm and many other things should
constitute a big asset for them IN
getting positions with competitive
nrrns. Mr.. Napier agreed II did.
Mr.. Hamlin also wanted to know
n It was not possible for a firm which
was being Investigated by the COM
mission to offer the auditor a posi-
ton and thus influence him to doc