The Washington times., 1924-06-11
Of F|(;|ALS
DISCUSS
TANGLE
Seek to Find Means and
Funds to Meet Increases
Provided by Law

With six weeks yet remaining
in which Treasury officials may
determine the possibility or i'm
possibility of obtaining emergency
measures for the payment of the
authorized salary increases to Dis
trict teachers, firemen and police
men, it was declared today that
a decision would not be rushed.
Conferences Begin.
Acting at the special request Of
President Coolidge, Comptroller Gen.
eral McCarl and Budget Director
General Lord continued today to
confer with heads of the interested
Government bureaus to find a way
out of the dilemma.
The conferences win be. con.
tinued indefinitely.
The belief advanced that the in.
creased salaries can be paid through
the provisions of paragraph Of the
anti-defic.ency law by a waiver on
the appropriations for 1925 was re-
ceiving considerable attention at
the conferences.
The fact that similar emergency
under the Cleveland Administration
could not be solved, however, was
taken by District officials as mean
ing that this plan might be doomed
to failure.
Several other suggestions as to
remedies for the situation were
being studied today.
District Auditor Donovan was ex-
pected to confer again with Treas
ury officials in the interest of the
District employees.
See Legal LOOp-HOle.
That the District Commissioners
have authority under the anti.
deficiency law to initiate an action
which will assure the teachers,
policemen and firemen of the city
their full salaries, authorized by the
recent Congress-, was reiterated by
Federal officials today.
While agreement upon the course
or action to be taken must be
reached with the approval of Comp.
troller General McCarl and General
II. M. Lord, Director of the Budget,
the law places the primary
authority and responsibility upon
the District Commissioners them.
selves.
The emergency clause, of the
ant1defficiency Jaw reads:
"An appropriations shall be SO
appOrtiOned by monthly, or other
allOtments, as to present exDendi.
lures in one portion of the year
which may necessitate deficiency
or additional appropriations to com.
piete the service of the fiscal year
for which said appropriations are
made;
And all such appOrtiOnments shall
be adhered to and shall not be
waived or modified except upon the
happening of some extraordinary
emergency or unusual circumstance.
which could not be anticipated at
the time of making such appOr-
tiOnment;
Sand in case such appOrtiOn.
I1HentS are waived or modified, as
herein provided, the same shall be
waived or modified in writing by
the head of such departments or
other Government establishments
having charge of the expenditure,
and the reasons therefor shall be
fully set forth i'm each particular
case in a communication to- Con-
gress."
1t Is contended that this clause
of the law gives the Commissioners
ample authority to issue a waiver
relating to the monthly apportion
ment or the salary appropriations
The conditions surrounding the
failure of the deficiency appropria.
ton bill, to pass the Senate in the
closing hours of the session, falls
within the descriptive phrase, "un.
usual circumstance" it Is held, es.
pecially since the bills authorizing
the new salary schedules for the
teachers, policemen and firemen, al.
ready had become q law