Evening star., 1924-07-13
CLASSIFICATION HITS PURSES
OFMANY GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES
Half Million Workers for Uncle Sam Throughout
World Viii Realize Result of Boards York
on Pay Day This Week.

This week the full meaning of "re-
classification" will be brought straight
home to the pocketbooks of Uncle
Sans army of more than half a mil
lion employees scattered around the
earth, when they receive their first
pay in the new fiscal year, July Is.
Many hearts will leap with Joy at
a substantial increase in pay; few
will twinge with heartache at reduc-
tions after years in the government
service.
Exact figures are not obtainable.
But it is known that a majority OF
those persons reclassified obtained IN
creases-some small, to be sure, oth-
ers of considerable size.
Not all of the government service
was reclassified There was the DIG
group of postal employees, for in
stance, whose proposed increase was
drawn up in bill passing potii
House and Senate and vetoed os ne me
President. They continue at the same
salaries. There are large numoeIs
under the authority of wage poai us'
such as control wages IN the a; 49,
rhev we're not reclassified. Ponce,
firemen and teachers here TeceiHeaf
nav increases under speclal acI VI
All told, Uncle Sam employs about
s1n oon nersons at home and ABROAD
according to some of the latest es
mates. @ colum-
~ + ~ oO0 were reclasslhed.
of those in the field about loo,voo
were reclassified, according ;sost;on te
mates by the personnel class'iie.1'
board.
Finally Put In Effect.
Reclassification, over wnicn ',hich
nas tSsre sti,l exist widely varying on,
farances Of opinion, has at least Ceeh @
placed in effect. The personnei e init
sification board, which. was critics
WITHIN itself and harassed py ~ ~Sliliss
r',itbin and without, has nevertneless
haen pounding away at what Paor
6rra Could be agreed on, and the
suits will be seen in dollads aN0
III Ine paS 1,.ss This reclassificatlon ell
fected? az we'll as
the results of reelassln.esa.iTnr .sa nistrict
into two general pafts-she
of Columbia and the nelo; = goes
~ tba. District of Columbia IL So
into effect in full force, without auft
ton of a doubt, under the ap5t ,po5es With
tion acts for the fiscal 1sycIassified. y1as
salaries provided as recia the
In the field service, however tn .ne
rnatter is on a different footihs, @ tnr
special act of Congress proSldae bav
recIassification of heId sdlai carata
ing passed both House sa ana The
hui failed of signature because III
enerossed copy did not arrive 90
at the Capttol prior to the aoloarnr ~
ment of Congress. 1t was sisuIu
neither the Speaker ,a on @ nor the
PRESIDENT of the United states NV
ever President Coolidge, after cor
ference with responsible oniu.a.s ~
his government family, lnciuuins MS
bureau of the budget and otners. na
aI,isad denartments to go ahead
1,itb nayment of all salaries IN !ne
fia1d as if lassified, apporuohlns
sufficient funds from the annual ~
preparation to meet the w sScenr
nav for the first six months eAcspl
where prevented by law. In DeGein-
her. after election, Congress VII pe
back, when it is expected tne oliicna iii
whose signatures are. Iao ma the
promptly affix the same anu 'Ae
thing will all be corrected.
Some To Take Losses.
Coma however. will suffer loss.
They are the employees in the neld
who have been placed unoer statu
tory pay and are not geetlns tneii
salaries out of lump-sum appropith oithar
to nav these persons the increaseo
salary of reclas ssifcation or the $so
q month bonus which Uncle sam nas
paid since the war. IN popula
iuck." at least until Congress meets.
No doubt. their plight will be reme-
died.
While all looks clear ahead for the
field force understhe present system
as regards new pay under reclasslnca-
tion. with the exceptions mentioned.
one ominous little cloud looms on the
horizon. Should any exigency . OF 'te ne
change the minds of some members
Of Congress-as it has sometimes
been konwn to dot would be with
in the bounds of possibility that some
member of Congress might move TO
reconsider the field reclassification
bill. and throw the matter PACK 10
it's former status. Should TINS pe
effected there would be danger that
for the remainder of the year those
field employees who had for the first
Of the year been receiving the in
crease. would have to get along TOT
the last part of the year on mucn
less, or in other words, what was lett
of their former annual salary; a1ter
deducting the amount already re-
ceived.
Troubles Expected to Fade.
This contingency, however, is not
regarded seriously in official circles.
1t looks more like a horrible nlght-
mare to government employees, which
upon the morning of Congress con-
yening will disappear like the bad
dreams of wild youth.
Enough for the two principal parts
of assiflcat1on. How was the Iop
accomplished?
Over the process arose a Dig row.
The law provided among other tnInss
that the personnel classlncaslon
hoard should write class specifica-
tions. or descriptions of the class of
work to be done by government en-
ployes, of such nature that all per,
sons to be classified could be she!Veo
into the classification specifications
nrovided. 1t provided also that the
board should allocate all workers to
their places in the classification
scheme.
Chairman Bailey of the classifica-
tion board in reality has been be-
tween two fires, of the two schools
If thought in the board, represented
by the bureau of efficiency and the
Civil Service Commission: He feels
that the crux of the difference has
heen simply that they had different
;daas as to the order in which the
various kinds of work should be done.
The one wanted the board to do hrst
what the other wanted done secono'
man Bailey, all has been done that
hoth demanded be done, only in a
different order than suggested by one
side to the argument
Procedure Followed.
The procedure which has actuaily
been followed by the cla ls,,af. sslfieatlon iin
ouape is something like this:
FIRST it obtained from the, depart
ments sheets of paper on which were
described the positions and work
sifad in the District of Columbia.
These sheets were handled by COM
mittees of the board and department.
al Representatives. -
~ w
hAats for instance from the War
nnyo IT ,naut and arrange themH into