Evening star., 1921-05-06
ANSWERS CRITIC
OF PAY REVISION
Bureau of Efficiency Head
, Defends Government Re-
organization Plans.

10 the Editor OF The Star:
| My attention has just been called
! to an editorial from the Baltimore
Sun. which was reprinted in The
| Evening Star some days ago, en-
| titled 'Demotion and Reorganization
which shows lack of information on
| the part of the man who wrote it
| or wilIful unfriendliness towards the
persons whom it condemns l feel
| sure that the Baltimore Sun and The
! Evening Star desire to be well in
formed and to be fair. and / take
| pleasure. therefore. in clearing
up several points about which the
| article is in error. 1t says:
THE federal employees are the
storm center of the first fight over
the reorganization of the federal
classified service. which the Harding
three years they have been pressing
for better pay. A temporary bonus
arrangement was put in effect dur
ing the war. by which all of them
drawing less than $4,000 a year re-
| ceived s240 annually. to provide for
rangement stiil continues in effect.
1t is interesting to note what is now
promised"
Bonus Given to Others.
The bonus was regarded as a tenn
porary makeshift, but it was not
quite SO bad as the article states. 1t
was actually given to all persons re-
ceiving salaries of $1,000 or less. Per-
sons receiving between $4,000 and
S2.740 were given bonus equal to
the difference between their salary
and s2.74O.
The article further says that:
The mandarins of the appropria-
tions committee of the Senate, in
cluding Senators Warren. Smoot and
Curtis, do not plan to help the rank
and file of government employees to
any great extent. Their bill stipu-
lates that a substantial number OF
them will receive less than they are
getting now--that is. when the bonus
is taken into consideration. The av-
tire federal service will be about
$3.50 "a year. or $50 less than the
horizontal bonus which all of them
are now receiving.
1 am pleased to say that the re-
classification bill sponsored by Sens-
tors Warren. Smoot and Curtis does
not contemplate a reduction in sal
aries. On the contrary. employees
on the average will receive increases
in their present salaries. including
the bonus. The bill certainly carries
no language to justify the assump-
less than the horizontal bonus which
all of them are now receiving"
The article further says that:
This is revision downward with
vengeance. and it is based. ap-
parently, on the theory that the cost
of living is receding. But If the
long and discouraging fight of the
government clerks for more adequate
compensation has been armored with
even the shadow of truth and JUS
tice, then the Smoot bill is nothin
less than black reaction. 1t does
not accept the fact that present old
line statutory salaries are archaic
and demoralizing. 1t does not accept
the fact that the civil service ought
to be made a career for any young
man who wants to go into it, es-
pecially in the scientific branches.
but leaves matters very much as they
have been for generations past
Declares Statement Contrary.
This statement is absolutely con-
trary to the fact. The only salaries
that are reduced even Slightly are a
few in one or two OF the agencies
that were created during the war
that are grossly out of joint with
any standards that could possibly be
put through Congress-. The fact is.
the minimum salaries prescribed by
the Smoot bill are, in almost every
case. as high or higher than those
proposed by the other reclassifica-
tion bills. and the possibility of ad-
vancement is greater under that bill
than any Of the others because the