Evening star., 1923-02-13
PRINTERS PAY BILL
REPORTED|N HOUSE
Measure Gives Chief of U. S.
/. Shop Power to Fix All
H. Wage Scales.

Favorable report on the so-called
printers pay bill urged by the public
printer and on which hearings were
held before the House committee on
printing with local and international
officers of the trades unions affected
testifying in favor of the bill. was
made to the House yesterday by Repre-
sentative Edgar r. Kiess Of Pennsyl-
vania, chairman of the House COM
mittee.
The bill authorizes the public
printer to fix the rates of wages for
certain employees Of the government
printing office. including journeymen.
as may be necessary for the execution
OF orders for public printing and
binding authorized by law.
Stating that wages of printers.
proofreaders, pressmen and bookbind-
ers employed in the government print
approved August 2, 1919, and that the
pay OF all the other mechanics and labor
ers Is determined by the public print
or. under authority in the act of jan
that compensation Of 48 per cent OF
the employees of the government
printing. office is definitely fxed by
Jaw and that of So per cent Is de-
termined by the public printer
Representative KieSs says that the
committee is of the opinion that this
Is IAN unbusinesSlke procedure and
mat in fairness both TO the govern
nent and to the employees the wages
OF all journeymen and apprentices
and laborers employed in the govern
ment printing Office should be deter
mined in the same manner and not
axed partly by Congress and partly
by the public printer.
ut would be a difficult task" the
report says, for Congress to fix by
law from time to time such wages
as would be Just to the score or more
or trades and the numerous divisions
ernment printing Office. Therefore
the committee recommends that the
wages of all the work forces in the
government printing office be deter
mined by the public printer. as he
now. does for more than half of the
employees in that great establish
ment.'
Representative Kiess emphasizes
that the printing office is the only
industrial establishment of the gov
ernment that has the wages of even
a part of it's working forces spe-
cif1cally fixed by law.
Wage Scale Changes.
In the bureau of engraving and
printing the wages of all mechanics
and skilled laborers are determined
by the director, with the approval
OF the Secretary of the Treasury. The
wages OF all navy yard employees are
adjusted by wage board with the
approval Of the Secretary OF the
Navy. To secure an adequate num-
Der of efficient workmen at all times
1t is necessary for the government
as for the private employer to be
able to meet changing conditions
with corresponding readjustments Of
wage scales, Representative Kiess'
report says.
He points out that il is just as un.
fair to obligate the government by
law to pay an excessive wage in
times Of business depression and low
er costs of living as it is impossible
at other times to obtain enough eff
cient workmen at wages much less
than are commanded elsewhere.
Accordingly. the public printer or
some other agency should have the
authority to readjuSt wages in the
government printing office from time
for every other industrial plant either
under government or private CONTROL
Representative kiess says.
But he points out that the House
committee does not believe such a
large power over public expenditures
should be vested in any one officer
without some suitable restriction or
supervision. Accordingly, the bill
provides that all rates of wages and
compensation fixed by the public
printer except for groups of less than
ten employees OF the same occupation
shall not be effective until approved
by the joint committee on printing.
This restriction applies now only to
the additional employees whose wages
the bill proposes shall hereafter be de-
termined by the public printer. but also
includes the greater number of em-
ployeS whose wages may now be fixed
by the public printer without the advice
and consent of any other agency Of
the government.
Thus, Chairman kiesS says. far
better safeguard is provided on a pay
roll already amounting to approximately
S6, 600, 900 a year, more than half of
which is expended for wages fixed by
the public printer.
Provision also is made that the public
printer and the joint committee may
Ak upon the additional compensation to