Evening star., 1920-05-26
CONTRASTS ARMY
AND DC|v|L|AN PAY
Joint Conference Urges Leg
isIation for RecIassifying
Departmental Salaries.

SHSSt S0tG&1 tSos
Comparisons between the pay Of
Army officers on duty in the War
Department here with chiefs OF bu-
reaus and divisions were given in a
statement issued today by the joint
conference on reclassi f,cation TO show
the need of reclassification legislation
to aid the civilian cInploye.
The joint conference indorsed The
recent action OF the executsve conf
mittee OF the Federal employees
mon, NO. :. IN adopting resolutions
expressing dissatisfaction with the
existing bonus conditions for cihillan
employees of the government "Ait
conditions of good business make IL
plain tndt the conultion should be
corrected by the present Congress.
either through the Enactment OF re -
classification legislation or thfouS
other legislation that would Apply -
all officers and employees OF the sefN-
Ice, declared The resolutions.
Conference Cnanim0us.
The joint conference comedies
unanimously IN This vlew. declared
the statement issued today. w nl4e
1t may be urged tnat the lower sdi4-
ried employees reel most sharply lne
pinch OF high prices, Yet IL shouia De
pointed out that, relatively speaking,
ficiaIs or employees in the govern
ment service.
"As a matter of comparison, and
with no thougnt whatever OF critI-
cism, ii may be observed tnat IA Tue
recent Army pay Dli provision WAS
made to increase the pay OF VARIOUS
commissioned grades by from ss-e 70
seiO per annum,' continued Inc state
mept.
This will give a major on duty
"a Ds d a
greater tnan tnat received py many
chiefs of bureaus Ia other depart
ments. and the average captain on
duty an The War Department VIII be
better compensated than the cnieis
of many OF the most important al-
visions in other departments.
This is instanced in a concrete
way when IL is stated that the COM
pensation OF a captain ~ill equa4,
and An some cases surpass, that OK
the general superintendent OF Inc
railway mail ser,ic of the POST once
Department. who is paid only S4,voo
per annum, although he is responsi-
ple for the administration OF appro-
priatIons of millions or dollars
Many Postal Employees Affected.
The employees of the railway mail
service, the statement declares. IN
man power eAceed in numbers u d.
vision of troops. wnicn ls the COM
mand prescribed for d major general
in the Army. q.
"rhe commissioner of the general
land office and the commissioner OIL
inalan auairs, who head TWO very
important services OF the govern
ment," the statement continues. i'll
volving the administration OF d large
number VI employees and mlillonS VI
dollars in appropriations ana prop
erty, and enialling responsibilities OK
the grayest character, eacn receives
only S5.UUU per annum
This is less tnan the total compen-
sation OF some majors on duty IN the
ar Department., VINO mani1eStly, no
matter now accomplished they may
be, can never, while on ofIlce duty, he
charged with duties or responsiDih-
ties as great as those OF the head OF
either OF these two bureaus.
Cases "Taken at Random."
These are cases taken at random
from hundreds of others OF like char
acter to show that, unintentIonally. Oh
course, Congress seems not 10 nave
dealt impartiaiiy in this matter, be-
cause the haruships of present day
living cannot possibly anect the ci-
william less acutely than the military
official.
'It appears. however, that while the
case of the commissioned officials was
very comprehensively presented by the
officers themselves no effort at all seems
to have been made py tne CIVILIAN az
ministrative officials TO have their COM
pensation increased. This lack of ac-
ton could not have been because they
had no good grounds tor action. Ii 1t
was because of a high sense of pa
triotism. that is commendabie, but it
seems to this conference that fair play
suggests that they, too. now be given
consideration.
This conference. accordingly be-
lieves that in all justice to the interests
of the government. as well as TO the wei
fare of the officials and employees OF the
government, the present Congress should
proceed to the enactment Of the princi-
pies of reclassification that will result IN
equitable compensation for all persons
in the service, without exception"
To Form Corps of Speakers.
The conference. at a meeting held
Last night developed tentative plans for
the formation of a corps of speakers
who will deliver talks to government
employees in tLnir departments to ex-
plain the work of the conference. Ad-
ministrative heads will be asked to al
low the speaking. r. J. Quinn prsr
sided at the conference.