Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-06
Defends Classification Board
Position in Submitting
Proposal to House.
CELLER-BROOKHART
SCHEDULES ARE USED
Salaries Would Be Made Uniform
for Comparative Work-Cost
to U. S. Put at $2,S75,10

Chairman Lehlbach of the House
District committee today made to the
House his report on the pay-increase
bill to correct inequalities brought about
by the passage of the Welch pay bill
last year. The civil service committee
last week directed Mr.. Lehlbach to make
this report.
Mr.. Lehlbach defends the Personnel
Classification Boards position, and
makes another attack on Controller
General McCarl. He says that the pro-
visions of this bill restore to the Per-
sonnet Classification Board the powers
stripped from them by the controller
generals ruling.
Mr.. Lehlbach explains that the Gel
lar -Brookhart schedules for pay in
creases were employed in this bill to
make all salaries uniform for compare
tive character of work.
He points out that the administration
of this bill calls for cost to the Gov
ernment of $2,875,000.
In his report Mr.. Lehlbach says:
THE WEIGH act increased the rates
of compensation in the lower grades of
the respective service by emitting the
two lowest rates in such grades and
adding a rate at the top of the new
salary spread, thus decreasing the be-
ginning of the range by two steps over
the old schedules and increasing the
top of the range by one such step. This
created range of six steps in lieu OF
a range of seven steps in the original
classification act. This kind of amend
ment was made applicable to grades l.,
and of the professional and scien-
tific service. grades l to 8, inclusive, in
the subprofessional service, grades ! TO
10, inclusive, in the clerical, admins
trative and fiscal service and grades 4
to 10, inclusive, in the custodial Serv-
ice.
"The Welch act further provided that
the heads of departments and 1nde-
pendent establishments were directed so
to administer the act; that the positions
and employees affected should retain the
same relative position or positions with
in their respective grades in the COM
pensation schedules under these amend
ments as they held at the time the law
went into effect.
this would result In ali employees ad-
vancing two salary steps with the ex-
ception of those at the top of the old
ratio, who could necessarily advance but
one step by reason of the reduction OF
steps from seven to six. Various gov
ernmental agencies intrusted with func-
tions by the Welch act advised the ap-
plication of various mathematical FORM
ulae which would bring about differ
ent result
THE controller general directed the
heads of departments to apply mathe-
matical formula which he Incorporated
in his ruling of June 2, 1923, which,
when applied to the grades above de-
Scribed. resulted that the three lowest
rates in grade advanced two salary
steps, while those in the four upper
rates of the old schedule advanced but
one salary step. There arose much dis
affection because of the apparent dis
elimination in salary increases among
the various employees in the same grade.
In order that the steps of salary in
crease in each grade be uniform this
bill provides an additional salary rate
at the top of the scale thus insuring
uniform increase of two pay steps to
all employees in these grades.
"The bill also makes some other
incidental revisions of pay, such as in
creasing the wages of part-time char
women from As to so cents an hour and
of head charwomen from so to 55 cents
an hour. In the clerical-mechanical
service in grade l the rates are in
creased from so and 55 cents an hour
to SIS and 60; in grade 2 from 60 and SIS
cents an hour to 65 and 70; in grade 3
from 10 and rs cents an hour to rs
and 80.
Before ordering report on the
bill the committee added a provision
that the new rates carried in this bill
be effective as of April l. 1929.
I'm view of the fact that the in
creased raise carried in the bill are new
legislation and do not merely repair
losses resulting from a misconstruction
of the WEIGH act, the committee does
it unjustif1able to make such increases
retroactive.
THE estimated cost of the increased
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