Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-04-06
District Facinq
Firing Of 300 if
S|ashes Stand
Required to Absorb
Cost of Promotions
Provided by Law

The District Government is
faced with dismissals of several
hundred employees as a result of
the Houses refusal to appropriate
$l,358,252 to pay for automatic
within-grade salary promotions of
District workers.
AS if the Houses $50 million
budget slash wasn't enough, Dis
trict officials are now faced with
the rough prospect of having to
absorb the in-grade promotions
by eliminating 800 or more jobs
among classified employees, police
and firemen and teachers.
The automatic within grade
promotions are required by law.
In the past, Congress has always
given the District enough money to
pay for these raises.
Seek Restoration by Senate.
This year the Budget Bureau
directed the various Federal de-
partments and agencies to absorb
the cost of these in-grade promo
lions. and the House Appropria-
lions Committee followed this up
by refusing the District Govern
ment's request for funds for this
purpose.
Apparently the House unit acted
on the basis of the Budget Bu-
reau's action despite the fact that
the bureau left this item in the
District budget.
District Government officials de-
clare that the situation between
the District bureaus and Federal
agencies is entirely different in re-
gard to within-grade promotions.
They will urge the Senate APP
preparations Committee in hear
ings scheduled for Thursday to re-
store the $1.3 million slash made
by the House for these within.
grade advancements.
Excess Fat Already Trimmed.
Walter Fowler, the Districts
budget director, is expected to
make the following points when
he testifies before the Senate
group:
/. The District already has re-
quired its bureaus to absorb the
portion of the within-grade pay
raises that can be saved through
normal personnel turnover through
designations, retirements and the
like. Its $1.3 million request to
Congress therefore was based on
what the automatic pay increases
would cost after the District units
already had absorbed whatever
expenses they could.
1.-THE excess fat already had
been trimmed when we sent the
budget estimate to Congress-" a
District official explained.
2. The District government does
not have the leeway in positions
as is the case in most Federal
agencies. Each District job is a
specified position. Consequently,
the District has a distinct respon-
Sibility by law for providing
within-grade salary Announcements
for these positions.
No Budget Bureau Director.
3. The Districts classified en-
ployes, police and firemen, and
teachers are all under different
promotion systems, with the re-
suit that it is essential that suffi-
Gent funds be on hand at all
times to provide the increases
that automatically become due.
4. The District Governments
units are much smaller than the
average found in the Federal
Government and therefore do not
have nearly the administrative
latitude in making operational
savings and economies that the
others can do in an emergency.
The Districts operating expenses
already have been cut to the bone.
S. The Budget Bureau this year
found no objection to the Dis
trlct's $1.3 million request, even
though it required Federal
agencies to absorb the entire cost.
This is proof that the Budget
Bureau recognizes the different
factors that justify the District
Governments request for such
funds from Congress.
R 20 craeh Dnnor3oI