Evening star., 1941-05-20
Bill TO Stagger
PayDaysGoes
To House Today
Senators to Hold
Hearing Following
Report on Poll

With a companion Dill 10 the sem
ate measure for staggered Federal
pay days scheduled for introduction
in the House today, consideration OF
the bill by Senate subcommittee
awaited the results Of poll taken
by the District Commissioners Of
four representative Washington
groups.
At the same time. Representative
Hebert. Democrat. of Louisiana, who
said he would introduce the measure
in the House today. and Senator
Capper. Republican. Of Kansas. who
submitted his bill to the Senate last
week. emphasized the form the legis-
lation would finally take was still
tentative and would be threshed out
in committee.
The bill in its present form would
provide four paydays a month with
half the Federal pay roll distributed
on the first and fifteenth Of the
month and the other half on the
seventh and twenty second.
Treasury Department and Budget
Bureau officials, however. are also
considering procedure under which
Monday TO Friday Of each week
would be pay dav for certain units
with the individual worker being
paid every two weeks instead Of on
the first and the fifteenth.
Merchants Favor Spread.
Most Washington businessmen
favor spreading the pay days over
the month They maintain that if
the four pay day plan we're put in
effect, it would simply double the
number of business peaks, resulting
in twice as much overtime for en-
ployes. BY leveling out the present
pay day rushes. over perhaps 20
days. business leaders believe service
to Government employees might be
absorbed by regular workers.
Treasury officials have said that
at the present time on each pay day
pproXimately 80 or 40 employees are
required to handle distribution. To
spread the work over the month
would permit it to be handled by
fewer persons, they point out.
Senator Capper and Representa-
tive Hebert agreed that the 20 pay
day month plan had merit and
would be considered in discussion Of
systems to level out the spending
peaks.
Senator Capper's bill was referred
to the District Commissioners who
have asked Corporation Counsel
Richmond B. Keech TO solicit the
views of merchants and other resi-
dents
Mr.. Keech said he had written to
ask the opinions of the Washington
Board of Trade, the Merchants and
Manufacturers Association. the Fed
Grafton of Citizens Associations and
the Federation of Civic Associations.
Hearings Will Be Held.
The Commissioners, Mr.. Keech
declared would be inclined to do
anything that would relieve acute
traffic congestion on pay days as
we'll as take the pressure off busi-
ness firms called on to cash noun
tains Of Government checks each
pay day.
Senator Capper. intent on get
ting the legislation through this ses-
sion of Congress, said the subcom-
mittee of the Senate District Com
mittee considering the bill would
hold hearings as soon as a rerort
comes from the Commissioners. On
the subcommittee which Senator
Capper heads, are Senator Bilbo,
Democrat. of Mississippi and Sena-
tor Hughes. Democrat. of Delaware.
When the hearings start, Senator
Capper said the subcommittee will
invite suggestions from Everybody
who has an idea" Treasury De-
partment officials also will be called
on to outline what changes in the
procedure would be necessary under
a staggered pay plan.
While the interest of Government
employees comes first, the Kansas
legislator said, the subcommittee
also wants to work out plan that
would be helpful to Washington
businessmen.
bdhhcFS see Ndpper.
Senator Capper already has been
visited by a delegation of WASH
ington bankers and said that in all
his discussion of the bill so far he
had not heard single unfavorable
comment.
Representative Hebert said he
would favor any plan to eliminate
the bulges and depressions in busi.
ness.
The bill I am introducing. ne
SAID, is at least a tangible plan. A
peter one may be developed later,
but in the ultimate what we want is
10 Stagger the salaries in a way that
would be of the greatest benefit to
the city as a whole"
chairman Randolph of the House
District Committee. to which the
Hebert bill will be referred. expressed
belief that spreading of Govern
ment pay days here should result
IN healthy and wholesome infu-
ence on the business of the city"
He emphasized, however, that Off
clals of the Treasury Department
should be contacted to determine if
the plan would interrupt or aid their
work during the present emergency.
If Treasury officials feel it will
facilitate their work" Mr.. Randolph
said, L think the proposal should
be pushed al this time" "