Evening star., 1935-04-28
PAY. FATE OF 1,2QD
HINGES ON SENATE
ACTION THIS WEEK
Conference Report on U. S.
Workers. Salaries May
Come Up.
time Is BECOMING
IMPORTANT FACTOR
Treasury Bill Provides Some
Employees Must Take Tests
May Is.

The conference report on the Treas.
ury-Post Office appropriation bill, in
volving the pay of the 1900 Treasury
employees who have been working with.
out it since December !. may be taken
up by the Senate for action early this
week
The House week ago adopted a
partial conference report and voted for
changes in several other amendments
The next move will come in the Sen
ate, either to concur in these House
changes or seek further conference
Time is becoming an important fac.
tor in the disposition of the bill, since
it provides that some of the former
prohibition agents, who are included
among the 1900 payless workers, must
take new civil service examination
before May Is if they are to be con-
tinued in the service after that date
1t has been estimated that there are
several hundred such.
Debate Over Test Method.
There has been some debate over
whether the new examination should
be an open competitive or a non-com-
petive test When the House acted
on the conference report last Monday
it approved a non-competitive exam
ination, which would give recognition
to the experience of the agents already
in the service and who have been
working without compensation.
The Senate on previous occasion
also favored non-competitive exam
ination, but until the conference re-
port is completely agreed to, there re-
mains the possibility of further con-
troversy.
Senator Mcclellan. Democrat. oil
Tennessee, indicated yesterday he still
is opposed to the provision in its pres
ent form. He has contended for ar
open competitive examination 1t was
after Mcclellan last year had Ques.
toned the civil service status of abou
700 of the former prohibition, agent!
who were reinstated In the Treasury
alcohol tax unit that Congress adopted
the proviso affecting their pay status
after December /. After Congress;
adjourned last Summer, the provisc
was construed as affecting the pay OF
a larger number of employees.
The new examination called for by
the pending bill would have to bt
taken by those who did not take, Of
who failed to pass, an examination
held last Fall A considerable number
did not take that examination. believ.
ing they already had civil service
status.
May Come Up Tomorrow
Chairman Glass of the Senate Ap'
preparations Committee indicated yes.
terday he might try to get tn,
Treasury-PoSt Office conference repor
up in the Senate tomorrow.
Meanwhile, a subcommittee of thu
Senate Civil Service Committee may
meet during the week to decide wha
action it will take on several measure.
of interest to Government employees
on which hearings were held recently
These bills include measures BY
Senators Gibson, Republican, of Ver.
mont, and Nicely, Democrat, of West
Virginia, to allow optional retirement
after 80 years of service. Another i;
the Copeland bill to provide for an
nuity payments for widows of Govern
ment employees. Still another measure
would allow employees in the legislative
branch of the Government to join the
civil service retirement system.
The Civil Service Committee also
still has before it, awaiting action, tht
Logan bill to extend the civil service
laws to the large number of position.
in executive branches of the Govern.
ment that are not now under civi
service. This measure would apply II
thousands of positions in the variou.
New Deal agencies. The bill provides
that such incumbents could acquire 9
classified status upon recommendation
of the head of each agency, subject Il
a non-competitive examination.