Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-13
new CITY HEADS
FACE SALARY Cur
DUE TO GRADE PAY
DR.. ReicheIderfer and Gen.
Crosby Must Divide
$4,000 Annually.
FORMER COMMISSIONERS
Received So, 900 YEARLY
Inequalities Soon Are to Be Ad-
-justed, Under Terms of 1891
Appropriation Bill.

The Districts two new civilian Com
misSionerS, Dr. Luther H. Reicehlderfer
and Maj. Gen. Herbert B. Crosby, are
faced with reduction in salary be-
cause of the peculiar complications of
the classification act, it developed at
the District Building yesterday, when
steps were taken to put their names
on the official pay roll.
Although Proctor L. Dougherty and
Sidney F. TaliAferro, who retired as
Commissioners on Thursday, were
paid $1,000 year each, Dr. Reichel-
derfer and Gen. Crosby must split
SIT ,000-the limit of the salary aiIo-
cation for the two positions. They
have the option Of voting 50 900 for one
position and $1,000 for the other, or
equalizing the amount, each drawing
So, 500 year.
The inequities of the salary situation,
however, are to be adjusted The House
subcopmittee on appropriations in
anticipation of the difficulties that
would arise when new Commissioners
took Office, wrote into the 1881 APP
preparation bill a provision eXemptiTlG
the heads of the municipal government
from the salary restrictions of the
classification act so they could draw
$4,000 year.
Reduced" Pay to July 1.
Nevertheless, Commissioners Reichel-
derfer and Crosby must struggle along
on reduced stipend until July /, when
the appropriation bill is to become ef-
fective. In any event, Gen. Crosby
can fall back on his retired pay Of
$4,000 a year, which Is to augment
his salary as Commissioner.
The compensation tangIe hinges
directly on provision in the classin.
cation act Of 1923, which stipulates
that the average Of the salaries Of
the total number Of persons under
any grade in any bureau or ONCE shall
not at any time exceed the average
OF the compensation rates specified for
the grade.
The Commissioners received $500
until the WEIGH act went into effect in
1925 and Controller General McCafl
ruled that the salaries Of employees i'll
the group N which they had been allo-
Gated automatically should be increased
to $4,000. The decision applied to in
| cumbents, however, making their sue
ceSSors subject to the minimum salary
restrictions on new appointments.
Grade Average Is $500.
In the grade in which the Commits
Stoners are allocated only three salary
step ups are prOvided-$0,000, $500
and 5000. The average OF that grade
is $500 and the classification act pre-
cludes the average of the salaries Of
the total number of persons under any
grade for exceeding the average of the
compensation rates specified for the
grade. Hence, the two new Commits
| sioners cannot draw more than $4,000
year, until the District appropriation
| bill for 1881 becomes effective, all
! though an appropriation is available to
| pay them $4,000.
| Col. William B. Ladue. Engineer Com
missioner is not involved in the salacy
tangle. He was fortunate enough 10
| have been in Office when the controller
| general automatically placed him in the
! $4,000 group and will continue to draw
this amount until he leaves the District
service.