Evening star., 1933-02-02
Bratton Reintroduces Amend
ment to Treasury-PostaI
Measure, Starting Debate.
BLAINE WANTS PROPOSAL
IN ECONOMY PROGRAM
Neeley Fears Low-Paid Workers
Will Suffer by Defeat of
Limiting Amendment.

The Senate pushed ahead this aft
ernoon toward an early vote on the
Bratton proposal to make a per cent
cut in the total appropriations for the
Treasury and Post Office Departments
for the next fiscal year. with Senator
Costigan, Democrat, of Colorado, urg-
ing further amendment designed to
prevent department heads from making
further wage cuts in order to carry OF
the S per cent reduction 1t would be
possible, however, to reduce the num-
Der of employees.
The debate this afternoon was
marked by vigorous plea from Senator
Wheeler, Democrat, of Montana
against further pay cuts for Govern
ment employees, in the course of which
he declared that such a course will not
help in any way the farmers and other
groups throughout the country who are
suffering from the depression.
Regarded as Mandate.
Although Senator Bratton rewrote his
per cent cut amendment today so as
to authorize department heads to save
that percentage without directing"
them to do it, he argued during the de-
bate that the term authorize" when
used by Congress in amendments
usually is regarded as a mandate and
probably would be SO regarded in this
case.
Senator Blaine, Republican, of Wis
consin, who succeeded in having the
Bratton S per cent amendment side
tracked on point of order yesterday,
again raised a point of order against it
when Bratton reintroduced it in modi-
fed form today. He was not successful
this time, however, when Vice President
Curtis overruled the point OF order.
The Vice President explained that he
was oyerruling the point of order in
view of the statement made by Senator
Moses. who was presiding yesterday, to
the effect that the amendment would
be IN order If worded differently. This
means that the amendment will have to
come to a vote on its merits.
While the amendment does not refer
specifically to cuts in salaries or per-
sonnel, the continuation of debate to-
day levolved around the likelihood that
it would affect the compensation Of en-
ployes.
Sees Personnel Cut,
Senator Vandenberg, Republican,
Michigan, said that when the 5 per
cent reduction amendment IS analyzed.
it comes down to 10 or Is per cent
cut on personnel, pointing out that
many other items are not reducible.
Senator Robinson of Arkansas, Demo-
cratic leader disputed this statement
and gave set of figures to show that
1t would be equivalent to only TAI per
cent on all items after eliminating those
on which no saving can be made.
The Bratton amendment directs the
Secretary of the Treasury and the Post
master General to reduce expenditures
by per cent below whatever amounts
are finally appropriated for their de-
partmentS. In the case of the Treasury
Department, the public building pro-
gram and the sinking fund for the
emergency relief act are the only ex-
ceptions
The only direction given the depart
ment heads in applying the cut is the
following clause: Such reductions
shall be made in a manner calculated
to bring about the greatest economy in
expenditure consistent with the effici-
ency of the service"
Wide Leeway Given.
The amendment gives the department
heads wide leeway in deciding where to
make the reductions, and this prompted
Senator Nicely. Democrat of West Vir-
ginia, to propose further amendment
providing that the operation of the 5
per cent reduction should not affect any
Government employe who receive So
600 a year or less. This was beaten,
however. Al to 90
In offering the amendment, Senator
Nicely asserted that if history repeats
itself the proposed reductions will be
made at the expense of employees draw
ing 81 400 to ST 300 a year, who usually
do not have influential friends to pro-
tect them.
When Senator Barkley Democrat, of
Kentucky, argued the amendment did
not direct the department head to cut
anybody's salary, he added:
He might do it, of course, in prefer
ence to discharging somebody as q
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