Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-03-18
District Pay Bill
To Be Reported
Tomorrow
Randolph Promises
Action on Measure
In House Monday
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

Chairman Randolph of the House
District Committee pledged today
that a pay increase bill for District
employees will be reported out of
the District Committee tomorrow
and be brought up for action in the
House Monday
After extensive District Commit
tee discussion on all phases of the
pay problem the Mcmillan subcom-
mittee was instructed to report back
TO the full committee tomorrow the
best compromise of the various sug-
gestionS made today at a confer
ence with District officials, includ-
ing the corporation counsel.
Discussion in the committee in
dictated that while Chairman Nc
MILAN reported his subcommittee
as being unanimously in favor of
10 per cent increase for all District
employees retroactive to December l.,
some members of the District Com
mittee were strongly opposed to the
retroactive feature.
Want Broad Legislation.
Chairman Randolph and others
stressed that the pay bill should
cover not only police. firemen and
school teachers, but should be broad
general legislation covering all Dis
trict employees and that conSidera-
ton must be given to the fact that
District employees in the classified
services, already are receiving the
increase under the stop-gap legis-
lation which expires April 80.
Representative Dirksen, Republi-
can, of Illinois emphasized that the
District pay increases must be pre-
sented as an offset to the increased
cost of living. He proposed that an
increase of $25 a month be given all
District employees receiving less than
$4,000 annually.
In order to expedite action on the
legislation the committee decided
that the Burton bill, which has
passed the Senate, should be taken
as a basis and that all after the
enacting clause should be stricken
out, and the compromise Repre-
sentative Mcmillan is instructed to
present to the full committee to-
morrow should be substituted.
Insists On Report Tomorrow.
In insisting that the committee
report a bill tomorrow, Representa-
tive Randolph said:
This legislation is to meet an
emergency and it already has been
delayed too long. do not intend
81 fao
for failure to agree on bill which
we can present to the House on
Monday"
Sergt. A. G. Davis, president of
the F'iremen's Association, pleaded
with the committee to give partic-
ular consideration to the need for
substantial increases for those in
the lower salary brackets He said
men in those classifications are
badly needed and it is hard to get
requirements for vacancies.
He was supported by George j.
Richardson, secretary of the Inter-
national Association of Firemen,
who spoke in behalf of police, fire.
men and school teachers. Mr.. Rich
ardson asked for blanket $500 in
crease for all except the assistant
superintendent and superintendent
of police.
Trade Boards View.
Clarence A Arata, executive Sec
rotary of the Washington Board of
Trade, presented the views of that
organization. He said the board
believes all employees of the
Municipal government should re-
ceive consideration on an equal
basis He placed the Board of
Trade on record as supporting:
% Legislation fixing the rates of
increase of salaries and wages of
District employees entirely heparate
from legislation for Federal Govern
ment employees. District pay should
be subject Of legislation reported by
the District committees.
90 Legislation providing a fiat 10
per cent increase over the basic pay
of all District employees retroactive
to December l, 1912, and to continue
for the duration Of the war and six
months thereafter. Provided, that
such action would not provide ad-
ditional compensation for those
District employees who already have
received like increase for the same
period under the Federal law. Pro-
vlded, further, that Immediately
upon the effective date of this pro-
posed legislation those District en-
ployes included under the Federal
law shall be excluded from the pro-
visions of that law and placed under
the District legislation suggested.
49, All such increased compensa-
ton to be subject to the following
limitations; That the increase shall
be payable only on that part of an
employees basic compensation not in
excess of 81 900 per annum and that
each such employe shall be paid
only such increase in compensation
as will not cause his aggregate COM
pensation TO exceed a rate of SIS 900
per annun