Evening star., 1951-08-23

for action by the House Rules
Committee on the legislation.
Rules Committee approval is
needed before the classified and
postal pay bills can be brought
up for House action.
Committee members said they
will ask yhe Rules Committee to
approve the bill as soon as the
House reconvenes from its three
week vacation on September IL.
Chairman SABBATH of the Rules
Committee already has predicted
his group will sanction the legis-
lation.
The administration is supporting
the 8.4 per cent Federal pay raise
bill approved by the Senate Civil
Service Committee over the $400
House measure. And complicating
the picture, Chairman Murray of
the House group wants the perma-
nent $400 raise scaled down to
$500 and the bill made temporary
for a two-year period.
If the bill isn't made temporary,
says Mr.. Murray. he will support
the Senate groups measure in con-
ference Mr.. Murray echoes the
administrators argument that a
fiat pay boost would disrupt the
Federal salary structure.
However, Mr.. Murray'S own
committee, in its report, rejects
such an argument. It points out
that the spread between grades
would remain the same, because
$400 would be added to each grade.
Therefore, it says. the salary struc-
ture will not be unbalanced.
The committee also declared it
was not impressed by the Admin
istration's argument that the cur.
rent Federal raise drive is not
based on cost-of-living reasons.
The group declared higher living
costs constitute the primary rea-
son for another Federal pay boost.
The committee sharply crit1-
ciZed the administration for its
primary concern over the big
shots" in Government, noting that
under the White Houses 60 per
cent proposal nearly half of the
Governments classified employees
would get an increase of only
$215 a year, or less, while top
bracket officials would get $500
The administrations plan would
provide only a token increase, the
committee charged. It added this
cauStic sentence: THE commit
tee is not alarmed by the fact
that the bill provides a formula
under which the entrance salary
GS-1 is $235 more and the salary
of GS-18 is $400 less than the
recommendation of the Budget
Bureau and the Civil Service
Commission"
The committee yesterday de-
cided to drop from the pay bill
the Districts 7,7OO policemen
park and White House police,
firemen and school teachers and
to allow the House District Com
mittee to handle these employees.
The latter group promised the
Civil Service Committee it will
give prompt consideration to the
pay needs of these employees. Tho
employees were dropped from the
bill and the reason given was that
some members. of the District
Committee felt their group had
jurisdiction over these workers.
Meanwhile. the Senate isn't ex-
pected to act on the 8.4 per cent
Federal pay increase measure
until after Labor Day. Despite
the fact that Congress is driving
toward an october l adjournment,
pay raise sponsors are confident
there will be plenty Of time for
Congress to act on the pay raise
bill this year before going home
y 4 \ +
EMERGENCY CURB-There' a
let Of confusion among some en-
ployes regarding the House action
the other day in approving an
amendment that would force sal
ary reductions among many en-