Evening star., 1932-07-18
HOOVER TO ISSUE
SICK LEAVE ORDER
| UNDER NEW SET-UP
Recommendations in Hands
of Roop for Submission
to President.
UNIFORMITY is SOUGHT;
PROGRAM HELD SECRET
Budget Bureau Director Feels En-
tire Situation Should Be Fur.
ther Strengthened Out.

Recommendations for revision of sick
leave under the economy act so as to
make 1t uniform so far as practicable
throughout the Government service soon
will be laid before President Hoover for
his guidance in issuing an executive
order in the matter.
Inc recommendations have been pre-
pared by the 1nterdepartmental Board
oi olmpnned Once Procedure and have
Deen placed In the hands Of Director j.
ClaWson Roop of the Bureau of the
5uoget Tor study and consideration be-
lore reference to the President.
The nature of the new program dravn
up by the board is kept an ofhcial
secret and will not be made public
until the President himself takes action
ana promulgateS new order on sick
leave. o''A
Inc new regulations, however. are
not expected to make sick leave abso-
Iutely uniform, as the present law is
not uniform for sick leave throughout
the Government
FOR instance, 1t was explained by Col.
Eoop, there are some agencies in the
Government which have no sick leave
at all under the law. 1t would not
be possible, he explained, to give sick
leave 10 those who have never had it.
Considerable Disparity.
Under the economy act, the Presi-
dent Is authorized to issue regulations
to obtain so far as practicable, uni
formity in the various executive de-
partments and Independent establish
ments of the Government" 1t is pro-
vided, however, that nothing herein
sail be construed as affecting the
period during which pay may be al
lowed under existing laws for so called
sick leave of absence" This latter
provision. it was pointed out. will still
make for a considerable disparity in
the way in which sick leave can be
administered.
To make the sick leave absolutely
uniform throughout the whole Govern
ment service would require new legls-
lation by Congress. according to Col.
Roop. who feels that the whole leave
situation should be further Strengthened
out. As a theoretical proposition, Col.
Roop feels that a fair basis for new
legislation might be Is days sick leave
with authority to accumulate 1t up TO
about three or four months.
In the meantime, the Government
departments and establishments began
working out their own programs Of oper-
alton in the new fiscal year under
reduced appropriations and furloughs
of the economy act.
The Department Of Justice, for in
stance, which has suffered not only
the restriction of the economy act, but
also a 10 per cent cut of its appro-
priations, plans generally to operate
now under the legislative furlough,
which provides for "a days compulsory
payless days off duty. Many employees
will probably take this furlough during
the Summer months, it was predicted.
during the time when work is lightest
in the department.
The question of how the department
will take up slack in order to come
within its appropriations for the fiscal
year will be dealt with through several
ways. it was xplained-through not
filling vacancies. through shifting ap-
proprietions where possible under au-
thority of the economy act, and finally
consideration Of the administrative"
furlough.
Postponed Till 1888.
1t was predicted, however. that opera
tion of this payless administrative fur
Tough, designed to spread appropriations
over personnel in order to prevent dis
missals, will be postponed until about
the first of the year, when the depart
ment will know better how 1t Is coming
through the fiscal year with its appro-
priationS
Already several savings have been IN
augurated by the department. All mes
sengerS to judges in the United States
courts, outside of the District Of Colum-
bia, where appropriations come from
the District of Columbia act, have been
furloughed indefinitely, and court criers
have been abolished everywhere except
in this CITY,
The five-day week is considered "im-
practicable" for the Department of Jus
tice, it was explained, and will not be
put into effect for that department.
Too many of the activities of this
branch of the Government operate on
schedules which would prevent inaugu-
ration of ive-day week, or would
bring up so many complications as to
cause more difficulty, and in some cases
more expense, than would compensate
for the proposed savings.
1t is now generally understood that
President Hoover, having approved the
recommendations of the Council of
Personnel Administration on a five-day
week, will issue no further orders on
the matter, but will leave operation of
five-day week to the discretion of the
heads OF departments and independent
establishments. The council proposed
that the five-dsy week be put into oper-
alton where possible. So far the Gov
ernment Printing Office and the Navy
Yard are the only establishments here
definitely to go on flve-day week.