Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-13
PERSONNEL ISSUE
MAY co TO HOOVER
McCarI Denial of Pay to
'Loaned" Employees Causes
Difficulties.

Difficulties into which the Personnel
Classification Board has been plunged
nv a decision of Controller General
Mccall, who would deprive the board
of most OF its present personnel, Will
probably be submitted eventually 10
President Hoover for solution.
This was learned today as alternate
members of the board continued 1ur-
ther to check UP on the situation. and
Ger. Herbert NJ. Lord. director OF the
Bureau of the Budget, who is the head
of the board studied report on the
matter submitted to him.
McCarl held in substance that mosV
of the employees of the board were
serving In violation OF the law, an9
some departments which had loaned
these employees to the ooaro were d.
ready making plans today to WlthoraW
them to their own departments. NC
Carts decision laid down the principle
that the Civil Service Commission,
the Bureau of the Budget and the Bu-
rea,1 of Ef1ciency under the law must
furnish the rank and file of the en-
Moves of the Personnel classification
Board. At the present time, by lar the
largest part of the personnel working
for the board is being paid from tne
nav rolls Of other departments. NC
carl held that the only persons author
lied by law to be loaned from other
departments we're specially qualified ex-
what the solution of the problem will
he no oficial connected with the situa-
ton today could forecast.
To Continue FunctiOnins.
oh IA
the board. whose alternate, Capt. Carlos
Van lear. serves on the board as act.
ing chairman. declared today that the
board would continue to function. Pro.
nosals for solving the problem presented
hv the McCarl decision were before
him. Gen. Lord said, but decision had
not been reached today as to what
should be done.
Agriculture. it was learned, already
have inform-d the board that they m
employees loaned from their respective
paw rolls. 1t was apparent that dis
bursting officers of the departments to-
dav were beginning to fear that II they
should continue paying persons not
working for the department MeCarl
might disaliow the payments. Some
depertfnerlts appeared to be waiting to
see what the developments would be.
The McCarl decision was rendered to
the Secretary Of Agriculture, and came
a. O surprise, not only to the Agricul- !
ttra1 Department, but also to the Gas.
sificatiof1 Board. The important part
of the decision was an additional con-
ciusioYi reached by McCarl on the basis
of facts upon which the Secretary Of
Agriculture had asked an entirely diff
ferent question.
Case Of Kennedy Cited.
The Secretary had Informed McCarl
that Thomas j. Kennedy had been APP
pointed on the Department OF Agricul-
ttral roll at the request Of the CLASH.
fication board, and had been working
for the board. The question involved
not the larger issue as to whether he
could Do such work, but only the mat
ter Of Some back pay, from September
27 tUOctober. Q. Not only did McCArl
deny the back pay, but he went further
int the q,lesticn than the Secretary
"Tne facts set forth in your letter
present another question not suggested
BY you" said McCArl, namely, whether
there was any authority of law for the
appointment Of an efnploye in your
department for the sole purpose Of de-
failing him to the Personnel Classiflca-
ton Board2
"The only authority for detail of en-
ployes BY the heads of departments
FOR temporary service under the direc-
Board IL that contained in paragraph
3 Of section 3 of the classification act
Of 1919, approved March 4, 1923, a.
stat. l4So, 90 follows:
"'gubject to the approval of the
President, the heads of the DEPART
ments shall detail to the board. at It's
request. for temporary service under its
direction, officers or employees possessed
Of spe5ia1 knowledge, ability, or ex-
ana ALLEGATION of positions.
This provision" continued McCarl,
"elearly eontemplates the detail by
heads Of departments of only such
employees In the departments as may be
qualified by reason of special knowl-
edge, ability or experience to perform
service In the classification and allo-
cation Of positions and whose service
may be temporarily spared from their
regular duties in the departments.
"InAsnaticli as the employment re-
ferred to isa your letter was to terminate
not later than January /, 1929, no fur
ther question viii be raised as to the
payments made for the service rem
dered under the appointment, but the
matter Is brought to your attention for
consideration should similar cases a1ise
hereafter
Questions which Il Is believed Presi.
dent Hoover will have to decide include
whether to ask Congress for appropria-
tons to set up personnel of It's own
for the classification board, or whether
to authorize the board TO go ahead and
use its own funds for personnel, Great
ing deficiency. The board previously
has officially recommended to Congress
the setting up Of a special personnel
for the board, but Congress has done
nothing about the matter.