Evening star., 1932-02-18
REPORT KILLS BAN
ON PAY INCREASES
Senate Appropriations CON-
mittee Strikes Out House
Limitation.
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Continued From First Page)
tributed among the number of bureaus
for special activities, including s1So,64e
for maintenance and improvement o.
national forests.
The printed hearings revealed today
that N. P. Alias, president OF District
No. A, International Association of Ma
chinists, told the Senate committee that
while the House provision against SAL
ary promotions "ostensibly prohibits only
increases, it really provides for sccuT-
ing the services Of Federal employees at
continually lower rates of pay, because
it would permit of positions being filed
in the higher grades by people in the
lower grades at less wages and salaries
than those received who might leave or
be eliminated from the service"
Mr. Alias told the committee his Or
ganization opposes the House lirnita-
tions in this bill because of the under
standing that if approved in this bill:
they will be attached to all Of the other
appropriation bills.
In the navy yards" Alias testi-
fed, "for instance, there has been
practice going on of discharging men
who are rated first class, and receiv-
ing first class pay, and hiring them
back at second and third class pay.
That sort of practice would be perris-
sible under this particular provision"
Fights Section Three.
In referring to the ban on filling va
cancies, Mr.. AliIA$ testified as follows:
we feel that section 3 of the bill
is contrary to pubic interest because
we have at the present time, acccrdio;
to estimates submitted by the American
Federation of Labor, about 8,300,CUO
people unemployed in the United States
and there are another 8,000,00 people
who are working short time. We feel
that the United States Government,
being a large employer of labor, ought to
do its share toward absorbing this vast
group of unemployed people, and to
reduce the size of the personnel in
the service will work exactly in the
opposite way"
Hyde's Views Heard.
The hearings contain a letter written
by Secretary Of Agriculture Hyde to the
Senate Committee, saying he is entirely
in accord with the intent Of the House
that there shall be unusual effort made
to curtal Federal expenditures. He
pointed out to the Senators, however,
that the House provisions on promo
tionS and vacancies would require ad-
ditional accounting procedure and that
their apparently jnflexible provisions
will interfere seriously with some Of the
activities of this department"
He explained that they would abro-
gate the present ability to meet new
or emergent conditions by changes, dur
ing the course Of the two fiscal years
involved in the ratio of estimated ex-
penditure plan or any given project as
of personnel employed and CD as be-
tween personnel and other types of ex-
penSe-often downward as TO personnel
expenditure-thereby releasing money,
which under these new sections must be
impounded, for essential repairs to q
building or farm plant, procurement OF
scientific or other supplies, equipment.
etc, which may become urgently neces-
sary by reason of an unforeseen develop
ment in the work"
Substitution Suggested.
Secretary Hyde said it would be more
advantageous to the Government and
more economical to grant to the de-
partment such appropriations as Con-
greSs may determine to be necessary or
desirable for each activity.
Each such activity could then be
administered with the strictest and
most rigid econmy, but with such
elasticity as the emergencies OF the two
| fiscal years may require" the Secretary
continued
IF Congress is unwilling to do this.
then believe it would be preferable
considering the responsibility placed
! upon the department for satisfactory
conduct of the activities assigned to 1t
by Congress to substitute for sections
| two and three (promotion and vacancies
sections) a definite requirement that OF
! the total appropriations granted, the
| department be required to save out
right, in such manner as may be most
| feasible during the year, the amount
which it is believed by Congress will be
saved by the operations of these two
| sections"
Roop Suggests New Section.
! Budget Director Roop advised tho
Senate committee by letter that he il
not in sympathy with the purpose un-
derlying the House limitations on pro-
i motions and filling vacancies, but that
| the Agriculture Department believed
| some difficulties might arise In that
department if the House language were
| interpreted strictly.
He therefore suggested adding new
section to provide that the House linn
itation should not apply to temporary,
emergency, seasonal or cooperative
positions. and should not be construed
as requiring the impounding OF funds
when such action would result in Great
ing a deficiency in any appropriation or
allotment of appropriation for other
personal services. The Senate commit
tee. however, instead of attempting to
modify the House restrictions, struck
them out entirely.
| It was brought out during the Sen
ate hearing that since the passage Of
the classification act. except in few
instances, appropriations for personal
services in each bureau are made In
lump sum instead of for specific po-
| sitions.
Deductions Customary.
It was also pointed out that 1t has
become the practice in making appro-
priations for personal services to de-
| duct from the total amount neces-
Sary for all positions the anticipated
amount that will not be needed by rea-
son of lapSeS on account OF vacancies
and leaves without pay, so that the ap-
preparation would not be more than
was actually required to pay the en-
ployes for the time the positions are
| occupied.
It was stated that the budget esti-
mates for the coming fiscal year are
/ on this basis.
In a memorandum placed in the Sen
ate hearings. it was stated that If the
| House provisions were construed to re-
quire the impounding of the remaining
amounts for positions where vacancies
occur, there would not be left available
sufficient funds, in many cases, to pay
the remaining personnel for the bal
ance of the year. The memorandum
4 ~ l.