Evening star., 1920-03-08
ASK SENAT0RSF0R
HEARING ON BONUS
Federal Employees Want
Same Increase Sought
in House.

The senate subcommittee on the
Legislative appropriation bill. which
| is expected to take up this week the
bill. from which the S240 bonus for
! federal employees was stricken last
| week. is to be asked to grant hear
ings to representatives of the Ma
| tional Federation of Federal EN-
ployes.
The legislative committee of the
federation decided upon this course
at a meeting yesterday. The COM
| mittee proposes to ask the Senate
| for the same increases in the bonus
that We're asked in the House. but. if
| the report of the reclassfication COM
| mission proves, from the employees
viewpoint. an equitable readJustment
of salaries. to ask that the reclassi-
| fed schedules be applied in the Dis
trict. and the bonus to the field serN-
/ ice until the latter is reclassitied.
salary Commission Meets
| The report of the joint congressional
commission on reclassification OF sal
aries in the District is to be made to
Congress Friday. Members of the COM
mission met in the Senate District
room at the Capitol today to go over
| it's report. which is now being whip
ped into final shape
Another meeting OF the legislative
committee of the National Federation
of Federal Employees has been called
| for Sunday, presumably to go over
the report Of the recla assification COM
mission. which is expected to be pub
1 lie by that time.
A statement was sent today to all
| locals of the federation putting the
responsibility for the elimination of
the bonus of $3.50 squarely up to the
republican steering committee. This
statement was signed by Luther c.
| az hn n
Federation of Federal Employees: S.
Tyson Kinsell. president, Philadelphia
local: Charles l.. Wiegand. president
Baltimore local: Miss Gertrude McNal-
los; E. J. Newmeyer. w. Carson Ryan,
jr., and Miss Ethel M. Smith.
/ Federation's Statement.
| The statement follows:
| plans for the next steps in the fed
eration's campaign for better salaries
under discussion at length throughout
the afternoon at a special meeting of
! the national legislative committee.
The committee has carefully gone over
the following facts and circumstances:
The elimination Of the present
s24O bonus so-called, was done. not
1 by vote of the House of Representa-
| tives, but by orders Of the republican
| leaders Of the House, according to the
\ statement of Representative William
| H. Woou OI 1HQldHd. CHdlTfnan Oh tnc
subcommittee in charge of the bill.
The term republican leaders which
| was used by Mr.. Wood must be inter-
preted to include the steering commit
tee, the members of which are as fol-
lows: Frank w. Monden of Wyoming.
| Martin B. Madden of Illinois, Nicholas
Longworth Of Ohio. Samuel E. Winslow
of Massachusetts and George p. Dar-
row OF Pennsylvania.
Sentiment for Bonus Claimed.
| Interviews with practically every
member of the House by members of
a committee from Washington locals
of the National Federation of Federal
| Employees showed a very general SEN
timent for increasing the so-called
bonus, but these members of Con-
| gress were given no chance to ex-
press themselves, because Chairman
Wood, at the behest of the steering
committee. broke his pledge. twice
given to the president Of the Ma
tional Federation of Federal EN-
| ployes. and failed to ask for q rule
protecting this section of the Pill
lagainst a point Of order-protection
which was given in a previous Con-
| gress to the corresponding provision:
THE legislative appropriation bill
will be taken up by the Sehate ap-'
preparations committee this week, we
understand. The Joint congressional
commission on reclassification OF sa!a-
ries for the civil service in the Dis
trict of Columbia will make its report
to Congress this week.
| .The federation's request for the So
called bonus has always been an ex-
pedient to meet the needs OF the work.
ers pending an equitable reclassihcation
of the reclassification commission. from
the employees viewpoint, brings an
equitable readjustment of salaries. the
federation would welcome 1t as perma-
nent legislation in lieu Of the temporary
relief measure Although the reclassi-
fication at present applies only to the
District of Columbia, the situation IN
| the field service could continue to be
met pending an extension OF tho TO
classification to the field. by the 30
called bonus as at present. with. OF
course. the increase We are asking.
Committee's Conclusions.
| THE national legislative committee
has, therefore. come to the following
conclusions for the Immediate future:
ITO ask the Senate for the increases
specified In the instructions OF the ma
tional convention of the federation-fhe
same increases that were asked OF the
| House-namely. $3.50 per year for en-
ployes receiving the lower grades Of
! pay. up to and including the $2.soo
grade: $3.50 for those receiving up to
| and including $500 and $240 for those
receiving up to and including $4,000.
AS the first step to this end, the pres
ident of the federation will ask for
hearings for representatives Of our
organization before the Senate ap-i
ipropriations committee.
"If before the hearing IL granted
the report of the reclassifcation COM
mission is issued and Is found to be.
from the federation's viewpoint an
equitable readjustment OF salaries, We
will ask the Senate committee to
adopt the schedule of salaries recon-
mended by the reclassincation COM
mission for the District Of Columbia.
and apply the fiat increases to the
field service until the latter Is classi-
fed"
Failure Of the House to include the
$24O bonus provision in the legislative
appropriation bill was characterised
as a cruel injustice by Rev. Earle Will
fey at the Vermont Avenue Christian
Church yesterday.
CUTS OFF ELECTRIC LIGHT.