Show Uncle Sams Sam's a Penny Pincher When He Fixes Salaries of Top Officials President Truman through the director of the budget has asked congress congress con con- gress to give pay increases to top government gove officials His proposal calls for increasing the pay of cabinet officers from to with proportionate proportionate proportionate increases for other high officials Mr lIr Truman did not ot tot make any recommendations recommendations recommendations relative to presidential and vice presidential pay but some government government government govern govern- ment officials and reportedly also the Hoover commission on government reorganization favor substantial in increases increases increases in- in creases for these two positions also Certainly there is need for revision of federal pay rates for top officials The cost of such revision would be bc small not not more than two million dollars dollars- yet it could easily mean big savings by attracting higher caliber men to public off office ce and thus increasing the efficiency of government operations It is ridiculous for instance to have havethe havethe havethe the head of the U. U S. S Veterans administration administration administration admin admin- which spends more than six billion dollars a year get a salary of only The present salary of the chief justice of the United States is and a justice has assurance of tenure and full retirement pay That's fair enough but it surely is not fair compared with the present salary sal sal- salary ary of f a cabinet officer such as the these se secretary of state Our secretary of state st. and all other cabinet officers as aswell aswell aswell well receives less pay not only than a supreme court justice but less than many state judges and governors It doesn't make sense Since 1940 congress has increased the wages of government earning less than a year 60 per cent But those officials receiving more than have had increases averaging only 6 per cent Low pay has undoubtedly made it difficult to attract men of particular skills into government employment President Truman has frequently complained complained com com- about his inability to get good goodmen goodmen goodmen men to take appointments Several months ago there were 55 federal positions paying or more un un- filled Alfred E E. Smith noted that even evenin evenin evenin in 1933 he could not have afforded to accept a cabinet post if it had been offered to him and Governor Earl Warren of California was reluctant to accept the Republican vice presidential nomination because it would have meant a cut of a year in his income The Telegram believes firmly in government government government gov gov- economy But it doesn't believe in pinching penny parsimony One of the best things the next congress could do in our opinion would be to squander a few million dollars a year in pay increases for key government officials |