Evening star., 1933-01-08
Would Be Against Recovery
in Opinion of Senator Borah,
Pending Arguments.
FRAZIER Is HOPEFUL
IT CAN BE AVOIDED
Logan for Reduced Appropriations
Instead Of Taking l 2-3 Per
Cent More From Workers.
BY J. A. OTEARY.

HIuCH IaVor on the recommendation of
the Economy Subcommittee for a new
pay cut Of 12s per cent on Government
employees, In addition to the present
8Hs per cent furlough plan.
Senator Borah, Republican, of Idaho,
said he is mot inclined to be for it."
pointing out that when salary cutting
begins to curtail the purchasing power
of the people sit is working away from
economic recovery" The Idaho Senator
said that Is his present inclination
toward the new pay cut plan, at least
until he hears the arguments of those
proposing it.
Senator Frazier, Republican, of North
Dakota, said he would not like to see
further cut If we can get away
from it."
Other Reductions Favored.
Senator Logan, Democrat of Ken
lucky, declared himself in favor of
strict Government economy, but he
feels that a pay cut such as that Just
recommended Is the wrong way Of ac-
complishing that end. He suggested
| that Congress could reduce the ap-
propriati0ns for various activities Of
| the Government and require admins
trative officials to operate within those
amounts. The Kentucky Senator also
urged elimination of some Government
agencies.
1t appeared yesterday that the gen
| eral economy program, Of which the
pay cut Recommendation is a part,
would not get before the Senate for
debate before Wednesday or Thursday
The Treasury-Post Of1ce appropriation
| BILL to which the economy provisions
\ for the entire Government service have
been attached, is due to be reported
by the Senate Appropriations Commit
tee tomorrow morning. That commit
tee at the same time will probably re-
port out the deficiency bill.
| It is not likely, however, that any ei-
| fort will be made to interrupt conSid-
Grafton of the Glass banking bill for
| two or three days. When attention is
| turned to the appropriation bills, the
leaders are anxious to take up the de-
! ficiency bill first, because some of the
| items carried in that measure sSe ur-
! gently needed. Under this plan OF
procedure, the deficiency bill may be
out of the way Wednesday, with the
economy debate starting Thursday.
Aside from the salary recommended
tions, the outstanding feature Of the
economy measure is the proposed
broadening of the reorganization pow
| ers Of the President, SO that he could
issue executive orders to abolish agen-
! cies as well as to transfer and con-
solidate them.
| All such executive orders would still
| have to be submitted to Congress, but
under the pending bill both houses
| would have to veto a reorganization
| plan by concurrent resolution within 60
! days. whereas a simple resolution
| passed by one branch is sufficient to
stop presidential reorganization order
at present. In view Of the difficulty of
| forcing a veto resolution through both
branches within so days, especially If
there should be even a small group of
! supporters for reorganization order,
the new plan would give the Executive
much more authority than is allowed
under the existing economy act.
Possibility Of Debate.
When the economy bill comes up in
the Senate, there may be some debate
on the constitutionality of Congress del
| egating this amount OF power to the
| President, but members Of the economy
/ SuDCOIQIll6tc6 nave ululCdJcQ tl1cy dK6
| convinced the reorganization plan as
submitted will stand the constitutional
! test.
| There are other new economies In
the forthcoming bill that are likely 70
| provoke discussion on the floor. For
example, the committee is recommending
a 10 per cent cut on pensions allowed
any person through the Veterans Ad
ministration, and on compensation pay
| mentS under the war risk insurance
act, the World War veterans act or
special acts Of Congress, provided the
pension or compensation amounts to
more than $1,000 a year.
This recommendation would affect
] 1899 persons, to the amount OF So
| $4,000. Another amendment would
apply the pay cuts carried in the econ
omy law to the enlisted personnel of
the Army Navy, Marine Corps and
| Coast Guard.
There are other miscellaneous new
economies, relating to travel allowances:
| a proposal to abolish the Bureau OF
Efficiency and a recommendation that
\ the Budget Bureau be empowered TO
pass annually on the estimates to be
sent to Congress under what are known
as permanent indefinite appropria-
tions," just as it passes on all other
| budget items. The committee feels this
| last mentioned proposal VIII lead u
| savings, the exact amount OF which
| cannot be estimated in advance.
Authority on Furloughs.
The bill as it comes from the Appro-
priations Committee also has restored
in it the authority for department heads
| to impose administrative furloughs IN
addition to the general legislative fur
lough This is in existing law, but wa
not continued by the House when it
| passed the pending bill
The only notifications in the existing
law recommended by the committee as
offsets against the further pay cut and
other restrictions were the restoration
of automatic promotions, affecting only
few departments, and the granting of
partial relief to night workers in the
matter of pay differentials. The auto
matte promotion provision will benedt
the Army, Navy, certain groups in the
postal, custom and immigration serv-
ices, and District police and firemen.
These are automatic increases which
occur by reason of length of service or
promotion, as distinguished from salary
step-ups under the classification law,
which are optional rather than auto
matte
When the Senate completes work on
the Treasury-Post ONCE bill, including
the general economy program, all of
these proposed changes in the existing
law viii have to go to conference with
the House, since they are new matters.
In the matter of Government salaries
the House voted not to 20 beyond the
Dresenf aA ner cent ftIrfcarCh rafars