Evening star., 1920-01-10
MEETING Of STAFF
Of RECLASS|F|ERS
T0ARRANGE WORK
Session on Monday Will Be
Devoted to Details for
Final Efforts.

A staff meeting of the joint congress
sional commission on reclasSification OF
salaries in the District will be held Mon
day morning to consider just what the
reclassifiers will do with the extra two
months granted them by Congress in
which to complete their work
Every minute of the extension will
be needed, but the best use to which
it can be put will be discussed in full
at the meeting, and final plans laid for
the division of work remaining. The
meeting will fall on the morning when
the commission, under it's original law,
would have made it's report to Congress.
No report will be made to Congress
Monday. Secretary Edward Keating
definitely stated today. 1t has been
decided that as soon as possible class
specifications and salary schedules de-
termined upon shall be sent to the ap-
preparations committees of the Senate
and House. This will give these COM
mlttees ample time to consider the
salaries for the 10000 federal en-
ployes here before next July 1.
TnbuIation of Statistics.
The remainder of the two months
extension granted the reclassification
commission by Congress will be used
in rounding OUT the full report of
the commission. The reclassification-
lists have mass of statistics in proc
css of electric tabulation. which will
largely augment the report as to
salaries.
The hearings before the commission
also gave that body a great amount
of material which should be worked
into report shape. The briefs pre-
sented by various groups of workers,
in the employ both of the United
States and the District government,
were filled with interesting data and
opinions. 1t is thought that this ma
terial should be carefully combed for
valuable sidelightS as TO conditions
existing among government employees.
The full report of the reclassifica-
ton commission will be as interest
ing as it is possible to make such a
document 1t has been the announced
endeavor of the commission, since it's
early formation. to put in a full re-
something more than a mere mass of
figures. through which few men
would wade, even congressman.
Conditions existing among govern
ment employees We're revealed by the
hearings to be not all of a piece, and
commission members do not feel JUS
tilted. it may be stated. in branding
the government service here as n
sweat shop" Conditions among some
of the woman employees, it was re-
Vealed. do in some sense approximate
that term. but to call the entire gov
held. is TO be faulty in the Use OF
words.
COngreSsmen's Views.
One of the biggest things those who
argue for increased salaries for govern
ment clerks have had to face in Con-
gress is the fact that many persons out
side the government service look upon
persons in the government as holding
white collar jobs" 1t is sometimes
I,., ,bar of &C
who has been down in a coal mine. and
seen the employment conditions under
which such men work, shed tears on be-
half of the government clerk who works
in an office lit by electric lights, cooled
by electric fans and swept clean every
morning by charwomen. When such a
congressman sees the crowds of well fed,
well clothed federal employees going to
and from work, he is not in any too
sympathetic mood to listen to sweat
shop talk.
There is no disposition for any to
believe. however, because an employe
wears white collar merely. that his
job is one to be envied. and his salary
beyond Improvement The true situa-
ton is what the reclassification COM
mission is trying to picture in its report.
It's report will show scientific classifi-
cation of the existing position. true
classification of positions upon the basis
of work done-
More than 100 "class specifications
will be presented to Congress, drawn
up to show the actual work performed
by the 10000 federal employees. Upon
the basis of these specifications of
jobs will be placed the salary schedules
decided upon.
Under reclassification. no two men
doing identical work will receive sal
aries varying as much as 100 per cent.
1t is thought by many employees if the
recasSification work should bring no
more benefit to employees than this
equalization alone, the work will not
have been in vain.