Evening star., 1921-11-15
Representative LehIbach Ex-
plains Aims of Measure to
Standardize Positions.
PROPOSES TO ELIMINATE
PRESENT INEQUALITIES
Declares Government Has No Sys-
TEN to Guide It in Fixing the
Pay of It's Employees.

reclassification bill is being considered
in the House this afternoon, with
three hours determined upon for gen
eral debate. Resort to a special rule
was taken when Representative Blan-
| ton of Texas objected to unanimous
consent, asked by House Leader Mon
dell yesterday, to make this measure
order of special business for today.
Representative Frederick Lehlbach
of New Jersey, chairman Of the COM
! mittee of reform in the civil service
and author of this classification bill
for civilian positions within the Dis
trict of Columbia and in the field serv
ice, explained the need of such legis-
lation on the floor today. Represent
tive Lehlbach first called the attent,Dn
OF the House to an amendment urge.
by his committee that the estimate
OF the expenditures and appropriation
set forth in the budget to be tran
mitted by the President to Congress or
the first day of the regular sessi"l
shall conf orm to the classificati"I
provided in the Lehlbach bill, and thu
the rates of salaries and compensation
schedules shall not become effectiN
until the first day of the fiscal yea
estimated for in the budget.
Classification Need Implanted.
THE need for comprehensi
| classification of the civilian en-
ployes of the government for til"
purpose of equalizing and standard
izing compensation and providing TO
a uniform and equitable system o.
promotion is universally acknowl
| edged" said Representative Le;llbach
He quoted to the House the findings
OF joint commission on reclassifica-
ton OF salaries as follows:
That the salary and wage rates
for positions involving like duties
and responsibilities and calling for
the same qualif1ca tions show wide
! variations and marked inequality.
That the salary and wage rates
for positions of the same class are
| different In different departments and
| Independent establishments.
That the present system Of pay
| ing bonuses tends to increase the
| inequality in salary and wage rates
for positions Of the same class.
No Uniform Standard.
THAT the government has no stand
ard to guide it fixing the pay of its
employees and no working plans for
! relating the salaries to the character
and Importance OF the work.
That the absence of any uniform
plans or system for regulating in
| creases In the pay of employees and
| the lack of any equitable system
governing promotions have been fac
tors in causing the disproportion ia
pay and work."
The bill under consideration aims
1 to eliminate the causes from which
| tive Lehlbach.
He pointed out that the measure does
not seek to classify by title every posi-
! t1on under the government, but divides
the personnel in the departments in
the District and under the municipal
government Of the District into such
| broad services as: Professional, sub
professional. clerical, institutional Gus
todlal, inspectional. police and criminal
| investigations and fire service. Each
| OF these services is, in turn, divided
into grades averages, six or seven to a
service. with an approximate salary
range for each grade.
Heads to Allocate.
Representative Lehlbach explained
that the task Of allocating employees in
a department to their proper grade in
the services is intrusted to respective
heads Of the departments, but these al
locations subject to revision by the bl,-
reau OF the budget, and become effective
only on approval Of the budget bureau
| The bureau Of the budget Repre-
sentative Lehlbach said, is directed
to report to Congress at the session
Following the passage of this bill =
classification of positions in the fields
analogous to the compensation sched-
uies provided for employees within the
District.
| In reply to questions. Representa-
tive Lehlbach made it clear that tn,
proposed compensation schedules DE-
not embrace employees in a recoEniZ-
ed trade or craft or engaged in skill
ed labor, saying lit was deemed in
advisable to fix by statute the com
pensation for such services becaus.
! OF the periodic fluctuations in their
market value Wages of this class
| Of employees are to be fixed and re
adjusted from time to time by a boara
Of three members appointed by III.
| President, whose findings are als,
| subject to revision and approval b.
the bureau Of the budget
| No General Salary Increase.
This would be an extension througi
out the government service of t.;
method at present in effect in pra.
| tically all government establishment
| where such workers are employed il,
large numbers. such as in the nav,
yards and arsenals.
This measure is not intended as a
general salary increase BILL" said Rep
| resentative Lehlbach, but is for tht
purpose Of bringing about a system
Of standardized compensation. Sucf
increases ss may result will fall prin-
| cipally in the classes that are at pres
ent admittedly under..x..
| IF the ALLEGATIONS are made fairly
and conscientiously and are closely
| scrutinized by the reviewing author
ity." he continued, there will be bu,
q slight percentage of increase in the
| total cost of the government person
mel. and such increase will be moro
than balanced by resultant efficiency"
49, No Opposition Voiced.
No serious opposition to the meas
ure was voiced in the speeches during
the early part of the afternoon. Rep
| reSentative Thomas U. Sisson Of Mis-
| glssippi, former chairman of the sub
committee Of District appropriations
| Of the House appropriations commit
| tee, raised the question however, that
| this bin might operate to withdraw
from the appropriations committee its
Jurisdiction over the salary of govern
ment employees.
Representative Padgett of Tennes-
see also argued that the proposed re-
classification. including new compen-
sation schedules. does, in effect, alb
sorb and make permanent the s240
! bonus which has been paid for sew
eral years to the government work.
ers to eQualixe the increased cost