Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-15
DR.. Kebler's Explanation.


March DR.. kebler wrote to Dr. Rusby,
stating among other things the following:
Personally I am of the opinion that
your new appointment is much better
than the old. Under this appointment
YOU can do as little as one days work
per month and You get your salary. On
the other hand. if you work five or ten
days. your salary would be the same per
matter largely in your own hands. / am
satisfied that il you do not accept the
new appointment nothing more can be
done. and Your services. so far as our
work is concerned, can no longer be util-
lied materially in the future"
March d DR.. Rusby wrote to DR. kebier
saying that he had decided to accept the
appointment.
Charge of Personnel Board.
The nub of the charge by the personnel
board was that DIR. Wiley, DIR. KELLER.
DR.. Bigelow and DR.. Rusby in effect con-
spired to put on the record contract
for general employment Of DIR. Rusby' s
services for $1,000 a year. but actually
and secretly made contract with him
by which he was only to do enough work
during the year for the 81 800 to secure
him compensation OF $50 day. and
that this was done In deliberate and de-
faint violation of the law as interpreted
by the Attorney General in the opinion
already referred to. In which he held that
Congress had limited the compensation
of experts to 50 day.
After you submitted to me the report
of the personnel board l asked the At
torney General to examine it and give
me his opinion in respect TO the matter,
because il CONCERNED the violation of the
law as interpreted by him in one of his
opinions. He did so. and advised me
that the recommendations of the per-
sonnet board ought to be carried out In
connection with his recommendations he
invited attention to a clause in the APP
propriation act of March L. 1888, still il
force that enjons upon the head OF
each department the duty of eXactins
from the employees in that department
who are under an annual salary labor
amounting to seven hours everyday bu
a holiday.
An examination Of the records satisfied
me that the questions had not been pre-
scented to the persons involved in such q
way as to enable them to make full de-
Tense. They had only been called as
witnesses and cross-examined without a
full understanding that they were under
trial which might involve their dismissal
Accordingly I directed you to submit the
whole record, together with the opinion
of the Attorney General, to each one OF
the persons charged, and invite from HIN
an answer. These answers were filed In
due course, and are quite full in detail.
Precedents for the Action.
The answer OF DIR. Wiley specifically
denies that he ever saw the correspond
ence between DIR. Kebler and DIR. Rusby
or that ne ever consciously entered int
an arrangement by which DIR. Rusby wa.
in effect to receive compensation at ;
rate III excess OF that prescribed by tn,
statute as interpreted by the Attorne,
General The truth Is. il appears from
the answers of DIR. Wiley. DIR. kebler amt
DIR. Bigelow. that there had been a goo,
many presidents in the department which
seemed to justify the employment of DR.
Rusby at an annual salary when 1t wa:
not expected that his entire time would