Evening star., 1932-06-21
Still a Hodge-P lodge.

Dt pay Cut 10 lllIdlly opPlONCu Wy
the House and as, in all probability
it will be approved by the Senate Is
such a confusing mixture Of straight
salary slashing and furloughing without
pay that 1t is doubtful If anybody in
Washington today knows exactly how 1t
will work
In principle, the furlough without
pay is the choice between the less OF
two evils. For the majority OF Federal
personnel the salary scale is maintained,
even though the pay is reduced for the
next fiscal year. The approval by the
Federal Government OF the five-day
week means that when normal condi-
tions are restored the full benefits of
this principle should be realized by
shorter hours OF labor at higher not
love-. rates Of pay.
Upon the heads OF the departments,
bureaus and independent establishments
of the Government, however, there now
devolves the responsibility OF admin
istering mixed fuElough and pay cut
with the least amount Of confusion and
in the face Of conditions that are, in
some cases, obviously inequitable. 1t will
doubtless be scme time before their in
diyidual solutions of the new order will
clarity the doubt and uncertainty now
prevailing in the Federal service.
One of the palpable injustices result
ing from the strange combination Of
furIough and pay cut is that while the
furlough affects the majority of Federal
personnel receiving more than $1,000
a year, and while those so affected will
IN all probability be put on the FIVE
dav week basis with every Saturday
of. thus enjoying compensation in
leisure to Offset the denial Of compen-
sation in salary, another great class OF
Federal employees, who for one or more
reasons cannot be furloughed because
their services cannot be spared, will
have their salaries cut by 8.3 per cent,
but will not receive the compensation in
time off given to others. There will be
the case Of Mr.. Jones and Mr.. Smith,
who may work in the same office and
at approximately the same salary. Mr..
Jones will be furloughed for a month
without pay, and will receive the fur
Tough in weekly installments Of half a
day-Saturday morning-a week. But
Mr.. Smith, whose services cannot be
spared, will have his salary cut in the
same proportion and possibly in the
same amount that the salary of his CO.
worker was cut, but will be denied these
Saturday mornings off. One class OF
employees will, in effect, receive the
is received now. But the time at work
is cut. The other class of employees
will work as hard and as long as ever,
but will receive less money for it.
But the most glaring injustice re-
sulting from this hodge podge is found
in the fact that all vacations with pay
have been eliminated for the next
fiscal year-the fifteen-day annual
leave not becoming operative until the
fiscal year 1884. 1t would be impos-
sible to justify on any grounds the
ranking injustice of this action. Mr..
Jones, who was mentioned above, will
again be compensated in part for the
loss Of his vacation with pay. He will
be allowed some leisure, even though he
has to pay for it. On the other hand
Mr.. Smith is not only cut in salary,
but is denied any time off and in addi-
ton loses all of his vacation.
There are other confusing conditions
and inequitable provisions that will be
revealed when the law is more closely
studied They are the outgrowth of the
attempt by Congress to squeeze blood
out of turnip by trying to make any
substantial savings from the already low
and inadequate salaries of Federal en-
ployes. The sum total effect of the final
effort will be to increase unemployment.
decrease purchasing power, add in varl-
GUS ways to the vicious circle OF the
depression and seriously TO impair the
morale and the efficiency of the Federal
establishment.
In day not so long past one remedy
for lameness was to soak the crippled
member In water in which tripe had
been boiled. AS a method of treatment,
it was probably as efflcacious and based
on principles every bit as sound as the
modern method of fighting the results
OF depression and unemployment by
ployment.