Evening star., 1924-10-14
1REASURY APPEALS
PROMOTION ruling
Seeks Change in Decision
| Causing Loss in Pay to
Some Winning Advance.

sThc vital question of whether pro-
notion of Government employees from
dYe grade to another where the
Average provision has been Violat ed
Means "A cut in salary has been sub
rsitted to Controller General McCarl
With request for a rcc"nslderat tion.
s1'he Treasury Department has hled
T formal protest against the con-
troller's decision, which he'd that Guy
II. Sutton. an assistant chief OF d.
vision in the office of the register of
the Treasury. in order to be pro
moted to the position OF chlef OF
division and be transferred to the
next higher grade must suffer cut
in salary from $500 to S2.iOO, IN
stead of going into the new place
at the salary enjoyed there by his
predecessors $3.50. II was held SUIT
ton must he denoted to the lowest
salary in the next grade.
Although the document from the
Treasury Department has not been
made public. and proha nly viii be
kept in confidence. it is understood
the matter was strongly presented
TO the controller. with the conten-
tinn that the r.rin"iple laid down in
the Sutton decision was contrary
to the intent nf Congress as expressed
in the classification act.
Principle Is Contested.
At the office. OF the controller gen
cral il WAS said the Treasury COM
muni"atiou had lean received and
would receive attention. There was
no Indication. however. whether there
would h" any change in the policy
affecting such transfer
The principle inyo we'd has also been
contested by the civil Service Commits
sion. which has taken the matter up
with the controller general.
The original decision, dated Septem-
Der -, he'd that in cases where the
average provision had been exceeded
every new change in such gradr
whether by transfer. reinstatement
promotion. reduction or whatever IT,"
change may be. must necessarily be at
the minimum salary rate Of the grade"
Promotion Held Ir.
Sutton. il was learned at the Treas
my, has not been promoted to the posi-
ton Of chief. but still holds his old posi-
tion of assistant chief and his old salary
of S2,5o0.
The difficulty in his case. which has
risen out of the classification Situa-
tNp as one uf the most trouble
some things Yet facing the future of
Government clerks in promotions
under the classification act was that
Sutt on was receiving S2.JnO in grade
Of the clerical and fiscal service.
a higher figure than the lowest salary
provided hy Congress for the next
higher grad, No. = In grade No 4.
in I'll" registers office. it was pointed
out in the decision, the average of
the salaries of the total number of
persons in the grade exceeded the
average of th" compensation rates
specified for the grade" in the elias
silicatlon act. thus violating the So
called average provision"
Gets Absolute Ruiz
In all such cases il has been de-
cided by the controller to be the alb
solute rule that changes to such
grade must be TIRE lowest salary
Departmental and establishment
heads throughout the Government
machine are k@enly Interested in the
outcom" of this contested matter and
1T was understood today many per
sons are awaiting the final decision
before they may be promoted.
Few persons would wish to be pro
NOTED at a decrease in salary. with
little chance of Il raise soon, it has
been pointed out. and the decision
so far is said by departmental heads
TO have been a blow at morale in the
Government personnel
The office of the controller will take
the matter up again. it is understood.
with great care, and look carefully
into the preccdcntS. and the basis
upon which the Sutton decision was
made. What the final result will be.
none was willing today to predict.