Evening star., 1935-01-15
Measure Is Referred to
Appropriations for
Action.
CIVIL SERVICE GROUP
DENIES JURISDICTION
Bulow to Name Auxiliary Body
to Hear Logan Proposal on
Emergency Workers.

The Senate Civil Service Committee
today decided it lacked Jurisdiction
to consider the question of Govern
ment pay restoration and suggested
that Senator McCarran, Democrat, of
Nevada ask the Senate to refer his
bill to the appropriate committee.
Senator McCarran, who is seeking
to restore the remaining 5 per cent
OF the pay cut as of January 1.
Shortly after the Senate met, Sen.
ator McCarran had the bill trans.
ferred to the Appropriations Commit.
tee. He also had sent to that com.
mittee an alternate measure which
deals both with pay restoration and
the repeal of certain other economy
restrictions.
Considers Strategy.
Although the independent offices
supply bill is being considered now in
a Senate subcommittee, Senator Nc
Carran will not try to have the i'm
mediate pay restoration attached to
that measure, because that is a sup
ply bill for the year beginning July /.
Indications this afternoon were that
he would try to have it added to the
first deficiency bill that is brought up,
or ask the Senate Appropriations
a separate measure.
A large group Of representatives
of various organizations, including the
National Federation of Federal EN-
ployes, the American Federation Of
Government Employees, the Central
Labor Union and the National Asso-
citation Of Letter Carriers, were pres
ent when the Civil Service Committee
met this morning to take up the pay
bill.
Question Jurisdiction.
At the outset, however, Senators
Bulow of South Dakota, chairman:
Dieterich of Illinois and Logan of
Kentucky united in raising the ques-
ton that the Civil Service Committee
was not proper place to act on the
pay-restoration bill. They argued that
it dealt with many employees who are
not under civil service, and that it
had to do primarily with the finances
and appropriations of the Govern
ment
Senator McCarran said he had the
bill referred to the Civil Service Com
mittee because it relates to the vel.
fare OF the largest group of Govern
ment workers, namely, those under
civil service. He added, however, that
he had no desire to be arbitrary and
would abide by the expression of the
other committee members in chang.
ing reference of the bill.
Senator Nicely of West Virginia
told Senator McCarran he thought it
would expedite the measure to have
1t referred to another committee.
Course Is Defended.
E. Claude Babcock, president of
the American Federation of Govern
ment Employees, and Luther c. Stew
ard, head of the National Fedora
ton of Federal Employees, supported
Senator McCarran in his original
contention in sending the bill to the
Civil Service Committee.
Babcock pointed out that the pay
cut in the first instance was placed
on an appropriation bill as a legis-
lative rider by rule and that such
legislation could not be repealed on
an appropriation bill without another
rule. Steward also reminded the COM
mittee that when the Government SAL
ary classification law was first being
written more than a decade ago, the
Civil Service Committee and the Ap-
preparations Committee took double
jurisdiction. the Civil Service Com
mittee drafting the law and the Ap-
propriations Committee merely passing
on the amount of money required.
Chairman Bulow announced he
would name subcommittee of three
to hold hearings on the Logan bill to
place all of the employees in new Gov
ernment agencies under civil service,
with a requirement that incumbents
take an n-competitive civil service
examination.