Evening star., 1922-02-08
EMPHASIZES PLAN
Of STANDARD|z|NG
FEDERAL SALARIES
Sterling Stresses Need of
System Allowing for Re-
adjustments.
AVERAGE RATE OF $1,500
ANTICIPATES PRICE FALL
Increase of 80 Per Cent Over 1918
Scale Fails to Compensate for "a
Per Cent Rise in Costs.

A new system of salary standard
| lzation for the civil employees OF the
government. to meet changing con-
ditions, proposed by the Senate civil
| service committee in reporting the re-
| classification bill, is given particular
emphasis in a written report on the bill
| filed in the Senate today by Senator
! Sterling of South Dakota, chairman of
| the committee.
The committee, Senator Sterling says
| in his report, which is thorough and
| comprehensive, has in general re-
| Trained from amending the rates as
reported by the House because under
| existing economic conditions and the
present state of the national finances
/ 1t is perhaps best to inaugurate 4 new
! system Of salary Standardization at
| rates approximating those now being
paid with the expectation that re-
adjustments will be made as conditions
become more stable
| In discussing the salary rates fixed
| in the House bill, which he says the
Senate committee has left practically
| intact, Senator Sterling pointed out
that the average salary under the
| House bill would be approximately
$1,000, which is roughly comparable
10 the average salary of sl,134 pad
| in 1913, an increase of s366. OF about
32 per cent In December. 1921, he
!. pointed out. the cost of living was
.4.3 per cent higher than it was in
1918. So the salary levels provided
| for in the bill fall far short OF re-
| storing to the salary of the govern
| ment employees the purchasing power
l DOSSeSSeG 10 W
Anticipate Rapid Fall.
Senator Sterling. in his report said
that these salary levels must be re-
garded as anticipating a rapid fall
! in the cost of living or an early re-
consideration of salaries with the re-
| turn of prosperity"
| The Senate committee amendment,
| which proposes the plan for read
| 1uSting salaries to meet changing
! conditions, is as follows:
1T shall be the duty of the bureau Of
the budget to make study of the re-
quirements of the several departments
as to the number and qualifications of
the employees necessary to eDable such
departments and the several bureaus
or divisions thereof adequately to per
form their proper functions under the
law: to consider what rates of COM
pensation, consistent with efficiency
and economy in the government serv-
| ice and the maintenance Of reason
able standard of living. should be
government: to make study of the.
rates of compensation provided in
| this act for the various services and
grades with 4 view to any readjuSt-
ment deemed by said bureau to be
just and reasonable.
| said bureau OF the budget shall,
after such study and at such subse-
quent times as it may deem necessary,
report its conclusions to Congress
with any recommendations it may
deem advisable
! The report says:
Fixed Salary Unsatisfactory.
! THE legislation herein proposed for
standardiZing salaries is not based on
! the theory that il is practicable or
/ desirable to fix level of salaries to
continue unchanged over long period
| of years. One of the principal causes
! of the existing unsatisfactory condi-
| tions regarding salaries is that the
| tendency has been to fix the salary OF
| a position at the time the position is
| created and then to leave ii at that
rate regardless of the changes that
take place in the cost OF living ana
! in the rates that competing employees
| pay for similar work.
! As a consequence similar positions
/ in the government service created AT
! different times carry very dfnerent
| salaries. If the cost of living goes
up the employees in the older posi-
! tions become dissatisfied because OF
the economic pressure they are un-
| der, the more Independent and re-
! sourceful resign to enter private en-
nloyment and the new recruits
brought into the service to fill their
nlaces are as rule, not the equals
| of their predecessors. If the cost OF
+, living falls. il brings the positions
| created before the advance in the.
! cost of living back to a salary rea-
sonably in keeping with that in pri-
yate employmentS, but it leaves the
| uositions created during very high
prices above the new level. To GER
| tain extent the government is COM
pensated for these higher salaries III
| that it holds its employees and when
| vacancies do occur they can be hlled
| with exceptionally good men.
The type of men the government is
| to employ should depend not on the
cost OF living, but on the needs of the
| Government service. The person who
enters the employ Of the government
should have reasonable assurances
| that his real wage, as dintinguished
| from his money wage, Will remain
fairly stable, and that from time to
time adjustments will be made in his
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