10
Valley Frontiersman
WASHINGTON NEWS-LETTER
By MARY LEE COUNCIL
Secretary to E. L. (Bob) Bartlett, Alaska’s Delegate to Congress
Ilaims for O-T Compensation
Legislation which would allow
laska Road Commission em
oyees to bring suit in the Court
Claims for overtime compen
tion received the attention of
ambers on both sides of the
mgress this week.
Companion bills sponsored by
nator Magnuson and Delegate
irtlett were considered by the
spective Judiciary Committees
both houses with the Senate
diciary Committee reporting
vorably on the Washington
ate Legislator’s measure. Dele
te Bartlett’s bill was heard by
subcommittee of the House Ju
ciary Committee.
A law enacted in 1934 provided
40 hour week, time and a half
r wage-board employees of the
deral government, and the vast
ajority of federal employees
ive been paid on that basis ever
ice. However, a few groups,
ch as employees of the Panama
inal, The Alaska Railroad, and
e Alaska Road Commission,
are excluded from the benefits
the law by rulings of the
)mptroller General. During the
st Congress a law was passed
hich allowed Alaska Railroad
nployees to bring suit in the
jurt of claims for the entire
■riod back as far as 1934
rough waiver of the so-called
atute of limitations. That statute
ves the Court of Claims the
ght to hear only those cases
hich have accrued within six
>ars of the date of filing in the
urt. The Magnuson-Bartlett
gislation considered this week
ould waive the statute of limi
tions so far as Alaska Road
immission employees are con
rned. Approximately two years
;o a ruling was made that these
nployees were entitled to recov
• overtime compensation as far
ack as 1934, the claims were ap
,’oved for payment by the Comp
oller General, but Congress re
ised to appropriate tue money
1
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adv;sing that the claimants
should sue in the Court of Claims.
The Court of Claims cannot hear
the claims because of the statute
of limitations since the over
time compensation has been paid
since 1945 and practically all the
claims accrued during the early
’30’s.
“,It is manifest that here is an
injustice, resulting from a pro
cedural statute, which Congress
should correct,” the Senate Ju
diciary Committee stated in re
porting Sen. Magnuson’s bill
“Since Congress has already
waived the statute with respect
to employees of The Alaska Rail
road, there is certainly no sound
reason why Congress should, by
inaction, discriminate against
the employees of the Alaska
Road Commission.”
The Justice Department oppo
ses the legislation which means
that if enacted the Department
might urge a presidential veto.
In a letter dated March 13 of
this year, Deputy Attorney Gen
eral Peyton Ford stated: ‘‘The
sole effect of the bill would be to
depyve the government of the
defenses of the statute of limita
tions and laches. There would ap
pear to be no reason why claims
of this particular class should be
exempted from the requirement
of timely filing of-suits which is
applicable to all other claims
against the government. Enact
ment of the bill would discrimi
nate in that respect in favor of
this group of claimants as against
all other persons having claims
against the government.”
FISHERY HEARINGS
The dates for two of the hear
ings in connection with the 1952
commercial fishery regulations
have been changed, according to
information given to Delegate
Bartlett this week by officials of
the Interior Department.
The hearing scheduled for Se
attle on October 31 and Novem
ber 1 has been changed to Nov
ember 7 and 8, and the Juneau
hearing has been advanced from
November 5 to November 15.
The other hearings remain the
same: Kodiak, September 17; An
chorage, September 20; Cordova,
September 24; Yakutat, Sept. 26;
Ketchikan, October 13; Craig,
Oct. 15; Wrangell, October 17;
Petersburg, Oct. 18; and Sitka,
October 20.
BE IT A MIDGET—be it a whale,
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JULY UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE PAYMENTS '
DOWN 50% FROM JUNE
Unemployment insurance pay
ments for the month of July were
$72,390, a decrease of 50.1 per
cent from the previous month
acording to a report released to
day by the Territorial Employ
ment Security Comm. June’s
total was $145,031. These figures
include dependents’ allowances
of $4,946 for July, a decrease of
55.3 per cent from the $9,616 to
tal for June.
According to John T. Mc
Laughlin, Acting Executive Di- ^
rector, payments for the seven
month period ending July 31, are
less than half of those paid out
during the same period last year;
the totals being $1,414,859 com
pared with $2,843,223.
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