Evening star., 1949-02-10
Action Delayed
On $3.50 Raise
In District Pay
Bates Throws Doubt
On Support of
Teachers Increase
BY Harold B. ROGERS

BY Harold b. Rogers
Three subcommittee of the
House District Committee today
heard extensive testimony for
$3.50 pay raise for District police
men, firemen and teachers, but
postponed taking action until to-
morrow.
Representative Davis. Democrat,
of Georgia, who presided an
nounced no objection to the in
crease for policemen and firemen.
but a difference of opinion on
whether to include teachers in the
same bill.
The prospect for a $3.50 increase
for teachers was thrown in doubt
by Representative Bates. Republi-
can. of Massachusetts,.
Witnesses Questioned.
MIR. Bates cross-eXamined sew
eral witnesses, emphasizing that
in 1947 the teachers had been
given pay raise amounting to
about 50 per cent increase over
their previous pay schedule.
After the executive session. Mir.
Bates SAID he would favor the]
regular $3.50 for teachers. only if it7
could be justified on the basis of
the increased cost of living.
A bill to give the teachers 5000
increase was sponsored by Mr..
Bates in the 80th Congress last
year. It passed the House but
died in the Senate.
He would be more inclined to
favor the figure of 5000 for teach
ers now, Mr.. Bates said, but he
had reached no definite con-
clusion on this point.
Questions as to the cost of max
ing pay raises for all three groups
retroactive to last July l were
said to have been raised during
the Joint Committees executive
session.
While Mr. Bates told the press
he favored retroactive legislation,
he stressed that the city budget
would be facing a deficit of S18,-
100000 if the $3.50 pay raise were
granted to all District workers.
Ready to Report Bills.
Mr.. Davis, chairman of the sub
committee on public service,
streets and traffic, said his group
was prepared to report out a
bill for the policemen and fire.
men. He said however. that if
further objection was raised to
the $3.50 for teachers at the meet
ing tomorrow morning it is likely
the legislation will be split into
two bills.
During the public part of to-
days hearing, the joint subcom-
mittees heard testimony from sew
eral witnesses unanimously asking
for the pay raise.
The Police Department pay
raise was strongly urged by Supt. |
Robert j. Barrett and Inspector |.
Clarence Lutz. Both stressed the |
need because of inability to re-
cruit sufficient members of the
force due to the low salary.
Corning Urges Raise.
Supt. of Schools Hobart M.
Corning explained the need for a
teachers pay raise. He told the
committee that due to the higher
salaries paid teachers in other
places, IT can't get new teachers
and I can't hold them once they
are here"
DR.. Corning contended that the
District schools pay schedule now
ranks in the 18th place among
90 of the largest cities of the
country.
To this argument. Mr.. Bates OBJ
tected, declaring that the teachers
should ask for a pay raise only on
the increased cost of living since
they received the 80 per cent in
crease in 1947. He insisted that
an increase for the teachers would
have to be justified by increased
living costs.
DR.. Regis Boyle, president of the
Education Association of the Dis
trict, said that the teachers pay
scale here ranked in the 28th place
In a list of cities of 100000 popu-
lation and over.
Other witnesses approving pay
raises included Miss Elizabeth
Griffith, president of the Ele-
mentary Classroom Teachers As
ISOLATION; Miss Helen Samuel,
president of the Junior High
School Teachers Association, and
Lewis G. Hines, legislative repre-
sentative of the American Fedora