Evening star., 1943-02-14
House Group
Votes 10 NuIIify
Pay Limit Order
Roosevelt Directive
Would Be Replaced
By More Liberal Bill
BY GOULD LINCOLN.


BY vote of Is to 10 the House
Ways and Means Committee
yesterday approved a measure to
nullify President Roosevelt's ex-
ecutive order limiting salaries to
S25,000 after tax, deductions and
substituted more liberal ceiling.
Under existing law "a gross salary
of SGT 500 provides a net salary
of 5000.
Five Democrats and 10 Repub-
hcans on the committee Joined to
report favorably to the House the
substitute for the Administrations
measure to increase the national
debt limit from sl25,Oo0, ,O0o, 900 to
s21O 900, 900 900.
The substitute, sponsored by Rep
resentative Disney, Democrat, Of
Oklahoma, provides that no action
shall be taken which will reduce
annual salaries below those paid on
December 7, 1941-the date on whisS
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. That
means that If an employe was re-
ceiving a salary of $100 900 or $780,
900, or any sum no matter how high.
on December 7, 1941, it can remain
the same, provided the employer
wishes to continue it.
Reflects Resentment.
The Disney measure also stip-
ulates that salaries which did not
exceed $4,000 net before December
cannot rise above that now.
The action of the Ways and
Means Committee reflects the re-
sentiment of Congress toward the
executive order, issued last October
and based on the Second Emergency
Price Control Act of October 2.
l942. Members Of Congress insist
authority to cut salaries had been
specifically left out of the law. and
that the executive had usurped the
power of Congress In issuing the
order.
Those voting for the Disney bill
were Representatives Disney and
West of Texas, Gregory of Ken
lucky, Camp of Georgia and Wasie-
iewski of Wisconsin, all Democrats,
and Treadway of Massachusetts.
knutson of Minnesota, Reed of New
York, Woodruff of Michigan. Jen-
kins of Ohio, Mclean of Connecti-
cut, Garheart of California. Carl
son OF Kansas Simpson of Pennsyl-
yania and Dewey of Illinois, all Re-
pubhcans.
Those voting opposed were Repre-
sentatives Doughton of North Caro-
lima, Cullen of New York, Cooper of
Tennessee, Dingell of Michigan.
Robertson of Virginia, McGranery Of
Pennsylvania, Mills of Arkansas.
Lynch of New York, Forand of Rhode
Island, and Maloney of Louisiana.
all Democrats.
First Play Defeated.
Before ordering a favorable report
on the Disney substitute. the COM
mlttee by vote of Is to 10 declined
to accept bill offered as a substi-
tute by Mr.. Gearheart, which would
have completely nullified the Presi-
dents salary limitation order.
The Is Democrats on the COM
mlttee voted solidly against the
Gearheart proposal All 10 Repub-
hcan members voted in favor.
In vain, administration supporters
in the committee sought to prevent
the attachment of the Disney SAL
airy limitation nullifier TO the bill
to increase the national debt. Ef-
forts were made to persuade the
committeeman to attach this pro-
vision to the next tax bill or to an
appropriation bill on the ground
that it did not properly belong to
the limit bill.
Majority Determined.
At one point in the discussion a
point of order was made against
the Disney bill, but it was over
ruled by Chairman Doughton.
A majority of the committee was
determined to attach the salary
limitation nullifier to the debt limit
bill for two reasons. The first was
that the members believed the
President would not care to veto the
debt Limitation bill. 1t must 90
(See PAY LIMIT, Page A-4J