Evening star., 1923-03-08
Two Serious Mistakes in Re-
classification Act Hit Gus
todiaI Service.
BOARD WILL ACT AS
CONGRESS INTENDED
Matter Will Be Called to Attention
of Body Later for
Correction.

Two serious errors crert into this
! Redistribution act by mistake, in
! such manner as to make the law pro-
: vide lower rates Of pay for two grades
| Of the custodial service. according
| to q statement issued today by the
| personnel classification board, fol-
| lowing a meeting this morning at the
Treasury.
! Four minimum rates OF compensa-
| ton were included in the act for per-
sons doing custodial service, which,
according to the boards statement,
! does not express what clearly was
| the intention Of Congress" The four
! minimum salaries which the board de-
clares were included by clerical mis-
take were for grade 2. $3.50 and sS4o,
and in grade 8, for 5000 and 1860.
Error to BE Corrected.
It is the intention of the board, the
statement said, TO proceed on the
basis Of the law as the board under
stands Congress intended 1t to be. and
submit in its first report to Congress
! the situation, so that II may be
amended IL Congress sees fit.
The statement by the board today
explained that the board obtained
certified copy OF the law from the
State Department and began Careful
study of it's provisions.
I'm examining the text of the law,
said the statement at was soon MOTTO
ed that two serious errors had been
made In the passage or the Dill
through the two Houses OF Congress.
| In two instances the law does not
! clearly express what was the inten-
tion of Congress-"
The statement explains how Sena-
| tor Sterling and Senator Smool
agreed to strike out the lower rates
| OF pay in conference and the bill had
! been reported without the op1eclioi1aA
Furthermore. the statement OK
plains, the Congressional Record OF
| March contained copy OF the
| bill. as amended and read into the
! Record, without the lower grades
when passed by the Senate said
| the statement, 1.-The minimum rates or
! $3.50 for grade 2 and $500 for grade
! 8 appeared in the bill as IL went TO
/ the House This was plainly an error
Senate had actually adopted the mini
| mum rate of 5000 and 5000 for the
| two grades.
Declared Unfortunate.
"The bill went to conference, cor
tirued the boards statement toda!.
where the Senate amendment vas
accepted, with amsndments not
The errors were rot detected until
the bill had become a law through
| the Presidents approval: 1t is un-
| fortunate that IN these lower grades
of small -salaried. employees these er-
rors should have occurred.
The board makes this early an
nouncement," it was said, I'm oroer
that there may be no uneasiness felt
| by the employees concerned nor any
apprehension that the board Will
the rates of pay do not become et-
| fective until July, 1924, ample OPP
portunity to correct the errors VIII
| be afforded. With the board using
| the correct rates In all its calcula-
tions and reports there can he no
question of loss to any employe ana
| the board believes there will be
prompt action by, Congress to correct
such manifest clerical errors
Protested by Union.
The objectionable low rates cons
tanned In the discovery today by the
board were among the principal rea-
sons for protest by the National Fed
Grafton Of Federal Employees at
, mass meeting recently.
The classification board today also
issued an appeal to any persons In.
side the public service or outside or
It for written suggestions TelatlnB
to the methods and procedures to be
adopted in the first step 10 be taken
in the task assigned to it under the
classification law
No Oral Hearings.
The board indicated that in receiV-
ing suggestions 1t would not have
time for oral hearings to receive sug-
gestions and it therefore requested
that all ideas be made in writing.
The board pointed out the gigantic
task before 1t and said 1t intended to
call upon officials of the government
! service to aid in preparing the bud
get to be presented to Congress.