Evening star., 1946-02-26
Senate Pay Bill
Is Inadequate, :
Says
Roise Necessary
To Keep Personnel,
Crisp Testifies
By Joseph YOUNG

Rear Admiral F. w. Crisp
chief of naval shore establish
ments, today criticized the Sen
ate-passed bill providing II per
cent wage increases for Govern
ment workers as totally made
quate" and urged House passage
Of a more liberal pay measure for
Federal employees.
Testifying before a House Civil
Service Subcommittee Admiral Crisp
said 1t was essential to the Navy's
future national security program
that Federal pay scales be liberal
lied SO that the Navy might get
and retain some of the country s
outstanding scientists.
Admiral Crisp told the committee
the Navy was threatened with a
serious situation~due to the loss OF
key scientific men who have left the
Federal service to accept higher
paying jobs in private industry
Much of his testimony regarding the
problems faced by the Navy was
similar to that of Fletcher Waller,
director of the War Departments
civilian personnel, who testified yes
terday afternoon.
Asks 20 Per Cent Increase.
Admiral Crisp urged that Congress
vote a fiat 20 per cent wage in
crease for rank-and-f employees
and authorize two additional grades
to the civil service classification
system, whereby it would be possible
to increase the salary of scientific
and professional men from the
present top wage level of $4,000 a
year to a maximum of $4,000
annually.
I'VE can no longer rely on the
impetus of patriotism to supplant
the inadequate salaries offered by
the Government now that the war
is over" Admiral Crisp said.
Declaring that private scientific
research firms plan huge postwar
expansion and are preparing to Of
fer top-notch scientists and en-
gineers from S25,000 to $4,000 a
year, Admiral Crisp said it was i'm
perative that the Government
raise its wage ceilings to $4,000 to
retain these men, many of whom
would be willing to remain in Gov
eminent service if the wage ceiling
were raised.
Wants Staff of $4,000.
Admiral Crisp said the Navy's
postwar plans call for a scientific
and technical staff of approximate
ly $4,000, and that all of these en-
ployes would be affected by the
raising of the maximum Govern
ment pay scale to $4,000 a year.
The admiral said the Navy planned
to reduce the number of civilian
employees from the present total of
$4,000 to 100000 by June, 1s47.
In urging that rank -and-file work.
ers get a 20 per cent wage boost,
the admiral presented statistics
showing that in many cases Fed
eral employees are earning less to-
day than they were before given a
wage increase last July.
A loss of overtime with the end
of the war is responsible for the
situation, Admiral Crisp said. He
presented a typical case of a CATS
employe who earned S2,433, includ-
ing overtime, before last July's pay
raise and who now makes $500.
With living costs increased by 80
per cent or more since 1941, the
admiral said the 20 per cent wage
boost was vitality needed.
VA Official Urges Raise.
G. Henderson Sweet, assistant ad-
ministrator of personnel of the Vet
erans' Administration, also appeared
before the committee to urge higher
salaries for Federal employees. Mr..
Sweet said the enormous RESPONSE
bilities of the Veterans Administra-
tion demanded the highest type of
employees and that at present it is
impossible to get many needed men
due to inadequacy of the paw scale.
Mr.. Sweet cited recently enacted
legislation which gave his agency
the right to hire doctors, dentists
and nurses outside of Civil Service
and at higher salaries as an example
OF what higher pay scales in other
job classifications would aid the
agency. Since January 3, when the
legislation was enacted, the Vet
erans' Administration has hired GAL
doctors and 1907 nurses, Mr.. Sweet
said.
1T was an absolute necessity that
we raise salaries so that we could
get the necessary personnel to ac-
complish the tremendous Job we
have facing u.s." he told the COM
mittee.
Charles Piozet, personnel director
OF the Navy Department, also is
scheduled to testify today.
Sterilization Director Chester
Bowles, whose appearance as a
witness has been twice postponed,
was listed to appear tomorrow.
With the end of the war, MIR.
Waller said in testifying yester-
day, many men who accented
Government positions through a.
sense of patriotism have left or
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