European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 14, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes wednesday december 14,1983 50% congressional pay boost urged same raise a so song if for Fop officials us Ges Washington a a presidential advisory commission tuesday recommended a so percent pay increase Tor members of Congress and Simitar boosts for Federal judges and Oiler lop government officials but Only if Congress slops its members from collect ing speaking fees. The panel the commission on executive legislative and judicial salaries also recommended that the president s pay which has been fixed at 1200,000since 1969, be raised by Congress to about $350,000. The commission chairman Lloyd Cutler noted that the government s top 3,000 or so employees arc paid far less than professional athletes and cited a list of major league baseball salaries published in tuesday Snew York times. More than 500 of them Down to the .200-Hilling Utility infield cars receive More than a District court judge or a member of Congress or a Deputy Secretary of slate Cutler said. The raises Are designed to restore the purchasing Power of lop government workers to its 1969 level the first year their pay was set under the commission advice. The congressional increase from �89,500 tosi35,000 is also designed to wean members of con Gress from taking honorariums for speeches to special interest groups and others. One commission member former sen. Thomas Eagleton d-mo., said the recommended pay level for Law makers is an ample. Cull time salary in return for which we expect Congress will outlaw All forms of Honor aria conceivable to  Cabinet secretaries pay would go from the current $99,500 to $is5,. . District judges pay would be the same As congressmen a going from $89,500 toj13s.ooo. Culler noted that Federal judges arc leaving i droves because they can mate far More in private practice. The average lop executive Branch official leaves for Itier private sector after 18 months. And even members of Congress Are deciding not to run for re election because they can t afford to put their children through College he said while the pay of most american workers has slightly outpaced inflation Over the tast two decades average top government salaries have eroded by 35 percent through inflation he told reporters. The recommendations attach Dollar amount Tob Road principles outlined in a draft report issued by the commission last week in which the panel said salaries should generally restore top government officials purchasing Power to 1969 Levels. The self styled citizens lobbying group common cause welcomed the recommended raises and in particular the recommended ban on speaking fees the group s president Fred Werth Cimer said it is important that Congress include in inc ban other ways i which special interests can funnel Money to lawmakers. Otherwise he said the problem will Only surface in another form. But the National taxpayers Union called on presi Dent Reagan to reject the outrageous recommendations. This scheme was designed to fool the vote Sand enrich the Congress said the group s executive vice president David Keating. As congressional salaries have been held Down by political forces honorariums have grown in effect making up the difference for lawmakers who often must maintain Homes in their states and in washing ton. Members of Congress May accept up to 12,000 per speaking engagement up to a limit of 40 percent of their salaries for senators and 30 percent for House members. The process lends itself to abuse. Rather than wait ing for speaking invitations some of my colleagues have begun to ask people for them giving the appear Ance of shaking Down special interest groups said rep. Barney Frank a mass. Others have begun to broker them. They la say ican get you an honorarium breakfast for $1,000," Frank said. People understand that it looks bad Andi Haf in some cases it is bad. A pattern of abuse has begun to show up. It affects 10 percent of the people but that s Loo  the commission s format report is due to be delivered to Reagan by thursday. Reagan then can adopt the recommendation or As he did two years ago mod Ify it before including it in his budget proposal which it sent to Congress on Jan. 9. Under the Law the increase will Lake effect a Mont later on feb. A unless both the House and Senate vote against it. For 19 of those 30 Days Congress will be out of session leaving Only a limited time for opponents to act.  hearings in recent weeks the panel which bylaw meets every four years to review the government s top salary Structure heard testimony mat relatively Low pay Levels were making it difficult to recruit and keep talented pc Opte in the executive Branch on the Federal Bench and in Congress. The recommendations concern the pay of All 535members of inc House and Senate about 1,100 judges from the supreme court through . District courts and about 3,000 of executive Branch workers including Cabinet secretaries. Holiday Bash cancelled in crime troubled Washington a mayor mar Jon Barry has cancelled the City s annual downtown new year s eve Celebration citing a drug and crime epidemic and budget problems. I think we re in serious times now with the crime being what it is and the drug epidemic. It s no time to  s a time to work hard and to Pray he said in a radio interview monday night. In 1986, Barry said the Celebration inthe nation s capital would surpass new York City s festivities at times Square and become a major tourist attraction. The City began the Street Celebration in s983. But the 1986 event sparked criticism after the strangled body of a High school student was. Found in a Remote stairwell at the old Post office Pavilion. That slaying along with 15 arrests an reports of fighting and bottle throwing led Barry to change the entertainment atthe Bash to emphasize family fare. In the past two years the City also limited alcohol and added More police. Last january officials said More than100,000 people attended the party far Short of the estimated i million people who crowd times Square. About 347 homicides an estimated 60percent drug related have been reported in the District of Columbia this year the previous High was 287 in 1969. Barry has said the City faces a $150 Mil lion budget deficit and was to present his solutions 10 the City Council wednesday. Smoke from do Roesbury gets in eyes of  paper Winston Salem. . A the Hometown newspaper of re. Reynolds tobacco co. Pulled a comic strip in which a Job applicant at Reynolds has trouble saying cigarettes do not cause cancer without laughing. A one paragraph statement on the Vii won Sillem journal s sunday editorial Page said editors pulled Doones Bury from the Page that Day because they Felt it singled out for an unfair at tack the City s largest company and would be personally offensive to its employees their families and a Large num Ber of the journal s  More than 40 journal reporters an editors sent a memo to publisher Joe Doster protesting the withdrawal of the comic strip. And four people called John Gates editorial Page editor to complain virtually to a person they said they Felt they were old enough to determine whether something was offensive j for themselves and i have Long since Given up trying to make the distinction be tween censorship and editorial judgment to these people Gates said. Universal press Syndicate which Dis tributes Don Asbury to 900 newspapers worldwide said it is the first Lime Garry Trudeau s comic strip has been pulled from a newspaper in deference to a  Gates said sunday s doonesbury was hilariously  but he added that the timing was bad coming on the heels of last month s buyout of Rwjr Nabisco inc., . Reynolds corporate Parent Maura Payne a spokeswoman for re Reynolds in Winston Salem said the comic strip misrepresents the company s position on the subject of smoking and health and does a disservice to our  rep. Nichols who led Dod parts probe Dies Washington a rep. Bill Nichols d-ala., who led the congressional investigation into High Price Pentagon spare parts. Suffered a heart attack at his desk tuesday and was pronounced dead a Short time later. Nichols a 22-year Veteran of the House collapsed shortly arriving Athis office in the Rayburn House of fice building at 7 . A Nichols assistant Flora merchent heard a noise like something falling and found her Boss unconscious said Tom Mcmahon Nichols press Secretary the 70-year-old congressman was taken to capital Hill Hospital where he was pronounced dead Between 8 and 8 30 .i Mcmahon said Nichols was first elected to con Gress in 1966 to represent the third District of Eastern Alabama. He Wona 12th term last month by defeating libertarian Jerome Shouey. There was no Republican opposition. Nichols who lost a leg in world War ii was a Strong supporter of the military and president Reagan s Pentagon buildup. -. -.". When he took Over the House armed services investigations sub committee in 1983, however he found administrative and procure ment problems and was critical of some defense department operations. After the panel s 1983  the Pentagon s spare parts procure ment program for instance he was successful in attaching to a military appropriations Bill a requirement that the defense department report to Congress on reforms in the procure ment process. The courtly White haired legislator presided aver such investigations As s400 Navy hammers and $5,000 coffeepots for the air Force. The bearings helped Lead to major rep. Bui Nichols Pentagon. Reform legislation which Nichols co authored in 1986, along with then sen. Barry Goldwater r Ariz known As the Goldwater Nichols defense reorganization act the far reaching legislation overhauled the Structure of the upper Levels of die four military services. S the Law gave new authority 16 the chairman or the joint chiefs of staff created the new position of vice chair Man of the pcs and generally directed the services to do a better Job of Inte grating their operation with one an other. The four services had generally opposed the legislation. Nichols served in the Alabam Ahouse from 19s9 to 1963 and in the Alabama Senate from 1963 before hews sworn in As a congressman in 1967.surviving Are his wife the former Carolyn Funderburk two daughters Margaret Vlachou of Athens Greece and Memorich Mitchell of birding Ham Ala a son Flynt Nichols of Dallas and three grandchildren