The Washington times., 1922-02-08
SENATEREPORT:
SHOWS j. :. PAY
LESSTHAN 1878
Sterling Bill Would Raise Sala-
ries to an Average Of
$500.

Under the Sterling Lehlbach tie
classification bill, salaries If Fed
eral employees will be increased by
81 per cent. az compared with 1913.
In sthe same period the cost OF
living in Washington has advanced
"A per cent, according ~ :eport
to the Senate today bv Senator
Sterling, chairman Of the Senate
Civil Service Committee.
THE average salary under the
Lehlbach bill would be approx
mately $780," says the report. "as
compared with the average salary
81 sl,l34 in 1918. The salary levels
passed by the House obviously fall
far short of restoring to the SALARY
of the Government employe the
power it possessed prior
10 the war, and must be reSardeo
as anticipating a rapid fall In the
cost of living or an early reconsid
Grafton Of salaries with the return
of prosperity
Senator Srerling declares una
the Senate Civil Service COMMIT
tee in general has refrained from
amending the rates reported py the
House, because under existing eco
nomic conditions and the presen,
state of the national finances IL r
perhaps best to inaugurate ne3
system Of salary Standardization a.
rates approximating those now b.
ing made with the expectation that
establishments will be made as con
ditions become more stable.
The report in general reviews the
work of Reconsideration from It's
inception in Congress several years
ago and contains an extended an
alysis of the Wood-Smoot bill a.
well as the Sterling Lehlbach bill
The latter measure, contains salary
stipulations for all grades Of the
Federal service, including the pro
fessional and field services, and the
salary features Of the measure arr
to be considered by the Senate Ap
preparations Committee before tn
Senate acts upon the measure.
1t is understood that reclassif ca
ton is upon the legislative pro
gram of the Republican leaders o.
the Senate at the present Session
! The supporters Of the measure are
confident that the bill will pas
before the next fiscal year opens.
The Sterling report declares thu
! the salary levels Of the Government
I workers should be changed from
/ time to time, according to the rise
or fall of the cost of living in the
District Of Columbia.
Left at Old Rate.
1T is not practicable nor desiT.
, able to fix a level OF salaries to
continue unchanged over a long pc
riod of years" says the report. One
of the principal causes Of the ex-
! listing unsatisfactory conditions re-
garding salaries is that the ten.
dency has been to fix the salary Of
a position at the time the position
! is created. and then to leave II
that rate, regardless of the changes
! that take place in the cost of liv.
! ing and in the rate that competing
employers pay for similar work. AZ
consequence similar positions in
the Government service created al
different times carry very different
salaries. II the cost Of living goes
up the employees in the older divi.
sions become dissatisfied because
OF the economic pressure they arr
under, the more Independent and
resourceful resign. II the cost of
! living falls II brings the position
created before the advance in the
cost of living back to a salary rea-
sonably in keeping with that In
private employment, but it leaves
the position created during very
high prices above the new level.
Under the Sterling-Lehlbach bill
| the Budget Bureau is authorized
to make a survey of the cost of
living in Washington from time to
time and to make suggestions to
the Civil Service Commission as to
salary readjustments in connection
| herewith.