Evening star., 1934-02-22
PAY RESTORATION
REMAINS IN DOUBT
President and House Must
Approve Senate Vote
for IS Per Cent.
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salaries under $4,000. having pro-
posed earlier in the debate that men,
bers of the House and Senate be ex-
cluded from the full restoration
amendment These limitations we're
not imposed, however. so that as
agreed to the plan applies to all Gov
ernment salaries. and takes in the
military services as well as civilian
personnel.
Cost Of Restoration.
During the debate Byrnes was asked
what the cost Of full restoration would
be- He explained that restoration of
the entire Is per cent for a year
would amount to $4,000 900. Re-
storation CT 10 per cent for a year
would amount to S126,000 900. Since
there was no dispute over restoring al
least 10 per cent on July l. the
amount involved in the McCarran
amendment was the difference be-
tween these figures, or S63 100000.
The cost of restoring one-third Of
the cut for the five months from Feb
ruary / to June 30 has been unoff-
cially estimated at about s26, 900, 900.
All of these cost figures cover en-
ployes all over the country and not
merely in washington.
The Senate approved without rec
ord vote the recommendation of the
Appropriations Committee to permit
the resumption of automatic promo
tions in the military services and for
special groups of civilian workers,
which were halted by economy legis-
lation about two years ago. This
applies to those whose basic pay in
normal times was determined on
length of service, including a large
number of postal workers, District
policemen, firemen and school teach
ers, and certain classes of employees
in Federal departments.
A number of other teeth were drawn
from the existing economy laws by
individual amendments that were
Promotions Amendment.
An amendment by Senator O'Ma-
honey, Democrat, of Wyoming, was
adopted, allowing administrative pro-
motions for Government employees in
any Government department, where
funds may be available for such pur-
pose during the next fiscal year by
reason of savings in the available
funds of a department for personal
services.
The Senate also agreed to an
amendment by Senator Thomas,
Democrat, of Oklahoma. for the bene-
fit of mechanical groups throughout
Government service whose pay is
fixed by wage boards. The amend
ment calls for weekly earnings in ac-
cordance with the wage schedules OF
June l, 1892. and proviso that the
regular hours of labor shall not be
more than 40 hours week, with
time-and-a-half for overtime.
The Senate also adopted an amend
ment by Senator Hatfield. Republican
of West Virginia, to enable employees
who receive quarters, subsistence and
laundry allowances as part OF Their
compensation to get the benefit ol
adjustments in these allowances.
Moves Against Restrictions.
After the Senate had voted Al to
40 to require full restoration OF the
IS per cent cut on July l Senator
Dickinson tried to wipe out the nu-
merous other restrictions in existing
economy laws affecting civilian per-
sonnel, including the ban on admins
trative promotions, forbidding filling
of vacancies and similar limitations
He was beaten 40 to SO.
The O'Mahoney amendment then
was adopted, allowing administrative
promotions to limited extent, where
funds can be saved without requiring
additional appropriations.
In the debate which preceded the
vote on full restoration, Senator Die
kinson cited the rising tendency OF
price levels and the shrinkase in the
purchasing power of the dollar as
reasons for wiping out the pay cut
entirely. He also asserted the Gov
ernment should not urge private in
dustry to shorten hours and raise
wages while continuing to cut the
pay of its own personnel.
Senator Byrnes, opposing the NC
| Carran amendment, emphasized that
the committee had recommended a