Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-02
PAY EQUALIZATION
At THIS SESSION
APPEARS DOOMED
Amendments for Reductions
and Raises Rejected
by Conferees.
HOUSE RATIFIES SECOND
DEFICIENCY BILL REPORT
Final Flare-Up Is Expected When
1t Goes to Senate Today
for Approval.

Legislation to straighten ont in
equalities in Government employe; :
salaries appears to he doomed until the
next session of Congress as a result Of
the action last night of the conferees
on the second deficiency bill in striking
from the bill both the House amend
ment to reduce certain higher-paid en-
ployes and the Senate amendment to
raise hundreds of salaries in the lower
grades.
There probably will be final fare
up over the question In the Senate to-
day. however. when the conference re-
port is submitted to that body for ap-
proval. The report was ratified by the
House last night.
Brookhart Dissatisfied.
Senator Brookhsrt, Republican. of
Iowa, author of the Senate amendment
to benefit the lower paid workers, did
not hesitate last night to express his
dissa tisfaction with the decision of the
conferees and he is expected to voice
his feelings in the Senate when the re-
port Is presentd
When the bill went to conference
Thursday there were two distinct salary
in a provision which would have re-
suited in pay cuts totaling $500 600
among the scientific and professional
employees. to meet the contention of the
classification board that some OF these
employees were rated too high when the
Welch law was put into effect.
Senate Rejects Reductions.
The Senate struck out these reduc-
tions and, at the same time, wrote In
the Brookhart amendment to give an
increase of one additional salary step
to employees in the lower grades who re-
ceived only one step-up under the
WEIGH law.
1t is understood that in their delibera-
tions throughout Yesterday the conferees
were unable to reach compromise, and
so. they settled the question by the
reductions for the technical workers.
and the Senate group agreeing to
abandon the Brookhart increases for the
lower paid employees
With the closing hours OF the session
at hand. there does not seem to be any
chance of a last-minute change In the
salary situation. but supporters of the
Brookhart amendment are sure to renew
the fight when the new Congress meets
Woodrum Makes Fiery Speech.
In vitriolic speech censuring "the
elimination of all prospect OF any cor
rection of the glsring defects and in
equalities that the Congress about a
year ago forced upon the Government
employees" Representative Woodrum
Democrat, of Virginia. a member OF
the House census committee, accused
abdicating In favor of the executive
branch of Government"
In explaining the situation regarding
pay-relief legislation, he urged his col
leagues to see that Justice is done to
the workers in the next Congress. and
that there should be no more piece
meal legislation for various groups. but
that there must be complete survey
of the entire salary system. He said In
part:
I'm the deficiency appropriation bill
the House has incorporated provision
demanding that these higher paid en-
ployes disgorge. that they give up these
salaries that they have unlawfully ap-
propriated TO themselves and that this
money! be parceled out to the lower
paid employees. The Senate at the other
end of the Capitol incorporated a provi-
sion that would have given raise to the
lower paid employees. I do not criticize
our conferees. / am sure that they had
q tremendous task to perform, and there
were many important and necessary
items in this bill that could not be
tho
the part of the Senate and House got
into room and had boxing match
and the House kicked out the Senate
provisions and the Senate kicked out
the House provision, and now we come
down to the end, and the gavel viii
fail on the 4th of March with the same
confusion and chaos In the ranks of the
Government employees that existed a
year ago, and it will keep on doing thai
until the House of Representatives stops
long enough in the earlier days OF one
| of It's sessions to give sane. careful con.
sideration to this great problem. Ano
what must we DO? We must have a
complete survey of the whole Federal
pay roll and take the time to sit dowr
and work it out. and stop legiSlating foi
groups and classes.
/ we raise this group and the mex
group comes IN IOr a raise. ana tnef
another group comes in for raise
Some of you may be astounded when
tell YOU that there is not Federal de.
/ partment now that can tell you withir
10000 or $4,000 or 10000 how many
employees there are of this Federal Gov.
ernment. There is not department
! that knows that. Everybody ha.
guessed about it and Congress has beer
guessing about it.
Il know it is too late in the session tt
pass any kind of constructive legislation
on this point. My only thought in tax.
| ing your time when you are busy anc
want to get to other affairs is to regis.
ter a protest in order that when ",
come back again in another legisIativ,
session We may give to this matter of re.
adjusting Federal salaries careful con
sideration, and take time and hav,
1 patience and try to mete out som,
measure of Justice Ia the men ant
women In the departments who ar,
working on small salaries. and. If 70,
please. who are the warp and woof O
this Government.
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