Evening star., 1932-06-02
Offers Senate Substitute for
Flat 10 Per Cent Reduc-
tion-Graduated Scale of
Cuts in His Amendment.
SLASH OF rs PER CENT
ABOVE $500 PROVIDED
Various Senators Striving to Effect
Changes in Other Features of
Legislation to Escape Necessity
of Levying on Small-Income Fed
eral Workers.

the fiat 10 per cent pay cut for all
Federal and District employees in
the Senate economy bill was taken
shortly after the Senate met to-
day, when Senator Norris, Repub-
lican, of Nebraska, introduced a
substitute providing for a grad
uated scale of reductions.
The Norris amendment would
save from salary cuts those en-
ployes receiving less than 81 500.
Starting at that figure, the pay
cuts would increase gradually, as
follows
FROM 81 500 to $2,5OO, a S per
cent cut; from s25OO to $4,000, a
10 per cent cut; $4,000 to $500.
IS per cent; $500 to $500, 20
per cent, and above $500. Is per
cent.
Senator Norris explained during the
debate that his amendment does not
mean that a $4,000 salary is reduced
by 25 per cent To illustrate the way
his amendment would work, Senator
Norris pointed out that on a $4,000 sal
ary the first ST. 500 would be exempt.
The next $1,000 would be reduced by
per cent and the remaining 81 500 would
be reduced 10 per cent
While the opening skirmish over the
economy bill is centering On the salary
CIT provision, number of amendments
already have been filed by various Sen
ator5 seeking notifications to ether fea-
lures OF the economy program. which
came frCm the committee with an esti-
mated total saving of $238,605, 900
AS pointed cut in yesterdays debate.
such large percentage of the Govern
nent employees are in the low-salaried
groups that en- exemption Of $4,000. for
example. would eliminate approximately
500 100000 of the estimated savings.
1t is likely. therefore, that the adoption
Of an exemption amendment will be fol-
lowed by efforts to effect economies in
some other direction.
AS soon as Norris had offered his sub
stitute, debate on the bill was resumed,
with Senator Byrnes of South Carolina,
a Democratic member of the Special
Economy Committee, making plea in
support OF the program as submitted by
the committee. including the uniform
10 per cent cut.
Leave Slash Permanent.
As debate on the pay cut feature went
on in the Senate, it was emphasized in
studying the committee report that.
while the 10 per cent pay cut would be
a temporary step for the coming year
only, the reduction of annual leave Of
Federal employees from 80 to is days
would be a permanent change.
Senator Byrnes told his colleagues
the special subcommittee went thor
oughly into the graduated scale OF re-
ductionS as we'll as the Presidents fur
Tough plan, but came to the conclusion
the only way possible to save the
amount necessary to meet the exigen-
cies of the occasion is to reduce every
body from President to porter and
from judge to janitor."
Senator Byrnes declared the previous
action of the Senate in cutting the al
lowances for personal service in the ap-
preparation bills passed would mean
dismissal of many employees without the
flexible features of the pending econ
omy bill. The Interior Department
bill, the only one that has become law,
was cut 33 per cent under current
appropriation.
Nothing would be more inhumane,
ByrneS said. than to dismiss employees
in view of the number already unem-
ployed throughout the country. He said
the economy subcommittee tried to pre-
tions. including the 10 per cent cut in
all salaries. the authority for department
heads to make temporary furloughs. and
the authority to use money saved under
the economy bill for the payment of
salaries where dismissals otherwise would
be necessary.
To Illustrate. Byrnes explained that if
the Interior bill carries $4,000 less than
the current year for salaries in the Sec
rctary's office, it would mean dismissal
OF some employees, but that under the
pending economy bill the flexible fea-
lures would do away with the need for
diSmiSSing any one.
He said the difficulty with turning to
a sliding scale is that one amendment
after another will be offered, each one
raising the exemption higher and there
by causing the resulting economy to
shrink lower each time the exemption
is raised.
Logan DiscOurages Cuts.
Senator Logan. Democrat, of Ken
tucky said he thought he would vote
to cut salaries above $4,000, including
his own salary. but argued that econ
omieS should be accomplished without
this He said he was not in favor "of
leaving the pork barrel untouched and
cutting the salaries of Federal en-
ployes" who have given years of serv-
ice 10 the Government.
He said he had heard the argument
advanced that it would have a good
psychological effect on the country if
Government salaries were reduced, but
added. Let's not try any further gov
ernment by psychology"
Answering the argument that the
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