Evening star., 1949-02-04
Officials
.UrgeQuickLaw
|ncreasingPay.
Legislators Favorable,
But Murroy Questions
Some 1850 Raises
PAY RAISE for All D. c. Workers
Studied. Page B-1

Studied. Page B-1
The administration today urged
Congress to enact promptly leg
islation providing salary in
creases for high-level Govern
ment officials, the far flung
Foreign service and District
employees.
Two top Government officials
Budget Director Frank Pace, jr., and
Controller General Lindsay War
ren-joined with Senate Majority
Leader Lucas of Illinois and reps-
sentatives of Federal workers at
separate hearings of House and
Senate Civil Service subcommittee.
While members of both subcom-
mittees indicated sympathetic con-
slderation of the proposed salary
increases, Chairman Murray of the
House group sharply criticized some
OF the raises proposed.
Questions 125 Per Cent Jumps.
Saving that compensation of Gov
ernment officials had not kept pace
with their responsibilities and that
District workers were entitled to
$3.50 pay raises given Federal classi-
ned workers last summer, Mr.. MUIR
ray questioned increases from
$4,000 to $22,5OO a year.
Are those justifiable?" he de.
manded.
Yes, sir" replied Mr.. Pace. who
was being questioned at the time
The responsibility in these Jobs is
much greater than that of compar.
able jobs in industry"
Representative Jenison. Republi-
can, OF Illinois asked why FBI Dr.
rector j. Edgar Hoover had been
omitted from the administrations
pay raise bill and remarked that he
had heard there might be a
freezeout on Hoover"
Il wonder" he said, IF his mama
was excluded from the bill for the
freeZeout."
Director Says No.
MIR. Pace quickly replied that the
answer is NO. and added:
Mr.. Hoover is an extremely con.
petent person and has a high de-
gree of responsibility"
In formal statement read tn
both Senate and House committees.
Mr.. Pace said the bill to increase
the pay Of top-bracket officials il
'one OF the most needed and least
expensive pieces of legislation tina
Congress will be called ON to con.
slider during the present session"
! With regard to a separate bill to
provide retroactive pay increases Of
$3.50 annually for District workers
and Foreign Service employees who
tailed to receive them in Federal paw
legislation passed last July. Mr..
Pace declared:
This omission was unfair and
should be properly corrected"
Mr.. Warren said the Governments
pay policy for high officials as
'pennywise and pound foolish" as
he Endorsed "wholeheartedly" the
pending pay legislation.
Senator Lucas, in appearing before
the Senate group in favor of the
pay increases, said President Tru-
man is much interested in obtaining
prompt action on the two bills.
Temporary Increases Favored.
He agreed with suggestion made
by committee members that the
President be authorized temporarily
to approve salary increases for bu-
reau chiefs who are not included in
the top-bracket bill pending revi-
sion of the Classification Act. A re-
classification measure is expected to
be submitted shortly and would in
clude, the committee was told, pro-
visions for salary increases for bu-
reau heads and other high officials
left out Of the pending measure.
Others who testified in favor Of
the pay legislation were Thomas G..
Walters, operations director of the
AFL Government Employees Council;
James G. Yaden, president of the
AFL American Federation of Gov
eminent Employees, and Luther
Steward, president of the National
Federation of Federal Employees.
Mr. Pace estimated the measure
providing high pay for top officials
would cost about $1,600,000 an.
nually.
He estimated the District pay bill
would cost approximately $2,507 900
a year and that for foreign service
increases, which is included in the
District measure, nearly $2,000000
annually.
Emphasizing present salary in
equities which find subordinates
drawing more pay than agency
heads. Mr.. Pace pointed out that
the deputy administrator of the
(See PAY, Page A-4D