Evening star., 1932-12-09
Duties Transferred
To Civil Service.

| In discussing the proposal to trans
fer to the Department of Labor certain
duties and powers now exercised by the
| Employees Compensation Commission,
| pertaining to the administration of the
| longshoremen's and harbor workers act
and the act approved May II, 1928, pro-
| viding compensation for employees in
| private industry in the District Of Co
| lumbia, I indicated that some of the
present activities of the commission now
| relate to compensation granted Fed
eral employees on account of injuries.
The Federal employees compensation
| law of 1916, and amendments thereto,
provide benefits exclusively for civilian
employees of the Federal Government
and the municipal government Of the
District Of Columbia. Their admins
| tration involves direct service by the
Government to its own employees in all
departments and establishments and
| does not in any way involve contact
with private employers or employees.
| The Civil Service Commission Is the
recognized agency of the Federal Gov
eminent for administering all mterde-
partmental personnel functions. 1t now
administers the laws governing the ad-
mission of employees to the Federal serv-
! ice, their advancement from one class
or service to another, their ALLEGATION
! to the several grades which limit COM
pensation ranges, their transfer, separa-
| tion and reinstatement, and their re-
tirement for age or disability. 1t seems
entirely logical and natural, therefore,
! that 1t should be also assigned the duty
of administering the law which provides
compensation for the members of the
same group of employees who sustain
injuries in the course Of their employ
/ Tn a. n 10 fnoI
| justification for this change, the trans
fer would make available the several
field offices of the Civil Service Commits
sion as a claim development and inves-
| tigating agency. The need for a field
agency which could obtain at first hand
without loss of time or undue expense
| the facts with respect to claims sub
mitted by employees in the field service
has long been apparent to the En-
ployes' Compensation Commission. The
Civil Service Commissions field offices
are located with view to availability to
the majority Of Federal employees in the
! field services and would, therefore, be
in the most advantageous locations to
obtain first-hand information with re-
spect to the claims of all employees
within the respective districts.
1t Is proposed therefore to transfer
the administrative duties, powers and
functions of the Employees Compensa-
tion Commission relating to the admin
istration of the act Of September Z,
1916 (39 Stat, 742), and amendments
thereto providing compensation for ci-
villain employees of the Federal Govern
ment and the municipal government of
the District Of Columbia to the Civil
Service Commission. This transfer, to-
gether with the transfer to the Depart
ment of Labor Of the duties and powers
Of the Employees Compensation Com
mission pertaining to the administra-
ton Of the longshoremen's and harbor
workers act and the act approved May
II, 1928, providing compensation for
employees in private industry in the
District of Columbia make unnecessary
the continuance of the commission. Ac-
cordingly, I recommend that the COM
mission be abolished by legislative ac-
ton. Pending such action, the En-
ployes' Compensation Commission will
continue to serve in an advisory ca
pacity to the Civil Service Commission.