Evening star., 1925-03-09
CARTER BROKE LAW,
PRINTERS ASSERT
Union Formulating Charges
for President-DecIare Of
ficiaI Is Incompetent.

Typographical Union officials were
formulating today for presentation to
President Coolidge a list of charges
that George H. Carter, public printer,
disregarded the law in a number of
instances in summarily dismissing IT'S
employees of the Government Printing
ONCE Saturday and today.
The charges will be made the basis
for renewal of the request OF
Columbia Typographical Union that
investigation be made Of the fitness
of Mr.. Carter to hold the office of
public printer. it was announced by
Eugene F. Smith, president of the Union.
1t was pointed out that the De-
partment of Justice about year ago
made a report to President Coolidge
regarding the qualifications of Mr..
Carter and that the President was
informed by Acting Attorney General
Seymour that it was presumed"
President Harding was we'll qualified
to judge as to Mr.. Carter's eligibility
and that the Senate in ratifying the
nomination indorsed the appointee's
qualifications.
Hold Carter UNIT.
Union officials allege that Public
Printer Carter is not fitted for his
position by reason of the fact that he
has had no practical experience as a
printer.
Among the charges that President
| Smith declared would be brought to
the attention OF the President "as
soon as our investigation is complet-
ed" Is that some of the men dismissed
without advance notice were World
War veterans with high eficiency rat
| ings.
Another point to be emphasized, he
said, was that the Printing Office CO.
operated with the Civil Service Com
mission several months ago in ad-
vertising extensively for more men.
| They displayed a large poster headed:
Uncle Sam Has a Job For You in
the Government Printing once" and
urging applicants to communicate
with the public printer or the Civil
Service Commission.
Carter Defends Act.
| Mr.. Carter today denied that there
was anything questionable about the
| lay-of or the way it was effected.
He said the lack of funds for printing
| simply necessitated an Immediate re-
duction in the force to 1000 employees,
and that to meet this limit is was
necessary to discharge IT'S men and
furlough the remainder in weekly
the increments in rotation weekly
according to alphabetical order.
At the same time, he said, the ex-
penditures for supplies and materials
are being reduced, beginning today,
| by more than $4,000 daily.
Referring to the drive for additional
men, Mr.. Carter stated that when the
| campaign was started, last September,
there was urgent need for new en-
| 1F @En YSh IF onr e.
sional business. At that time, he said,
wage negotiations had not been COM
pleted and men were leaving their
Jobs for more lucrative private work
in large numbers. Between July l.,
1923, and last December, he added,
2s5 printers left the office.
Shortage of Funds.
When 1t was seen that Congress did
not appropriate sufficient additional
funds for printing to maintain the
large force then on hand, the reduc-
ton became inevitable, he asserted.
He said the wedding out process was
done with careful deliberation. on the
basis of efficiency. The old employees,
having a retirement status, were in
cluded as a matter of course. Re-
garding the charge that World War
veterans were on the list selected, Mr..
Carter said that ne hdQ Compl1eQ with
the law in every respect, so far as he
was aware, and that If there were any
injustices done they, of course, would
be corrected.
Veterans I'm List.
Names of two discharged men in
the latter class were given out today at
Typographical Union headquarters
on G street as follows: Paul X. Man
ming, linotype operator, overseas vet
eran, with four years of service in
the printing office and an efficiency
rating of 80, and Alfredo Guaragna,
monotype operator, World War vet
eran, with efficiency rating of SO.
Others whose high efficiency ratings
failed to save them from dismissal,
1t was announced, included Harry j.
Bender, monotype operator, with a
rating of 80, and Jesse Clarke, mono
type operator, % years of service and
rating of 9S.
Under existing executive order, it
was stated by union officials, former
service men are to be given prefer
ence over all other employees when
the question of which to retain arises,
even though the veterans have rating
lower than the others, but at least
good"