Evening star., 1951-06-19
Administration
BackC in
Federal Leave
Budget OfficioI Tells
House Group Revision
Is Now in Order
By Joseph YOUNG

The Administration today in
formed Congress it will support
Legislation to reduce the annual
leave of Government employees. .
Elmer Stats, assistant director
of the Budget Bureau, which de-
termines personnel policy for the
administration. told the House
Civil Service Committee that re-
vision of leave benefits was in
order.
Mr.. Stats appeared in connec-
Ition with the committees hearings
on Federal pay raise legislation.
Chairman Murray, Democrat, of
Tennessee, declared that if Con-
gress votes Government employees
Ia pay raise it should be coupled
with q reduction in leave.
Mr.. Stats said the admins
tration agreed that a reduction
In leave benefits was proper and
that such a move would receive
its support.
Graduated System Backed,
The Budget Bureau official said
a graduated leave system based on
seniority would be the best way
to solve the problem. He sug-
gested a system whereby employees
with f1ve years or less of service
wouio receive l3 days annual
leave. employees with S to Is
years service would get 1919 davs
and employees with more than is
years service would receive 26
days leave.
AT present all classified employ
eS receive 26 days leave.
Mr.. Stats said such a revision
which also would result in more
liberal leave benefits for postal
workers who now only get Is davs
would save the Government 5000
million year.
Mr.. Murray indicated that he
was considering a leave revision
that would give is days annual
leave to employees with five years
or less service and 20 DAYS leave
70 all with more than five wears
OF service. This would save 1920
million year, he said.
Although the administration has
been studying the leave situation
Tor some time. today marked the
nrst time that it had made an
omclai proposal of this kind to
congress. The Senate last week
rejected a leave cut rider to an
appropriations bill offered by SEN
ator Douglas. Democrat, of Illinois
after Chairman Johnston of the
Senate Civil Service Committee
promised that his group would
soon report leave reduction bill
Pay Raise Formula Hit.
Meanwhile. the House commit
Tee today severely criticized the
aomlnistration's SO per cent paw
raise formula for Government
employees.
The committee members were
virtually unanimous in declaring
that the same percentage increase
given to employees regardless of
salary was unfair to lower bracket
workers. The members indicated
they would vote for a fiat raise
for all employees rather than a
percentage formula. The admin
lstration's proposal would give in
creaseS ranging from $165 to en-
Iployes in the lowest grades to $500
Tor employees in the top brackets.
Mr.. Murray and other commit
tee members declared that, if any,
thing, lower Salaried EMPLOYEES
should get more of a pay raise in
dollars and cents than top Fed
eral officials.
When Mr.. Stats said that top
Government officials have special
living cost problems of their own,
Representative Armstrong, Re-
publican, of Missouri. snapped:
The increase in the cost of
food, clothing, transportation and
other items certainly hit the little
fellow just as hard as it does the
others. After all, it costs just as
much for gas to put into a Chev-
rolet as it does to put into a
Cadillac"
In another development, dele
gates to the AFL Government En-
(See PAY, Page A-4.)