The Washington times., 1933-12-08
RETURN Of FULL
RATE SLATED
TOFOLLOW
President Believed to Favor
Restoration of Salaries
As Prosperity Aid
DUNCAN FORSYTH


Information today was that the
pay cut for Federal employees will
be partly lifted January /, through
an executive order, and that re-
peal of the entire Is per cent
will be won in the next session Of
Congress.
It is understood President Roose-
velt will favor the repeal measure,
In behalf of Federal employees.
representations have been made,
first, that the Government should
conform to NRA principles regard
ing wages and working conditions,
and second, that tying up salaries
with living costs retards progress.
Bureau Seeks Economy
Howeevr, it was understood to-
day that the Budget Bureau will
seek economy legislation which
will extend the Presidents power
to cut salaries within a Is per
cent range for another fiscal
year. Lacking specific legislation,
this power will expir> June 30.
The amount of the cut during
the next six months will be deter
mined by the President. But dur
ing the coming session of Congress
the lines will be sharply drawn be-
tween Federal employees and their
friends, on one side, and the, Bud
get Bureau and other proponents
of pay cuts on the other.
To prepare for this conflict the
American Federation of Govern
ment Employees has sought infor-
nation as to the financial status
of all important Government units,
to ascertain whether additional ap'
preparations would be needed to re-
store salaries to the old level.
Limitation Is Planned
This inquiry was made on the
theory that Government workers
are as much entitled to the infor-
nation as is the opposition, and it
has been reported that in most of
the agencies from which replies
have been received, few if any ad-
ditional funds would be required.
AS for the plans to extend the
Presidents pay cut power, it was
understood that this would be linn
tied to a 10 per cent range instead
of IS per cent as at present.
Should the President decide that
NRA conformity requires elm ma
ton of the pay cut through repeal,
he will transmit a message to
Congress to that effect. Two indi-
cations that the President would
seek to restore salaries have al
ready appeared-first, his state
ment to William Green some
weeks ago, and second the fact
that salaries are carried at basic
rates in budget estimates.
Living Costs A Factor
Against these favorable signs
is the apparent indication of the
living cost survey that living costs
have not altered sufficiently to
justify any marked change in the
Is per cent cut. Indeed, only to-
day statistics released by the Ma
tional Industrial conf renee
Board showed that living costs had
declined, though very slightly, in
November.
It was understood today that
there will be no drastic personnel
cuts under the new budget figures
in the Treasury, Interior, Labor,
Justice, Commerce or PostoffiCe
departments. and that few dis
missals of employees are likely to
be required. Since April the Post.
office Department has reduced it's
personnel by 1000. Unless Con-
gress slashes the estimates, no
further cuts of magnitude are ex'
pected there.
Tonight Civil Service Commits
sion Lodge No. 80, American Fed
Grafton of Government Employees,
will meet to consider the pay cut
situation.