Evening star., 1945-05-01
3Senators Back
25% Raisefo
j. 5. Employees
Wage Hearing Told
High Living Costs
In D. c. Necessitute Il
BY JOSEPH YOUNG.

Possibility of Is per cent wage
boost for Government employees de.
veloped today when Chairman
DoWney of the Senate Civil Service
Committee announced he woulc
vote for such an increase.
Senator Downey, who had intro
duced the bill providing a Is pei
cent increase and true overtime
rates, made his statement during
committee hearings on proposed
wage and overtime increases for
Federal workers.
The two other Senators present at
today's hearing, Senators Hicken-
looper, Republican, of Iowa and
LANCER, Republican, of North Da-
kota, also expressed their approval
OF Is per cent basic wage increase
at least for employees stationed in
Washington.
= Cites Cost of Living.
Pointing out that the cost of liv-
Ing here is greater than in some
sections of the country, Senator
Hickenlooper said the rate of the
increases should be granted accord
ing to regional cost of living. He
stressed the fact that only about
10 per cent of Federal employees
worked in Washington.
Today's development for a Is per
cent wage increase was contrast
to the committees position at an
executive session late yesterday
when the conferees expressed gen.
eral agreement on Is per cent
basic wage increase, but disagreed
on granting ime-and-a-half over
time.
Senator Downey has called an
ether meeting for next week in an
attempt to report out a bill. Lead
ing opponent of the true overtime
provision is Senator Byrd, Demo-
crat, of Virginia who has led the
fight in Congress to curtail Federal
expenditures.
Complains of Idleness.
Senator Downey has stressed the
necessity for pushing through some
legislation by June 30, when the
present time-and-a-twelf over
time provisions expire.
During today's session, the ques-
S. t1on of alleged wastage of manpoWer
and inefficiency in Government agen-
cies arose when Senator LANCER read
a letter from constituent who COM
planned about having nothing to do
in the Federal bureau where she
worked.
For few minutes the committee
considered bringing the girl - who
was employed in the State of Wash
ington-to the District to testify at
the hearings, with expenses paid.
The matter was forgotten, mo-
mentarily at least, when Senator
Downey reminded his colleagues that
the Question before them was one of
wage Increases and not inefhciency.
I'VE will take up the matter at a
later date-after we complete our
hearings on the pay bill" Senator
Downey said.
Foster j. Pratt, president of the
International Federation of Tech
nlcal E gin ers, Architects and
Craftsmen Unions (AFL), appeared
at the hearing to indorse the 25 per
cent proposal.
Opposed By Byrd.
Senator Byrd has stressed strenu-
Gus objection to granting regular
time-and-a-half overtime pay, it
was learned. Senator Downey and
Senator LANCER expressed them
selves in favor of the provision.
Previously Senator Downey and
other supporters of the bill had de-
cided to settle for the Is per cent
pay increase and drop the regular
time-and-a-h half provisions, in an
attempt toi speed the bill through
Congress. Subsequent testimony,
however, convinced them that Gov
eminent employees should benefit by
the same overtime standards as
prevail in private industry.
The committee members were as
sured by Chairman George Taylor
of the War Labor Board and Eco
nomic Sterilization Director William
H. Davis that the proposed over
time provision was in line with ma
tional policy.