Evening star., 1932-07-11
Increased Administrative
Cost or Unequal Pay
Loss Alternatives.
FURLOUGH is POSSIBLE
ONLY IN SLACK PERIODS
Substitutes Must Be Added to Force
in Times of Peak Load al
Easter and Christmas.

Controller General McCarls ruling
on the furlough plan, which requires
wage deductions to be made at the
time Government employees are on
leave, has created a situation IN the
Post Office Department field service
which is due either to boost admins
tratiye costs several million dollars or
force the workers to lose pay ta appre-
ciable amounts in few months IN
stead of having the cut Distributed
evenly through the year.
The problem arises because OF the
fact that the Department has Two
periods yearly when it carries peak
ioad-one around Easter. which runs
about a month. and the other. at the
Christmas holidays, starting the middle
of November and winding up at the
end of January. :.
furlough clerks and carriers. In TACT II
is customary to hire thousands OF SUD-
stitutes for the Christmas rush.
Two Alternatives.
In consequence. it was said this
morning the department must either
furlough the workers for several days
at a time in the slack periods and de-
duct paw accordingly, which is viewed
as a hardship on those affected, or,
if the furloughs are spread, must use
substitutes more extensively. and thus
incur an expense that should be un-
necessary. ;.
Another element enters here, too, II
was said. as it is not certain how much
of the postal appropriation would De
available for substitutes, this depending
on whether the controller impoundS the
entire alaount saved under the FUR
loughs, or only that difference between
the pay a regular worker would draw
and the amount received by his sub
stit11te. which is about one-fourth less.
The Post Office Department hao
hoped to make a fiat pay deduction OF
two and one-half days month from
each pay envelope, and then furlough
the workers as desired. Such an ar
rangement would have necessltated ex-
penditure of S5,121, 900 for substitute
Clerks and carriers, bringing the De-
partment's net saving urder the econ
umy bill to S35,677OOO. -,
This saving is still possible, nut
1t was pointed out, for example, tnat a
fve-day furlough for which deouc-
ton of six and one-quarter days pay
must De IlldUe. "CulO oAooAi tAoA
20 per cent from an employees salary
at one time The other alternative
to boost the substitute cost.
Previous Orders Issued.
In an effort to take up as much OF
the furlough as possible during the dul
season, the department, before the NC
Carl ruling, had issued Instructions for
most office and railway mail employees
to be held out of service for not te
exceed five days this month.
Postmaster General Brown discussed
the matter with President Hoover TO-
dav He is hopeful of working out
satisfactory solution.
It was also pointed cut today tha'
while the Government is protected
against loss, by requiring pay deduc-
tions at the time of leave, those EN-
nloyes who see fit to accumulate leave
bv working on "payless days" would be
out of luck if they were separated 1ror
the service before taking this leave
for instance, by death. In such event
the opinion was expressed that survlV'
ors would have to sue the Government
to collect.
Meanwhile the eyes of the Govern
ment workers are directed toward The
White House, where President hoover
has the recommendation from tht
Council of Personnel AdmlnlStratlo!
that the five-day week be invoked
where feasible in administering the fur'
An order covering this is expected
this week.