Evening star., 1925-03-21
VETERANS COMBINE
IN FIGHT ON CARTER
Civil, Spanish and World War
Bodies to Aid Men Dis
charged at G.. p. O.

An allied veterans committee, COM
posed of the department commanders
of five organizations of ex-service
men, will launch at once a determined d
effort to obtain the immediate rein
statement of war veterans discharged
by Public Printer Carter in the re-
cent Government Printing Office lay
off.
At the same time the committee
will investigate what legal recourse
dismissed ex-service men have in
cases of unwarranted separation from
the service in violation of laws and
executive orders designed to protect
them
The committee was formed at a
mass meeting of members of veterans
organizations last night in the board
room of the District Building. The
committeeman, named in a resolution
unanimously adopted by the roomful
of delegates, are: II. NJ Mounton OF
the G. A. R.. Arthur League, United
Spanish War Veterans: William Ho-
mer Carroll, Veterans of Foreign
Wars; Frank L. Peckham, American
Legion, and d. ]. Hussey. Disabled
American Veterans of the World War
The resolution was introduced by
]. ]. Idler, department adjutant of
The action of the meeting was the
elimination of a series of discussions
regarding specific instances of alleged
discrimination against ex-service men
by the public printer and concerning
laws passed in their protection.
AssaiIs Efficiency Board.
Harland Wood. an attorney, de-
clared that the United States Bureau
of Efficiency is successfully circum-
venting the law and the will of the
President and of Congress by fail
ing to include in its system Of
efficiency ratings the mark of good"
prescribed by the act of August g.
1912, as the prerequisite of veterans
retention In preference to civilian
employees. He described d case which
he argued before local court, dur
ing which, he said, this "inefficiancy
of the Bureau of Efficiency was dis
covered. He urged that the veterans
join hands in compelling the bureau
to include the rating of good in
their list.
James A. Burns, Judge advocate of
the District Department of the United
Spanish War Veterans, declared that
the Civil Service Commission is
violating the law and several exccu-
tive orders by refusing to give eligi-
BILE ex-service men preference for
appointments in the civil service, as
demanded by law.
Eugene f. Smith. president of CO.
lumbia Typographical Union. No. 101,
and a member of the Spanish War
Veterans, told of several cases of in
justice meted out to ex-service men
at the Government Printing ONCE
He said that one veteran, after being
taken back on the force when Mr..
Carter recognized the error made in
dismissing a veteran with an eff
cheney rating high in the eos, was be-
ing punished anyway through notice
of suspension for an alleged misde-
meanor which occurred in October.
Mr.. Carroll said he knew also OF this
case and could assert that the veteran
was not getting a square deal at the
hands of the public printer.
Rating 95, Is Discharged.
Another case cited was that of p.
J. Huffman, member of Vincent B.
Costello Post of the American Lee
gion, who was discharged February
after two and a half years of en-
ployment at the Printing Office. Un-
til six months ago, it was stated. he
had been given an efficiency rating
of 95. At the time of his discharge,
it was asserted, his civil service rat
ing was 100.
Another discharged veteran, Jack
A. Matthews, called on to state his
case. said that when he enlisted in
the war in 1917 he was an expert
linotypist. but that as result of be-
ing sent back from the front to the
hospital on seven occasions during
the war he had lost some of his for
mer speed at the linotype machine.
He declared that despite his slowing
up he had an efficiency rating high
enough to preclude his dismissal un-
der the law, but was nevertheless
discharged. He told of his unsuc-
cessful efforts to be reinstated.
Mai. O. w. Clark. acting assistant
director of the Veterans Bureau, in
charge of the bonus work, declared
that all the men under his super
vision were veterans and that he
would see that they got employment
in another part of the Veterans Bu-
reau when the time came to dissolve
the bonus division. He was roundly
applauded.
Department Comdr. Carroll of the
Veterans of Foreign Wars presided
at the meeting.