Evening star., 1933-10-22
Official and Private Salaries
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

President Roosevelt has invited the
attention of the National Recovery Ad-
ministration to the matter Of the huge
salaries paid In the motion picture In
dustry. The pay Of all kinds Of work.
ers is considered in the framing of
specific industries codes, from the heads
OF concerns to the lowliest employees.
The N. r. A. now Is engaged in franz
ing q code for the dlm industry, and
reports Of the huge salaries paid the
stars has drawn from the President
the statement that they are "uncon-
scionable."
It is q fact that many stars draw
amazing salaries. Others, 1t Is said,
boost the amount they actually receive
In the belief that publicity advantage
lies in stories OF their great value to
fictitious or real, the President thinks
them too large. He doubtless has hurt
the feelings of a number Of film beau
ties, too, by referring to them as i'm
mature persons" So all the value an
nouncements Of tremendous pay has
brought some of the Hollywood actors
and actresses is q presidential rebuke.
In the course of his observations the
President noted that some Of the film
colony draw salaries five times as large
as that paid the President Of the United
States. Whether one agree that sal
aries paid in private business are too
large, the inference Is drawn that sal
aries paid oficials Of the United States
Government are too low when the
weight Of the responsibility they carry
Is considered and when the American
salaries are compared with those paid
by other countries.
The salary Of the President is $75.-
600 q year. He has. In addition, an al
lowance Of $4,000 year for travelling
expenses. The presidential salary is
far above that paid any other employe
OF the United States. No business in
the country is as big business as that
CT the Government, and it seems that
the salary Of the Chief Executive should
compare a bit more favorably with the
salaries Of chiefs and even of minor
executives of private businesses. There
are vice presidents Of private companies
in this country whose salaries are
greater than that Of the head Of the
biggest business In the world.
British Salaries Much Higher.
There is . sound reason for this.
Government Is consumptive and de-
structive, whereas private business is
constructive. Private business produces
wealth and Government consumes
wealth. Yet because Government is
necessary. it is the opinion of many
people that the dignity of the Office
should be upheld by a larger allow
arce For example, the Archbishop Of
Canterbury. head of the Church of Eng
land, receives a salary as large as that
Of the President of the United States.
The President has the White House in
which to live, but the archbishop has
Lambeth Palace furnished him. Even
the Bishop of London, an important
cleric but a man with but a fraction
Of the responsibility Of many an Amer
ican Government oflcial. receives sal
AIRY Of $50, 600 a year-more than twice
As much as any American official ex-
cept the President 1t must be remem-
bered that the Church Of England is
q part of the British Government. and
that, although clerics. these men are
also Government officials There are
however. no American ofncialS who hold
comparable positions.
The King Of England might be COM
pared with the President of tEae United
States in that each Is the head Of the
state The King Is granted annually