The Washington times., 1933-10-05
ABOLITION
Of Low PAID
POSITIONS
Executive Order May Be Then
Used to Make Scale More
Like Other Bureaus
BY DUNCAN FORSYTH

Abolition of poorly-paid Jobs
in the District emergency relief
organization appeared today as
a possibility, in order that the
incumbents may be reappointed
at a higher scale Of salaries.
This step was suggested by E.
Claude Babcock, president of the
American Federation of Govern
ment Employees, when a delega-
ton of relief workers asked the
aid of his organization today to
procure for them salary which
would conform to those of other
Federal agencies.
If better salaries are not OBJ
tanned, some of the delegation
asserted, a number of relief work
ers will themselves requir aid
from the relief organization. A
number aer now being paid sal
aries as low as $50 or $40 a
month, it was said.
Seek Own Relief
About so members of the relief
agency staff will meet at Bah
cocks office tomorrow, it was
announced, to make plans for
improvement of their condition.
The District Commissioners re-
Gently sought to increase the pay
of 81 of these workers, but a
ruling by Comptroller General ].
r. McCarl held that this action
constituted administrative promo
ton and was prohibited under
the economy law.
Babcock suggested that as the
employees are in a temporary
status, their jobs might be abol-
ished and new jobs created that
would carry a fair rate Of COM
pensation. The possibilities OF
this proposal will be considered
at tomorroW's meeting.
Meanwhile, another group Of
victims ofthe economy measures,
the ousted Federal employees, has
asked the Federal Emergency
Relief Administration to place as
many dismissed workers as pos
sible, and it is understood that a
statement of employment policy
from that agency will be forth
coming in the next week or so.
Out For Promotions
Developments at the A. F.. Of
L. convention today affecting
Federal employees included con-
sideration by the legislative COM
mittee of number of new reso-
lutions, most important of which
is one which would end the pro-
hibition of promotions in the
Federal service.
This, if enacted, would, Of
course, make possible prompt re-
lief for the District relief work
erS, but nothing can be done
until Congress meets and con.
sequently any immediate remedy
must be by Executive action.
Other resolutions before the
legislative committee today in
clude a number referring to
Canal Zone employees, one of
which would make retirement
after IS years practicable, in
view of the arduous conditions of
Canal Zone service. Others con-
form largely to those proposed in
behalf of other Government work
erS.
The cost-of-living question
naires sent out by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics as a means of
determining to what extent the
Government will go in putting
back salaries to basic rates next
January are being taken so Seri-
ously by Federal workers that
more than II per cent of those
distributed already have been
filled out and returned.
Method Attacked
Between 45, 1000 and 50,000 blanks
have been returned to the bureau,
and the information they contain
is being carefully studied.
The American Federation Of
Government Employees, affiliated
with the American Federation of
Labor, has taken the attitude that
the bureau, in placing chief re-
lance on reports from employees
who keep regular accounts, is not
getting information representative
of Federal employees as a whole,
inasmuch as the average person
does not keep cash account.
The A. F. of L. has attacked the
whole principle of salary deter
mination on a basis Of living
costs.
However, the present law re-
quires that, and the question
naires therefore are Of the ut
most Importance. The new cost
of-living figures, on which salary
scales will be based for the COM
ing six-month period, are expected
I