Speech #710234635

Of course. the real difficulty was that the Treasury Department proceeded to interpret the law as the Committee on Ways and Means intended it should be interpreted. namely. by permitting transfers from the position of inspector to the position of clerks. as well as from the field to work in Washington. The Comptroller General upon a legal theory. which no doubt appealed to him as sound. held that these transfers had not been properly made within the meaning of the law. with the result that today there are a number of employees who have been transferred and who. if this remedial legislation is not passed. will. first. have to refund approximately $6.000or $5.900. to be exactinto the Treasury and will be reduced in the amount of salaries they will draw hereafter. Let me say in this connection that when the present law for the payment of salaries to men in the Customs Service was passed it was recognized and agreed that the Customs Service was entitled to special consideration aside from the provisions of the Welch Act. because the Customs Service. like the Immigration Service. for very many years had received practically no increase in the salaries paid to their employees.