Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-01-17
u. S. PAY CUT PLAN
LAID TO BUSINESS.
Connery Makes Charge as
Women Open Drive to
Avert Private SIashes.

the pay Of Federal workers, the Ma
tional Executive Committee Of One
Thousand Democratic and Progressive
Women launched an effective back
fire yesterday afternoon, directed main
ly at wage-cutting by big business and
industrial interests.
Responsibility for the drive to lower
Government salaries was laid directly
at the door Of big business" by Repre-
sentative William P. Connery jr., OF
Massachusetts,, chairman of the House
Labor Committee, who addressed the
mass meeting held in the Willard Hotel
In warning that private industry is
awaiting a Federal pay cut as signal
to make still further wage reductions
in every line of business, Mr.. Connery
and also Representative John W. NC
Cormack of Massachusetts went farther
to make another charge.
Big business" leaders are backing
this drive, they claimed, to justify
themselves in breaking faith with
President Hoover" after the White
House conference at which they pledged
themselves to maintain existing wage
scales.
Address BY Brookhart.
Speakers at the meeting included
also Senator Smith w. Brookhart of
Iowa and James M Fitzpatrick of New
York, one of the opponents of five
day week" bills for Government and
industrial workers. Pledges of support
from organized labor we're given by
Miss Gertrude McNally, secretary
treasurer of the National Federation of
Federal Employees, and E. J. Roach Of
the Central Labor Union.
Tho hi1lc yOroyi5ioO fOr~ Government
pay slaShing are not dead" but are
sleeping" and the only thing to be
done is to defeat every effort to enact
them, MIS-. Elizabeth Smith Edwards,
National chairman Of the organization
sponsoring the protest meeting. warned
in an opening address. She character
lied the legislation as vicious" in its
purpose, as well as economically I'M
sound.
IF this reduction in Federal pay
would add one cent to the price Of corn
or live stock for the farmers, or one
weeks pay for industrial workers, there
might be some excuse for it," Senator
Brookhart declared But no one has
been able to show how the farmers and
1aborerS would be benefited by any
reduction in the salary of Government
employees"
Senator Brookhart denounced the
''unequitable distribution of wealth and
income" as responsible for the economic
distress of the country and further de-
clared that, so long as big corporations
are .ndulging in excess profits and
dividends, he would oppose any program
of wage reductions.
Charges PrOfiteering.
One and a quarter million of people
pay a preponderence of the taxes in
the country, he charged, through
'prof1teering" on the public at large.
1T would be delight for me to levy
taxes on those people for additional
increases in salaries for Federal en-
ployes," he said.
Representative Fitzpatrick declared
sit would be q big mistake for the Fed
eral Government to attempt TO reduce
the salaries of its employees" at this
time. Any such attempt, he warned,
would take money out Of circulation
estimated by various speakers at be-
tween S30.000,000 and 100000, 000-by
reducing the purchasing power Of Gov
eminent employees.
This not only would have a bad
effect en- the country. he pointed out,
but would mot be in line with the OBJ
ject of the reconstruction bill passed
by the House to protect the banks and I
the business interests of the country
In his own bill to cut down the hours |
of Federal employees Mr.. Fitzpatrick |
said it specifically stated there should |
be no reduction in salaries. He added: |
my honest belief is that the only per-
manent solution of the unemployment |
question is fewer hours OF work |
throughout the United States. I will
work against and vote against any at |
tempt to reduce the salaries OF Federal.
er1ploycs."
dining with Mr. Fitzpatrick in eZ-
pla ming thot the present machine |
agc" is forcing the country to rean- |
cation that "f1ye-day week" is neces- |
sary for solution OF present unem-
ployrent ills Representative McCor- |
mack predicted 100000 more workers |
would be displaced by machinery by |
1910. unless this problem Is met.
Sees No Help in Slash.
Reduction of Government salaries, he |
warned, would have no bearing what !
ever in meeting the economic situation
caused by the depression. He said he |
viewed the situation from a rational,
rather than an emotional outlook.
Il am opposed to FEDERAL salary re-
duction because I believe the Federal |
his actual needs require" he asserted |
"A wage cut for Federal employees will |
be accepted by private employers as |
justification for further reducing the ,
pay OF their own employees"
Chairman Connery of the Labor |
Committee charged that big corpora
tions took $4,000, 100000 out Of the |
pockets of workers and now, after
breaking faith with President Hoover, |
they are asking Congress to bring back
prosperity" He added:
This drive to cut the wages of Fed |
eral workers is nothing but an attempt |
on the part of big leaders in business
and industry to justify their own wage |
slsshing They didn't have to do it."
Mrs Edwards. who presided and
opened the meeting, impressed upon
Government workers the necessity o
uniting against pay-cut bills, which she
declared are only sleeping" ready tc
be revived when any opportunity ar
rives.
She pictured the economic disadvan-
tage to the community in the event
these salaries are reduced, as well as
the hardships on the workers and their
families.
Small Percentage Here.
Only about 10 per cent of the 620,-
900 Federal workers are employed in
Washington she pointed out, and COM
munities everywhere would feel the re-
duction in buying power.
Miss McNally declared that Federal
salary reduction would only tend to
make the depression worse, when the
only cure is Increasing the buying
power"
The government salary of $1,260 in
1919 is now worth only $40, she
claimed, insisting that any reduction
v-uld have the effect of pushing sala-
ries and living standards to a lower
level Furthermore, she warned that
il the Government adopted the pol
icy, It would spread like wildfire
through the whole country"
The National Executive Committee
OF one Thousand Democratic and Pro-