Evening star., 1922-02-08

Continued from First Page.)
salary to Offset changes in the cost of
living. The entrance salaries for new
close relationship to the precise re-
quirements of the service and COM
pensation in private enterprise.
Provides for Control.
The principal merit of the pro-
posed Legislation is that it provides
a simple legislative and administra-
tive system whereby the salary levels
for the government service may be
reviewed and controlled. 1t proposes
to do away with the practice of con-
sidering. or possibly more accurately
failing to consider. each year the sal
aries of thousands of different posi-
tions. unclassified and ungraded SO
concerned. 1t proposes to substitute
a compensation schedule of services
and grades that when completed for
the field services will probably not
be more than forty pages in length
in bill form and which can be re-
viewed by the Congress and its COM
mittees in a fraction of the time now
required for an adequate review OF
the salaries Of individual positions.
1t further proposes to require the
classifying agency to maintain IN
cooperation with the department
heads the closest relationship be-
tween the detailed duties Of the posi-
tions and the controlling schedule
fixed by Congress-, and it makes II
the duty of the bureau Of budget ito
consider what rates Of pay. consistent
with efficiency and economy IN the
nance of a reasonable standard of
living. should be paid to the civilian
employees of the government" and
"to make a study of the rates or
compensation provided in this act for
the various services and grades. with
by said bureau to be just and rea-
sonable."
The establishment of a system for
an adequate review of government
salaries and for real control of ex-
penditures for services. with due re-
Of the positions. is one of the funda-
mental reforms required to put the
operations of the government on a
business basis. 1t has the indorse.
ment of impartial students of govern
ment administration, of many busi-
Chamber of Commerce of the United
States, Of progressive administrators
in the federal service and of the
great body of employees.
Price Trend Uupredicted.
/ The committee has not felt called
upon to predict the probable future
course of prices and the cost of living
in recommending the salary rates pro-
posed in the bill. Some people pre-
dict a continued gradual decline in
prices, and others. including Prof
irving Fisher, believe that after the
present depression prices will ad-
vance again to high levels although
not so high as were reached follow
ing the armistice, and that after that
4 slow decline will begin.
Prof Fisher predicted to your COM
mittee that this country would not re-
turn to the pre-war level of prices at
least for many years. AS the situa-
ton appeared to the committee, it did
not require q prediction of the future
course of prices, but the establishment
Of a system which would permit of
adjustment to meet serious changes
in tho general level Of prices and the
fixing Of a level of salaries for the
present that fairly meets present con-
ditions. ..s
The report gives the committees
reasons for placing under the Civil
Service Commission the work of re-
viewing the allocations Of the govern
ment employees, instead of the bureau
ofthe budget, and also for caring for