Evening star., 1921-02-21
DECISION ON BONUS
LIKELY TOMORROW
District Police and Firemen
to Get S12O Early Re-
ports Indicate.

Decision regarding the s24O bonus
for government employees is expected
to be reached by the House tomor-
row.
In the opinion of House leaders,
and especially those who have had
charge of framing the Legislative,
executive and judicial appropriation
bill, the bonus proposition will be
agreed to for the general run OF gov
ernment employees.
1t is expected that all of the veter-
an employees in the government es-
Establishments in operation before
January l, 1919, will receive the
bonus. 1t looks now. those most
familiar with the situation say. as
District will receive the same bonus
as during the present fiscal year.
$120. A strong fight, however. Will
be made on the floor to get the full
s24o for the police and firemen.
Navy Yard May Lose Out.
1t is generally conceded that the
Senate amendment, which would in
clude navy yard and arsenal employees
in the bonus. will be rejected by the
House. 1t is an open secret that not
one> of the six conferees from the
House and Senate on the legislative
appropriation feels justified in insist
ing upon the bonus for navy yard and
1t is the opinion of the conferees
and of others in the House who have
particularly interested themselves in
the bonus question that three of the
new government establishments will
be brought under the bonus provision.
They figure that the United States
tariff commission and the womans
bureau will be allotted the full S240
bonus, and that the employees of the
bureau of war risk insurance will be
allowed a 1920 bonus. The entire
bonus question will be debated on the
floor of the House tomorrow, when
the conference report on the legisla-
tive appropriation bill is called up for
action. The report was submitted to-
day for printing by Representative
Will r. Wood of Indiana, who is in
charge of the bill.
Goes Back for Vote.
The bonus question could not be set
tied in conference because it was one
of the items of new legislation on the
bill which has to be brought back to
the House for a separate vote. Other
items which were brought back for a
House vote are. The question of farm
loan bank bonds, the items of S400, 600
for carrying out the provisions of the
Volstead prohibition enforcement act
on a point of order in the House which
would require the Secretary Of the
Treasury to make requisition on the
Secretary of War for all typewriters
Eeeded in the government service. The
War Department has reported that it
is holding $4,000 Of these typewriters.
Members Show Interest.
Members of the House today are
taking more interest in the question
of the bonus for governmen mt employees
than ever before. Each member is be-
ing seen today by the friends of the
government workers in an effort to
get a record vote on the bonus propo.
sition.
Friends of the police and firemen in
the District are especially active. It
is being pointed out to the members
that the police and f1remen are only
quasi-federal government employees
and receive so per cent of their salary
from the District revenues. The Dis
trict Commissioners have stressed the
need for an increase in salary to
build up a force. Members of Con-
gress are also impressed with the ar
gument that the police and firemen
provide their own uniforms. and that
a bonus Of 1920, or even $240. could
be justified as a clothing allowance.
They are unwilling. however, to have
it appear in the record as a clothing
allowance.