Evening star., 1951-09-19
Separate Bill
PdyRise
Seen in House
Committee Objects
To Covering Workers
In Senate Measure
Bv Don 6 Warren
By Don S. Worren

By Don S. Warren
The House District Committee
apparently is going to insist on
passage of separate bill to grant
a pay raise to District police, fire.
men and teachers, and objects to
covering them in the Senate
passed Federal pay raise measure
A bill introduced by Committee
Chairman Mcmillan was given
strong support at long hearing
today before the District Commit
tee.
Action was deferred to another
meeting tomorrow morning be-
cause the House convened at noon
before the committee got down to
action on this and numerous
other bills on today's agenda.
Objections Expected.
Reporters asked the chairman
If there would be objection to
letting the police -firemen-teacher
pay raise be incorporated in the
Federal classified bill, and he said
some members would object.
He anticipated also that one or
more of these objectorS probably
would be among the House con-
ferees on the Federal pay raise bill.
Presumably he was referring TO
Representative Davis, Democrat,
of Georgia, member of both the
District Committee and the House
Civil Service Committee. Mr.. Davis
has taken a lead in insisting that
the District Committee had juriS-
diction over the local pay question
and that therefore it was subject
to a separate District Committee
bill.
The Senate bill provides for a
10 per cent increase in the pay of
Federal and District Government
classified workers and it was
broadened by the Senate to in
clude District police, firemen and
teachers through an amendment
sponsored by Chairman Neely of
the Senate District Committee.
Carries S4OO Increase.
The pay raise bill sponsored by
the House Civil Service Com
mittee and now awaiting House
action calls for a $400 raise and
this provision is carried in the
local bill sponsored by District
Chairman Mcmillan.
Witnesses unanimously sup
ported pay raises for police, fire.
men and teachers. Most of them
said they wanted the same raise
that Congress awards Federal
Government workers, whether 10
per cent or $400.
Revenue Ample, Fowler Says.
These witnesses included Com
missioner j. Russell Young, Budget
Off1cer Walter L. Fowler, C. Melvin
Sharpe, president Of the Board of
Education; School Superintendent
Hobart M. Corning and the super
intendents of the Police and Fire
Departments.
Mr.. Fowler gave assurances that
the District would have ample
revenues this year to cover the
cost of the pay raises even though
it was estimated it would run
between SIS and $5.5 million, plus
$935.000 to grant a pending raise
to per diem employees of the
District.
He and Representative Smith.
Democrat. of Virginia brought out
that actual receipts from the Dis
trict sales tax and income tax had
exceeded all expectations during
the past fiscal year.
Expects New Demands.
Representative Miller, Republi-
can, of Nebraska, warned that de-
mands for further pay raises could
be expected next year unless some
thing effective was done to halt
what he called the "botching of
the value of the dollar" He said
that in comparison with 1859
the value of the dollar had sunk to
A cents.
The Nebraska Representative
declared that in view of inflated
cost of living, he thought the pro-
posed $400 pay raise was mot near
enough"
Police Inspector Clarence Lutz,
president of the policemen's asso-
citation, urged that the bill be
amended to grant a correspond
ing increase in pensions to retired
policemen, which he said would
cost an additional $107.612.
The one bill favorably reported
today by the District committee
was a measure to give the Board
of Education authority to grant
full summer vacations to school
field officers.
These include heads of school
departments and school principals
and assistant principals.
Opposes Code Change.
Engineer Commissioner Bernard
L. Robinson testified in opposition
to a Mcmillan bill to set aside the
District Building Code for a period
from January 13 to February 10I
next year to permit a seating
capacity of 10000 in the District
National Guard Armory for the
sessions of Evangelist Billy Gra-
hams revival.
Gen. Robinson opposed the bill
on grounds of safety explaining
that the limited exits rule out anI
audience of more than $500. He
said that with some changes in
exits the District would agree toI
q capacity of $3.50 but that the
estimated cost on the basis of 1913
prices was about $130,000.