Evening star., 1933-02-07
.COUzENS PROTESTS
5PER CENT SAVING
Senator Opposes Forcing
U. S. Workers From Jobs
to Bread Lines.
Continued From First Page.)

lietcc tiic pcllOO lIdu DtSU liAeQ dL
80 days
AS the bill came from committee the
various new propositions were estimated
to save the Government between $40,-
100000 and $5t 100000 next year, in
addition to whateve- is being saved
through the original sections of the
economy law now in effect. OF this
sum approximately $l7,00,000 would
come from the new pay cut Of 123 per
cent on Government salaries, to be add
ed to the present 81, per cent legisla-
tive furlough, and about $500 900 is
to be derived from a 10 per cent cut
which the committee wants to apply
to pensions and compensation payments
distributed through the veterans ad-
ministration, in cases where the annual
payment exceeds $1,000 a year. This
new civilian pay cut and this cut in
pension checks, both of which remain
to be voted on today, represent approx;
mately S25 100000, or about half OF
the total saving proposed by the COM
mittee. The sections approved yester-
day, therefore, aggregate some where
near $20,000,000.
The Bratton per cent saving amend
ment, however, which was not in the
committees report, completely over
shadows the committees program, be-
cause, at one stroke, 1t directs the
executive departments to leave uneX-
pended during the next fiscal year
S140 100000 of the grand total which
Congress appropriates.
Text of Amendment.
This amendment, tho FIRST question
to be voted on this afternoon, reads
as follows:
ssT,l,. ,...s 80 r., at, ova,,,t;,,a <5orar+
ment and independent establishment is
authorized and directed to make such
reductions IN the expenditures from the
appropriations made by the regular an
nual appropriations act for the several
purposes of his department or establish
ment for the fiscal year ending June 80,
1884 Except, in the case of thee Treas
ury Department, appropriations for ac-
QUESTION of sites for and construction
of public buildings and the appropria-
ton for addition to the cumulative sink
ing fund pursuant to section 308 of the
emergency relief and construction act
of 1892, as will in the aggregate equal
at least per cent of the total amount
so appropriated for his department or
establishment for such year (excluding,
in the case of the Treasury Depart
ment. the appropriations specified
above). Such reductions shall be made
in a manner calculated to bring about
consistent with the efficiency of the
service"
When a similar amendment was
adopted last week for the Treasury
and Post Office Departments only, Sen
ator Costigan, Democrat, of Colorado,
secured the addition of restriction
that such savings could not be Made
by pay cuts or furloughs beyond those
already in effect or provided for in the
pending measure. Costigan last night
offered the same restriction to the
general 5 per cent amendment.
The Bratton amendment carried for
the Treasury-Post ONCE Departments
by 81 to "a. 1t is believed, however,
that number of those who voted for
1t in the limited form will not sup
port 1t as applied to all departments.
With the same number voting there
would have to be a change of at least
IA votes to defeat the amendment.
Protest Great Majority.
The first. vote viii come on the Cos
tigan pay-cut ban, which carried last
week on the original Bratton amend
ment by AZ to %. Supporters Of the
Bratton amendment argue that II the
Costigan amendment Is adopted and
department heads should not be able
to save per cent Of their total appro-
priationS from sources other than sal
airy allowances, then disnissals would
be necessary If temporary furloughs are
forbidden by the Costigan amendment
Backers of the Costigan amendment
contend 1t would protect the great ma
jority of Government workers.
The recommendation of the Economy
Committee for an additional pay cut of
l2s per cent on top of the existing 81s
per cent furlough system will not be
voted on until after the fate Of the
Bratton and Costigan amendments
have been settled And the decision on
one will have material effect on what
the Senate does with the other For
example, If the Bratton plan carries,
there Is belief among some Senators
that the 12s per cent cut will fail.
Personnel Records.
The Senate yesterday afternoon
struck from the bill all reference to
changing the method of keeping per-
sonnel records Of Government en-
ployes. The COMMITTEES originally
brought in a section which members of
the Civil Service Commission feared
would strike a blow at the civil service
system by giving the departments juris-
diction over personnel records.
Senator Bratton yesterday offered q
substitute prepared by the commission,
he said, which would not disturb the
commissions records, in his opinion,
but would merely authorize the COM
mission to bring about a uniform sys-
tenn of setting up those records which
are already in the departments. Al
though this substitute was agreed to,
Chairman Dale of the Civil Service
Committee later had the entire section
eliminated, 80 to 80.
The Economy Committee struck from
the House bill the paragraph which
would have continued for another year
the ban against automatic increases in
the Army, Navy. certain postal en-
ployes and some District employees, such
as police and firemen, who move up
automatically according to length Of
service or through promotion.
Senator Nye, Republican, Of North
Dakota, tried to preserve the work of
the Bureau of Efficiency with a substi-
tute amendment under which it Would
have been abolished as sepafate
agency, but with its personnel and ap-
preparation transferred to the General
Accounting once.
Must Go to Conference.
Senators Copeland, Dickinson and
Byrnes secured a change which gives
the bureau more time in which to wind
up its affairs. This, as well as all other
Senate provisions of the economy bill,
must be sent to conference and acted
on by the House, however, before the
bill is finally enacted.
The Economy Committee met one
setback during the day, when Senator
Reed managed to obtain adoption of an
amendment continuing the present
limitations of two years on assignments
of military officers to the Philippines.
the Orient and Panama.
without a record vote, the Senate
adopted an amendment by Senator
Connally Democrat of Texas Drovid-