Evening star., 1945-01-18

and reduction in Lowell Mellett.
the number of standing committees
in both houses, ETC." Yes, yes, said
the Congressman, that might be a
good idea, but how are you going to
get enough members to agree to it?
Recommendation No. 2: Estab-
lishment in each house of majority
policy committee and a minority
policy committee, ETC." There might
be something in that, but
Recommendation No 3: Adequate
assistance for individual members of
Congress to help reduce the work
load, etc" Of course, they ought to
have more help, but think of the
squawking that results if you ask
for just one more clerk!
And so on through Nos. 4, S, 6, Z, 8,
9, 10, II, IL. All good enough ideas,
perhaps, but the fellow who wrote
the pamphlet obviously didn't under
stand what a Congressmans up
against.
Jolted by No. 13.
And then the Congressman fell
out of their chairs. Their eyes had
met recommendation No. 13. They
picked themselves up and read 1t
again. There was no mistake. This
is what it said:
"An increase in salary for men,
bers of Congress to $4,000 year,
thereby bringing the compensation
for the Nations top legislative job
more closely in line with that of top
jobs in other fields"
In a daze the Congressman read
the 14th and final recommendation:
Provision of service retirement
pay. at the age of SIS, of $1,000 for
each full year of congressional serv-
ice, up to. a maximum of $4,000
annually, to provide reasonable eco
nomic security justified by the un-
certainties of service in Congress.
The Congressman turned back to
the beginning and read the PAM
phlet straight through with deep
concentration. Maybe the fellow did
know what he was talking about,
after all.
The fellow is Robert Heller, son
of the man who developed the
American Beauty rose, famous for
It's size and fragrance. Mr.. Heller is
a management engineer. In the
course of his career he helped mod
ernize the United States Steel Corp.
The pamphlet with which he has
just Jared Congress is the result of
a study made for the National Plan
ming Association and that organiza-
ton indorses his recommendations.
The National Planning Associa-
ton has a membership drawn from
Government, business, agriculture,
labor, the sciences and professions.
Labor and agriculture are as well
represented as business. The asso-
citation believes in Congress and
wants to see it brought up to date.
Certain to Appeal.
The IA recommendations are cer-
tain to appeal to the common sense
of Congress. They have practical
sound. Curiously enough, however.
the 18th and 14th, while most graft
flying, are likely to cause Congress-
men the most misgiving. When it
is remembered that Congress in
creased the salary of its members
from $500 to $4,000 in 1925 only
after the most serious Soul-Search-
ing, it will be understood that a
proposal for $4,000 salaries, with
pensions attached, comes as some
thing of shock.
specifically" says Mr.. Heller and
the planning association, members
of Congress should be paid as much
as top city managers, State COVER
nors, labor leaders, business execu-
tives, doctors and lawers. Mem
bers need higher compensation if
only to maintain financial solvency.
. The difficulties of members
dependent wholly on their salaries
are becoming increasingly serious"
The argument complete is more
convincing than these fragments,
and with all of it the average Con-
gresham readily agrees. The trou-
BILE is that the Congressman's con-
stituents haven't given the subject
the same study the planning asso-
citation has. To the voters $4,000
may seem like lot of money and
S25,000 too much to even think
about. The Congressman know this
and 1t will take a brave member to
introduce $4,000 salary bill.
But the planning association, In