Evening star., 1933-08-13
EMERGENCY STAFF
FACE PAY TRIMMING
IN EXPERTS SURVEY
Continued From First Page.)

four men. Incidentally this compares
with salaries Of S25 900 and $4,000
which marked Federal management OF
railroads i'll wartime.
Salaries of this nature doubtless have
already received administration ap
proval. inasmuch as they are for eX-
pert service. and the Budget Bureau
study is expected TO be directed at those
cases Wheie the payment is not IN line
with the duties involved.
The intervention of the Budget Bu-
Ieau in the matter of emergency pay,
while not anticipated. followed reports
current for several weeks that Budget
Director Douglas favored a curb on re-
covely expenditures generally. When
these groups. uniformly, were set up
with the legislative provlSo that en-
plOyment Was TO be without regard to
civil service or the classification act.
salary fixing was put within the pro-
vince OF administrative officers directly
concerned and then the personnel i'll
these establishments received their ad
dltlunal advantages over the rest of the
Federal employees when Controller Cen
eral McCarl ruled that they could not,
under the law. be made subject to the
Is per cent pay cut.
Scale Is Adjustable.
Under the plan now contemplated. it
is understood. when budget officials and
the Civil Service Commission experts
have completed their study of salaries
III the groups, and those for compar-
able work i'll the regular establishments.
the result Will be laid before President
Roosevelt. who simply will call upon
the agencies concerned to make any
adjustments deemed desirable. In the
absence of amendatOry legislation, it
would not be possible to apply a pay
cut of any dimension in this direction.
but any need for this would be Obviated
by making a corresponding allowance in
liking the scale.
Whether the Budget Bureau action
had its inception in abuses that may
have come to attention, or whether it
was simply a precautionary move, was
not determined. At any rate, 1t Is de-
signed to prevent recurrence OF war
time excesses which led to passage of
the reclassitication act.
This point was raised month ago by
Lewis Merriam of the BrOokingS 1nStitu-
ton. who. in making study of the
Civil Service Commission organization.
de Nrecated the tendency to set up new
agencies without regard to classification
and expressed the opinion that check
was demanded.
In responding to the request Of the
Bureau for assistance, the Commission
sent over two members OF its staff who
have had wide experience in classifica-
tion matters. Both Hare and Miss Ma
this were with the old Personnel Clas-
sification Board. which. last October,
was merged with the Civil Service Com
mission.
Yesterday also saw a definite move
ment toward formulation OF code
for Federal employees, with announce
ment that William Green. president OF
the American Federation OF Labor
plans to call meeting this week OF
representatives of those unions with
membership in the Government, to dis
culss this question. This will entail
preparation of legislative program for
which the support of President Roose-
welt will be sought in the next Con-
gress. Linked with this will be an
effort also to have the President lift
the Is per cent pay cut.
The announcement of the labor
gathering was made by Cecil E. Gus
ter. executive secretary of the American
Federation of Government Employees,
an affiliate of the American Federation
of Labor, which has been behind this
movement.
Green had intended holding the
meeting several weeks ago. but was pre-
vented by the demands made on his
time by industrial code meetings.
Every union which has members in
Government service is expected to par
ticipate. and while little thought thus
far has been given to the points to be
covered in the code" they will include
working conditions generally. retire
ment. classification, leave and similar
matters.
Date Still to Be Fixed.
The exact date of the conference is
still to be fixed, but it was said that
President Green has given assurance
he will be able to get together with his
aides now in the next few days.
While new legislation would be neces-
sary to bring about the reforms sought
by the workers, the President himself
is empowered to change the pay status,
and it is to be argued that the Is per
cent pay cut, now due to remain in
force until the first of the year. does
not equitably represent, as it is designed
to do. decreased cost of living
Another step in the Government re-
organization was deferred yesterday
when an Executive order was made pub
lie delaying until October II transfer
of tax claim legal machinery from In
ternal Revenue to Justice.