Evening star., 1921-06-03
EMPLOYEES
PAID HIGH SALARIES
SEEN NATIONS RUIN
CONTINUED from First PaseD

personnel turnover in the examining
said. has amounted to about IS per
cent. and is due to the inadequate
compensation given the employees in
this branch of the government. The
witness said unless steps were taken
to increase the salaries the work OF
the patent office would continue TO
get in arrears. and it would be dim
cult to bring the work up to date. He
urged the establishment Of an outside
or Independent agency to allocate
positions in the government service
after consultation with departmental
heads and bureau chiefs.
Another witness at the morning ses-
sion was DR.. Mildred e. Sheetz, senior
assistant physician at st. Elizabeth
Hospital. who asked for higher rat
that institution than they have been
allowed in the pending classification
bills. She said the proposed designa-
tions for this group of employees
would not give them the professional
rank accorded to veterinarians.
-. Elizabeth Nurses Hit.
Moses Sanger. administrative Of
ficer at ST. Elizabeths Hospital. who
followed DR.. Sheetz on the witness
stand. Endorsed the Sterling Lehlbach
bill. He said 1t would be difhcult to
make ALLEGATIONS in the service at St.
Elizabeth's under the Smoot-Wood
bill.
He also called attention to the
fact that under the Sterling-Lehl-
bach bill nurses at St. Elizabeth's
would receive less compensation than
the committee that she would fie a
brief later on behalf of the nurses.
The last witness at the morning
session was DR.. Lyman F. kebler,
chief Of the division Of drugs in the
bureau Of chemistry. Department of
analysis efficiency is the goal of
Standardization in government work
and that other considerations are in
cidental. He also indorsed the
Sterling-I.ehlbach bill.
Technical Employees Testify.
Yesterday afternoons session gave
scientific and technical employees an
opportunity to lay detailed informa-
ton before the joint committee re-
garding the underpaid conditions af-
festing this group of workers.
The witnesses were Dr., JEranklin
Meyer. physicist Of the bureau Of
standards, and president Of the scien-
tific and technical section Of Federal
Employer Union. No. 2: DR.. George A.
Hill. astronomer at the Naval OBJ
Federal Employees Union. No. 2: James
Robertson of the Nautical Almanac
ONCE of the Naval Observatory; Will
liam L. Wallace, chief craftsman of
the bureau of construction and re-
pair. in the Navy Department. and DR..
in government employ.
DR.. Meyer said the scientific and
technical group as a whole favors
classification based on duties. as in
the Sterling bill. rather than
on salary levels. In order to arrive
at the proper salary for any employe
there must be a very definite state
ment Of his duties. he contended.
The speaker indorsed the Sterling
Lehlbach measure, as did DR.. Hill Of
refuted the claim that government
workers have advantages in the mat
ter of annual sick leave not enjoyed
by persons in outside employment.
Compared to Other Work.
He stated that the ebetter-conducted
industries have a Saturday half-holi-
day all the year round, fourteen days
Of annual leave and Sundays and legal
holidays, which leaves. a total Of 266
although they have thirty days an
nual leave. have Saturday half-holi-
days only during three months Of the
year, which leaves a total of 269la
working days.
The witness thought this difference
should be borne in mind when COM
parsons are being made at the ex-
pense of the government workers a.
a, consideration in fixing rates Of pay.
He said that between 1914 and 1873
5e.9 of the government workers took
ten days or less Of sick leave and that
i48.9 took no sick leave at all.
Mr.. Wallace, in advocating the
st Sterling-Lehlbach bill, urged the i'm
portance Of a central reviewing au-
fhority and classifying agency in or
Ier to coordinate the allocations az
made BY the department executives:
Mr. Robertson told the committee Of
the dificulties Of securing qualified
men to all vacancies in the Nautical
Almanac Office. DR.. Diner urged that
pharmacists be given q professional
rating.