Evening star., 1920-01-02
FIRST REAL STEPS
TAKEN T0F|X j. S.
CLERKS SALARIES
Dr.. Mosher of RecIassifiers'
Research Staff Presents
Table of Recommendations.

First steps in the actual setting OF
salaries for the 10000 federal en-
ployes in the District were taken TO-DAY
at a meeting of the joint congressional
commission on reclassification of saia-
ries in the District. presided over by
Senator A. A. Jones of New Mexico,
chairman.
DR.. W. E. Mosher of the commits
sions research staff presented to the
commission elaborate tables showing
recommendations of the staff for the
salaries Of VARIOUS classes Fl feasrai =
been worked out carefully from the
basis of norm Of salaries for each
Rel 9AR15H as Normal saiarie,l
It has long been realised by the COM
mission that many of the salaries paid
federal employees here in 1913 and 1914
were normal salaries, which fairly rep
resented payment for the work PERFORM
ed, and with which the employees con-
cerned were more or less satisfied.
These salaries, shown to be normal
by comparison with salaries paid in
the outside business world. which the
commission has secured, have been
taken as the norm. and to this norm
has been added a certain percentage
of increase to cover the advanced
cost of living in the District since
1918.
Recommendations laid before the re-
classification commission today by DIR.
Mosher, head of the research staff,
only represented, lit must be borne in
mind. the opinion of the staff as to
what the salaries should be. The
whole wage policy of the reclassifica-
tion commission has to be decided
upon in detail within the next few
days. in order to get the report ready
for Congress by January IL, II the
Senate does not grant extension of
time when it convenes Monday. The
commission does not fear that If it is
few days late with it's report, say a
week or two after January IL, there
would be the slightest criticism by
any one.
An increase of 80 per cent in the
cost Of living here since 1913 has been
determined upon by the bureau OF
labor statistics, and so recommended
commissions advisory committee on
wage policy recently made a similar
report to the commission.
Salaries Are Compared.
DR.. Mosher's reports to the COM
mission today took the form of ex-
haustive and elaborate tabulations on
large sheets which represented pic
lures" of salaries. Salaries of gov
ernment workers were placed for 1914
.,
parable jobs were tabulated in the
same way.
Then came the salaries asked by the
federal employees. secured as the re-
suit of the thirty or more hearings
which were concluded before the COM
mission the last day of the old year
The next table showed the salary rec
omm endations made by the research
staff.
A blank space at the end of the
| tables, although as yet untitled, is
really the most interesting on the
sheet, since it represents the final YER
dict of the reclassification commits
| the salary for each federal employe
which the commission will recommend
, to Congress in it's report.
The Commissioners are working on
their final decisions. and have before
| them as plastic material recommenda-
| tions for an 80 per cent increase of
salaries; a $500 minimum wage; a
system of lump-sum appropriations
| for the entire government service
establishment of permanent wage
board and tribunal. and the principle
of equal pay for equal work.
| Next to the actual salary recon-
mendation which the commission shall
make for each one of the 100 classes
of federal employees. it is safe to say
that the greater interest among the
employees themselves is in the fate of
the $500 minimum wage recon-
mendation made to the commission.
| AS recommended to the reclassifiers,
this sum would represent the lowest
wage paid any employe, no matter
what class Of work he or she did In
| other words, it would constitute what
is known as an absolute minimum -
applicable to one and all alike. A sum
in the neighborhood of $4,000 was
recommended to the commission by
| the bureau of labor statistics as the
minimum health and decency" bud
get for a family of five.