Evening star., 1929-01-04
Senator Hopes Brookhart's
Plan Will Be Voted on
by March q.
AMENDMENTS PROPOSED
TO CORRECT INEQUALITIES.
Salary Steps Decreased in Some
Instances Under the
Welch Law.

service committee to take up the Brook
hart bill, to give Government employees
the pay increases they would have re-
ceived under the more liberal measure
the Senate indorsed last year, was pre-
dicted today by Chairman Dale of that
committee
Senator Dale said he was in favor of
the bill, and, while meeting has not
been called, he expressed the belief one
would be held soon.
Asked whether he thought the Brook
hart plan could be acted upon at this
session, which ends March 4, Senator
Dale said he hoped it would be possible.
Amendments Studied.
Since the reconvening of Congress last
month, various members of the House
and Senate have been studying pro-
posed amendments to the Welch law, to
correct inequalities in Government SAL
aries, resulting from the methods adopt
ed in constituting the WEIGH act.
1t has been pointed out that in many
cases. the increases granted were not as
substantial as Congress intended, and
that in some bureaus the increases did
not start on July /.
Senator BrOokhart'S bill however
goes further than to correct the inIus-
tlceS which. 1t is contended. resulted
! from administration of the Welch law.
Senator Brookhart'S bill would provide
for the increases that were approved by
the Senate last year. but modified in
conference with the House before the
WEIGH act finally was enacted.
Some Grades Eliminated.
In the Welch law. Congress raised the
salary rates in each~srade. but in some
grades. only six salary steps were pro-
vided for, where there had been seven
under the old classification law Sena-
tor Brookhart'S plan. briefly. is to add
to the rates in the WEIGH law the
salary steps needed to provide the same
number of steps in each grade as ex-
iSted prior t1 the Welch act For
instance, where the two bottom steps
we're cut from grade and only one
new step added at the top in the WEIGH
law. the Brookhart bill would provide
for the additional new step at the top.
The effect of this would be to give
employees an increase of two salary
steps above the position they occupied
prior TO the Welch law. If an employe
moved up one step in July under the
Welch law, he would get an additional
step under the Brookhart bill
1t has been estimated that the addi-
tional cost of the Brcokhart bill would
not exceed $3.000,0 900, both for the ex-
ecutive departments in Washington and
the field services.
Steps Outlined.
The text of the bill adds the follow
ing steps at the top of the grades in
each case:
Professional and scientific service
Grade l, a new step of $4,000 at the
top of the grade: grade 2, $4,000 at the
top; grade 8, $500 at the top; grade
4. $4,000 at the top
professional service-Grade 1,
81 $50 at the top; grade 2, 81 $50 at the
top; grade 3, $1,000 at the top grade 4.
81 $50; grade 5. $2.160; grade 6, $4,000;
grade z, $4,000: grade 8. $4,000.
Clerical, administrative and fiscal
service-Grade /, $1,620; grade 2,
$1,000: grade 3, 81 $50; grade 4, S2,160:
grade 5. $4,000: grade 6, 81, 900; grade Z,
$4,000: grade 8. S3,500: grade 9, $4,000;
grade 10, S4,100; grade IL. $4,000; grade
II, $5.400. Custodial service-In grade
2. the rate per hour for charwomeu
would be raised from 45 to so centT
and for head charwOmen from so to s J
cents; grade .'$1 $50 added at the To
Of the grade: grade 5. S1,860; grade Il
S2.O40; grade z. $4,000; grade 8. $2,6OG
grade 8, $4,000; grade 10, $4,000.
Clerical-mechanical Service-Grade II
80 TO 90 cents an hour, a scent ins
crease: grade 2. IS to 20 cents in placl
of so to 65; grade 3. rs to 80 cents. ia
place of 10 to 75 cents.
The new bill which Chairman Iehl.
bach of the House civil service com
mittee has been drafting during II Ie
Christmas recess will be introduc, 4
early next week. providing for relief FIR
Government employees in the lower SAL
airy grades, so they may receive in
creases comparable with those granted
under the WEIGH pay bill. Mr.. Lehlbach
said upon his return to the Capitol
today.
Mr.. .Iehlbach does not approve the
Brookhart bill because. he says 1t con-
tains the provisions which he consider
ed and rejected last year and he has
not changed his mind about such provi-
sions. He also expressed the opinion
that the President and the Budget Bu-
reau have not changed their opinions.
Cost Figures Obtained.
MT. GcIliDdCIl eApLdlI1eQ tIlat Wnue ne
has worked out tentatively the phrase
Ology of certain sections in the bill,
these have not been harmonized and
brought together into a co-ordinated
measure. He has received some cost
figures from the Bureau of the Budget.
but these were supplied for his personal
use. He feels, however, that the cost
of this relief measure will not be as
onerous as some Government depart-
ments and others interested in this leg
islation are expecting.
Mr.. Lehlbach also explained that
there seems TO have been misunder-
standing regarding his study of retro
active features in the proposed legis-
lation.
All that he has committed himself to
is that where certain Government OFF,
ciaiS were afraid of incurring a def
cheney. even when the controller gen.
erals had ruled as to what the WEIGH
act provides, anG had deferred the bene-
fits for one or two months, as in the
case of the Navy Department. Veterans
Bureau and some field services under
the War Department, that persons now
actually receiving the benefits should not
have been deprived of them for one or
two months by administrative heSitancy,
and that these accounts should be made
"asroactive.
2bere new legislation Is being written,
h aver. to take care of those who did
n9yS eceive benefits under the WelcA
ack setting up entirely new salasW
~nks ~ ~a.~k