Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-21

NIL, Repupllcan, OF virginia an
taken on classified pay without
postal pay legislation.
The Houses action yesterday
in approving the 80 per cent
postal pay-reclassification bill
brought predictions from key
Republicans that it would be
vetoed by President Eisenhower.
The President is reported OPP
posed to any increase over 7.6
per cent.
AS the committee met today,
Mr.. Broyhill along with Repre-
sentative Gubser, Republican. of
California, declared, it was unfair
TO- classified employees to delay
action on their pay raises.
In an official statement pre-
sented to Chairman Murray. Mr..
Broyhill and Mr.. Gubser declared
that even II the postal pay bill
is vetoed and the veto is sus-
tanned by Congress. q pay boost
for classified employees should
be enacted into law.
The committee then agreed to
meet in executive session next
week on the classified pay legis-
lation. The administration re-
portedly is agreeable to a 6 per
cent classified pay increase.
Hearings on classified pay al
ready have been held by the
committee.
Martin Predicts Veto
House Minority Leader Joseph
Martin said he had conferred
with President Eisenhower and
Il have no hesitancy in saying
it (the SO per cent bilD will
bring about a Presidential veto"
House action on pay raises for
classified employee pay raises
probably will be deferred until
final Congressional and White
House action on the postal pay
legislation.
Mr.. Martin, as we'll as other
key Republicans and Democratic
Chairman Murray of the House
Civil Service Committee, pre-
dicted the President not only will
veto the postal pay bill, but that
Congress will not override.
Actually. the 80 per cent fig
ure was approved by surpris-
ingly narrow margin of 178 to
174 on a test vote. This came on
a teller vote on which members
of the House were not individ-
ually recorded on how they
voted. Had this 80 per cent
amendment been beaten on the
test vote, it would have meant
the 7.6 per cent figure would
have been approved.
However. the test vote saved
the day and the 80 per cent
amendment was approved on a
roll call vote of 224 to 1879. After
that, the vote on final passage
was 324 to IS in favor of pas
sage.
Party Line Votes
Republicans voted in almost a
solid bloc against the SO per
cent amendment offered by Rep
resentative Moss. Democrat, of
California. On the other hand,
the Democrats voted almost
solidly in favor of it.
Although they lost. Republic
cans pointed to the closeness of
the 178 to 174 test vote to sup
port their contention that a
presidential pay veto could not
be overriden. The. squeaky mar
gin of victory fell far short of
the two-thirds vote that would
be needed to override a veto.
House Democrats insist, how
ever, that there is no certainty
President Eisenhower will veto
the legislation. And even If he
did, Democrats say there is a
chance Congress would override.
However. there is little doubt
the Democratic leadership was
surprised and taken aback by the
closeness of the vote on the 80
per cent amendment.
The Houses action sends the
postal pay bill back to the SEN
ate, which previously approved a
10 per cent pay raise for postal
and classified employees.
The Senate is expected to ask
for a House-Senate conference to
settle the differences between the
House and Senate postal pay
bills. Besides the difference in
the pay raise amounts, the Sen
ate's version does not contain
any postal salary Redistribution.
Administration Hit
During the House debate yes
terday, Democrats hammered on
the theme that the administra-
ton was guilty of extreme petit
ness in opposing an extra so
cents to $l.20 a week for postal
workers-which is what the diff
ference between 7.6 per cent and
80 per cent would be.
On the other hand, Republic