Evening star., 1946-06-27
McCarran Seeks
Teacher Raises
Up 10 $3.50
Would Combine Merit
And Cost of LIVING
Boosts in One Bill

Senator McCarran, Democrat, OF
Nevada, today was seeking support
in the Senate District Committee
for liberalized proposal to increase
the pay of Washington school
teachers a minimum of $3.50 and q
maximum of $3.50.
His plan to combine into one
measure the terms of the fiat $3.50
raise recommended by the Commits
sloners and his own previous plan
for upward adjustment ranging
from 500 to $500. brought an i'm
mediate objection from District
Budget Officer Walter L. Fowler.
MIR. Fowler argued that such a
plan would place an annually con-
tinuing burden on the District
treasury which it could not afford
that it would grant school teachers
q higher pay raise than that given
other District and Federal workers,
and that it would be departure
from the IA per cent policy laid
down by Congress in action on pay
for Federal workers.
McCarran Defers Action.
Senator McCarran decided today
not to press for an immediate hear
ing on his new proposal at a
meeting of the District Committee
to consider several District measures,
and the nomination of James H.
Flanagan as member of the
District Public Utilities Commission.
He told acting chairman Hoey that
he had other committee duties to-
day and hoped to confer with
District Committee members with
In two or three days" on the
teachers pay proposal.
A stack Of copies of the original
McCarran bill with amendments
increasing the pay from a mini
mum of $500 to a maximum of
$3.50 were on the clerks desk, ap-
parently ready for distribution but
Senator McCarran and Senator
Hoey declined to distribute them
when the Nevada Senator suggested
that the matter be deferred for a
few days. Although today's hear
ing on the McCarran proposal had
not been generally announced far
In advance, about score of school
teachers were on hand to hear the
matter discussed by the committee.
Miss Louise r. Grover, legislative
chairman of the High School
Teachers Association, expressed
disappointment that the matter was
put of.
Senator McCarran said his orig
inal bill was not based on increased
costs of living, but rather was
designed to grant teachers an up
ward adjustment that was merited
by their services, their qualifica-
tions and the educational require
ments.
Devises Merger Proposal.
Therefore, he said, he had de-
cided to urge merger of the two
plans with resulting increase in
sums granted the teachers. A
merited increase for service and
qualifications, he said, should not
operate to deprive a teacher of
benefits under a separate plan for
raising take-home pay based on
increased living costs.
II this new plan fails. it was in
dicated, some new compromise may
be suggested.
School authorities and teachers
had recommended a fiat $500 pay
raise. The Commissioners protested
this and offered instead a IA per
cent plan, in keeping with that
granted classified workers and that
proposed for police and firemen.
Faces Adjournment Deadline.
The resulting compromise" bill
called for a fiat $3.50, which would
give an overall increase of IA per
cent, while granting higher per-
centages to those in the lower
brackets and less to employees in
the higher levels.
This 1t was calculated roughly
would raise District costs by about
81 500, 900 a year. There has been
no announced calculation of the
costs of either the original or the
combination McCarran plans. but
It was assumed the latter would be
at least double that of the Hoey-
Commissioners bill.
Representative Beall, Republican,
of Maryland yesterday introduced
the Commissioners $3.50 pay raise
plan in the House. 1t was referred
to the House District Committee
where a move will be made to start
hearings late this week. The plan
was to be referred to the Educa-
ton Subcommittee headed by Rep
resentative Feighan, Democrat. of
Ohio.
Underlying all the plans was the
fear legislative action might not
be concluded before Congress ad-
journs about the middle of July.