The Washington times., 1936-05-28
SALARY DELAY
IS HOLIDAY
PROBLEM
BY ]. EARLE MOSER


OF extreme diStaste to thousands
of Government employees in the
Capital IS the fact that the ma.
jority of them will not receive sal
ary checks tomorrow so they can
spend Decoration Day and Sunday
in uncramped style.
To many the two-days spring
holiday is quite ruined, unless they
visit the office loan expert" or
else have had sufficient foresight
to own membership in a credit
union. Very few of the $900-$1 800
class have been able to put by
enough to have a good time, as
"before payday" inSufficiency Of
finance has become traditional In
clerkdom.
The particularly irkSome point
of the situation is that while most
workers must endure temporary
poverty for the two off-dayS, thous.
ands will be paid. The strict rules
and laws enforced by the Treasury
Department and General Account
ing Office do not apply to either
the Post Office Department of Gov
ernment corporations that are not
paid from appropriated moneys.
It was said late yesterday that
Postal employees will probably"
be paid "if we can get the pay roll
up in time" while Reconstruction
Finance Corporation announced
it's force would be paid promptly
Friday. Other corporations, in
cluding HOLC, are expected to
come through. But the District
Governments force and all others
receiving disbursements through
the Treasury Department must
hold the bag.
Treasury set up a regulation in
1918, when Secretary McAdoo sat
on the throne, that when the 18th
or last day of the month falls on
a Sunday or holiday, employees re-
ceive pay on the next following
business day. This has never been
set aside. Further, there is legal
statute in force which states work
erS must have actually earned
their pay before they get it.
Technically. employees will have
earned their cash or checks
through Sunday, as they wouldn't
have worked anyway. And tech
nically, disbursing officers could
go ahead and disburse-but they
would then run up against Comp
troller General McCarl and many
rulings which he has handed down,
Should an employe die, for in
stance, on Saturday, he would
have been already paid for Sun
day. Even though he wouldn't
have worked on Sunday dead or
alive, it is held that the Govern.
ment is ''hooked'' for a days pay.
So disbursing officers dare not run
the risk.
At General Accounting Office
the situation is termed the "only
sound, strictly legal way" to handle
end-of-the-month holiday crisis, and
General Accounting always fol-
lowed this rule. Other depart
mentS in the past did as they
pleased, until their disbursing
came under the Treasury wing.
Now they follow the leader.
Steady Increase
Confident OF obtaining a total
membership of 100000 by the
time Of its next national conven.
tion in 1887, the National Fedora
ton OF Federal Employees has
announced chartering of Local
No. 563, at Fort Thomas, KY, |
with names of so employees Of
the Civilian Conservation Corps
on the charter application. In
making the announcement Secre- |
tary-Treasurer Gertrude McNally |
pointed out that the N. F. F. E. |
is progressing both in new or.
ganization and in upbuilding |
rosters of established unions. also |
that only Federal employees are
eligible for membership.
SapOSs to Talk
Today the Resettlement Lodge |
OF the American Federation of |
Government Employees will hear
David j. Saposs, chief econo.
mist for the National Labor Re.
1ations Board, speak on cor.
ganizing the White Collar Work
erS." Mr.. Saposs was formerly
a lecturer at Columbia Univer.
sity and Brookwood Labor Col. |
lege, and is director of the study |
on company unions conducted by !
the Department of Labor. The |
address will be given at 1928 G |
st. N. W., at 8 p. m.
Odds and Ends
Until June / Civil Service Com.
mission will accept applications
for the post of packer at the Navy
Yard here. 1T pays 1888 or more
per day and six months expert.
ence making boxes and packing
crates is required. General Ac.
counting Office will hold a golf
tournament at Argyle Country
Club next Wednesday hir field |