Evening star., 1934-03-20
M'CARL SLOWS Up
EMERGENCY UNITS
INCREASES IN PAY
Regarding Raises Limited
to One Salary. Step in
Same Grade.
SECRETARY WALLACE
PRESENTED DECISION
Curb Applied by Controller to
Agencies Is Second Since
Last November.

Controller General McCarl today
applied the brakes to pay increases in
the emergency agencies.
In decision to the Secretary Of
Agriculture, he held that where raises
would result from the regarding di-
rected by President Roosevelts order
setting up scales comparable to those
provided by the classification act for
the regular establishments, they may
not exceed one salary step in the
corresponding classification act grade.
This means from S60-by intermediate
jumps-to $500 annually, with the
larger proportion held to the former
figure.
The decision was an upShot Of Nc
Carls action IN January in question:
ing the presence of numerous "ex-
perts" and specialists" on the rolls
of the Agriculture Adjustment Admin
istration, at pay running from $1,000
TO $4,000 annually. At that time. Nc
Carl directed that he be furnished
with supporting data to Justify these
salaries, and added that even though
the employees were not subject to the
classification act they came under the
rates set up by the President for emer-
gency employees and should be treated
accordingly.
Rates Mostly Identical.
Secretary Wallace has Just sub
mitted this revised list and an ex-
nj aYahrIiaI ~,
about McCarl's latest decision
1T may be remarked" the Secre-
tary wrote, that with few exceptions
the present rate of compensation and
that previously paid are identical.
The classification has produced three
or four reductions Of pay and one In
crease"
He added that few positions were
still in course Of adjustment.
Taking note of this lone increase
cited by Wallace, McCarl quoted both
that section Of the economy act which
bars administrative promotions and
limits pay rates where the filling of
vacancies result, and a section Of the
independent Offices appropriation bill
which prohibits pay raises through
IeaIOCdllOn, lTlen aOQeO.
The executive order does not pur-
port to authorize administrative pro-
motions, that is. increases in COM
pensation, in violation of the econ.
omy act
Therefore, in applying the provi-
sions Of said order to officers and en-
ployes there must not result a promo
ton.
Scale of Raises Cited.
Where, however, under the adjust
ment the net salary rate to be paid
after withholding the applicable per-
centage reduction (the Is per cent pay
cut) does not exceed the net salary
previously paid for performance Of
substantially the same duties by an
amount equal to or in excess of one
salary step in the corresponding SAL
ary grade under the classification
act, viz: $50. 500, 5000 or $500 per
annum, as the case may be. Such
an adjustment would not constitute
an administrative promotion" Where
salary raises are permitted under the
economy act through promotions to
fill vacancies, the employe advancing
must take the lowest salary in the
new grade unless it is less than al
ready is being received.
Indicative of the scale Of raises
which now will be in effect is that
which applies in the classification
| act grades. For the first four the
steps are $50, which applies to a SAL
airy maximum of s2.16O. For the next
six it is 500. which covers salaries
up to s4,1O0 maximum. For the
next three the Jump is 5000, which
takes in salaries through s6400. and
for the last two, $500 for maximum
salaries Of $4,000 and $4,000.
Expert Ruling Waits.
The curb that McCarl has applied
to the emergency pay is the second
invoked since the President estab-
lished the rate in November in an ef-
fort to get uniformity in the various
new groups set up by law without re-
gard to the classification act. His
original order incorporated So-called
tolerance clause" which allowed ad-
ministrative officers a 20 per cent
lee-way in fixing pay in the higher
grades this being intended to take
care of some specialized cases. A
short while ago however this was
knocked out by the Bureau of the
Budget acting on instructions from
President Roosevelt and while no off,
cial statement was made concerning
| the change it was understood that
ah1JSeS UPre rPSn0nSihlP
incidentally Controller General
McCarl did not pass on the validity
| of the expert" and specialist"
cIassi6catior that accompanied the