Evening star., 1932-04-15
PERSONNEL
CUT IS FORECAST
Postmaster General Brown
Points to Laws Govern
ing Service.

Continuing debate in opposition to
10 per cent cut below the House
figures in the Treasury Office ap-
preparation bill, Senator Oddie Repub-
lican of Nevada. in charge of that bill,
called the Senates attention today to
the letter from Postmaster General
Brown pointing out that almost the
entire amount of such reduction in
the Post Office Department would have
to come from the appropriation for
employment of postal workers.
Senator Oddie read the following
extracts from the Postmaster Generals
letter to the Appropriations Commit
Tee:
Sees Efficiency Hampered.
"As the, laws now stand, the depart
ment is without authority to reduce
wages. 1t is without authority to change
the hours of labor, which Congress saw
fit to shorten effective July l last. 1t
cannot deal in any way with the rates
of compensation or the allowances OF
its personnel. 1t can. however. reduce
its force. not only in Washington, but
at post Offices throughout the country
and in the rural free delivery and rail-
way mail services. And it goes without
saying that if drastic reductions are
carried into the salary appropriations
for the fiscal year 1888 without any
change in the laws. which control the
administration Of the postal service,
there will be no escape from a drastic
workers.
The effect upon the efficiency Of the
service. would, of course, be severe"
EAact VS
The debate yesterday related to the
effect of the 10 per cent cut in the
Treasury Department, which includes
the public buildings program, both here
and throughout the country and il was
brought out by Senator Oddie that ap-
plying this cut to the building program
would mean indefinite poStponement of
$50 building projects.
Turning to the postal service today,
Senator Oddie told the Senate that 10
per cent of the House allowances would
mean cutting off $50 546, 900 in addi-
ton to reductions already made by the
Bureau of the Budget and the House
He quoted the Postmaster General as
saying such a reduction can be made
only at the risk of a serious impairment
of the service. He pointed out that of
the approximately S800,000000 for the
entire postal service, 1858, 1881 900, or II
per cent, is for salaries
1t is probable the Senate will vote
late this afternoon on the question of
whether the 10 per cent reduction rule
applied to two other appropriation bills
shall be invoked on this bill.
Senators Black of Alabama and Dill
of washington suggested that the 10
per cent cut in the case of the Post
Office Department might be taken from
r,,He
kellar of Tennessee, author of the mo-
ton to cut the appropriation bills by
10 per cent, added that that was one
of the reasons his motion should be
adopted in the case of the Treasury
Post Office bill. He said if it is adopted
that question will be one of the most
actively debated.
Senator Hiram Johnson, Republican,
of California, told the Senate late yes
terday he would stand for economy that
he could justify as logical, but would
not vote to reduce salaries of those
who receive 81 500, $4,000, $4,000, SO, 900
or the like.
II think, sir" the Californian de-
who have very little to live on today
is the cruelest, wickedest and the
meanest thing that could be done by
the Congress of the United States"
Senator Johnson said If Congress
wants to reduce salaries, Let us say
to the American people that no man
with a salary of $4,000 or upward
henceforth shall receive more than a
dollar a year; then let us prove our
economy, and let us go forward with |
an economy that will be of some value !
to the people of the United States"
Considering McKeIlar Motion.
The Senate at the time was still con-
sidering the McKellar motion to in
struct the Appropriations Committee !
to cut the TreaSury-Post Office supply
bill by 10 per cent under the House |
total. The House allowed for these |
two departments approximately S1059,- |
OO0, 900. A 10 per cent cut would mean |
taking off approximately $105, 800, 900. |
This bill includes $108,000.000 for con-
tlnuing the Federal buildin~ program, |
Of which not to exceed Sl5,000,000 /
would be for projects in the District Of
Columbia
Senator johnson said he would not |
vote to curtail the building program, |
which, he declared, was held forward |
as one Of the methods of relieving un-