The Washington herald., 1921-05-25
JOINT COMMITTEE
ON RECLASSFYING
SPEEDS HEARING
Witnesses Given Limited
Time to Present
Testimony.


cation bearings before the sen4fe
and house joint civil service COM
mitteez yesterday by limiting the
time OF witnesses none of the dozen
or more occupying more than half
an hour at the afternoon session
Many presented statements or briefs
for the records. Skilled employees
will oeRtinue to occupy the atten-
tion Of the committee today when
the hearings in room 235 of the SEN
ate offBe building will be resumed
at 1880 a. m.
AyH. Stephens Of the bureau of
animal industry meat inspection
service, told of the training and
education required for men of this
class Of government employees and
said they were anxious to see the
present standard continued. More
than l. 500 are engaged in the inspec-
tion division in Chicago, Kansas
CITY, Omaha, and other cities where
there are packing plants, but the
number would be more than double
il the men were not experts He
urged their reclassification on bet
ter-pay basis. saying the minimum
salary should be $3.50 instead Of
s1.3se
- Lay Inspector Testhes.
Thomas C.. Ryan. of Chicago. testi-
fed as a Law inspector in behalf of
the 45e inspectors of the Chicago
territory, telling of the hardships OF
the men working in all kinds OF
weather in the stockyards and stor-
ages. Richard Nash, of the national
stock yards. Chicago. urged that lay
inspectors be placed in higher grades
in the SterIing-Lehlbach bill point
ing 70 many inequalities that now
exist
FEDERAL and district stationary
engineers were represented by
Thomas d. Jones, formerly an en-
gineer at the war department. who
said7the classes of engineers. FIRE
men. assistants, electric substation
operators. dynamo tenders and 9TH
ers Of that class need simplifcation.
He said operators of the refrigera-
tion soIaHts in the government print
ing ofice and other big establish
ments were doing the work of
trained engineers and should be so
clasSed He said the biennial pay
basis was a disadvantage and that
the employees h represented worked
seven dys a week, receiving no time
off except the annual 3O-day leave,
while in other branches of the gov
ernmept. service employees received
holidays and 50 sundays a year OF.
He-ssidsSOO men are affected.
Edward r. Williams presented a
brief in behalf OF the International
Association of Machinists, which in
cludes the printing trades, urging.
as had other witnesses, the estab-
lishment Of a central wage board
for revising the system Of pay
msnts. evaluating the work and ex-
periences of the employees. He said
the pay scale at present is grossly
unequal Machinists' helpers were
represented by Roy ]. Mickey: car
peBters and joiners by Lee r
Downs: skilled and unskilled help
ers by ]. Wade: steel plate trans
ferers of the Bureau of Printing
and Engraving by John A. Mooney.
and the steel plate cleaners by Wal
ter Spring. Exhibits of steel plates
were brought from the Bureau of
Printing and Engraving to con-
vince the committee of the expert
ness and responsibilities OF the en-
ployes Of this branch of the gov
ernment, represented as being very
much Underatsd at present pay
scales The necessity for scientific
training and the variety of pay
rates were given.
The spokesman for the carpenters
and joiners explained the varied
and expert services required for
this class Of employees in voicing
their appeal for a higher rating.
He favored the central wage board
and the Sterling-Lehlbach bill, with
some features of the Fairfield bill
included.
Women employees of the Bureau
of Printing and Engraving and
bindery women of the Government
Printing office were among scores
in the large crowd not reached on
the list yesterday. They are to ap-
pear for brief hearings today, as
also are representatives of the fol-
lowing: Government Printing Of
fee press feeders. mail bag repair
shop. laundry and culinary workers
tailoresses and nurses of st. Eliza
beth's hospital. Women's Trade
Union league. sheet metal workers,
electric workers. laundry workers
bureau Printing and Engraving
National Training School for Girls
National Training School for Boys
pressmen. Bureau Printing and En-
craving. photographers. pressmen
typographical printers. electric
nnolders, pattern makers. photo en-
Eravers. craftsmen. painters. chauf-
feurs, bookbinders boilermakers
plumbers. blacksmiths and molders