Evening star., 1932-12-24
WOMEN GRANTED
EQUAL RIGHTS IN
FEDERAL SERVICE
Hoover Signs Executive
Order Amending Eligibility
Requirements of Law.
|EFFECTS CONSOLIDATION
OF JOBS REGISTERS
Campbell Joins With Miss Dell in
Recommending Change to
President.

EQuaLty 1Or women In the Federdl
service-a goal for which women gen.
orally have fought for years-was as
sured today with transmission to the
Civil Service Commission of an execu-
tive order amending eligibility require
ments of the law.
The order, signed by President Hoo
yer yesterday just before he left for the
South, revoked the privilege granted in
rule 7, under which appointing officers
In the Government could specify the
sex of eligibles for appointment to fill
vacancies.
Revision Of the rule had been re-
quested of President Hoover on Octo-
Der 8, when Thomas E. Campbell, presi-
dent Of the commission, joined with
Commissioner Jessie M. Dell, long ali
advocate of sex equality in the Govern
ment service, and constituted ma
jority of the commission. George R
Wales, third member of the commission,
dissented, expressing the opinion that
women would not acquire the equality
they desired due to veterans preference
requirements, which, he said, would
clog the top Of the list Of eligibles with
former service men.
Campbell Halls Merger.
President Campbell hailed the con-
Solidation of employment registers as
''one of the longest steps ever taken in
the administration of the civil service
act"
Although Campbell has not yet re-
ceived the order, he said 1t would be
put into effect as soon as 1t reaches the
commission from the State Department,
through which it must pass from the
White House.
The first step to be taken under the
order will be consolidation of several
hundred registers where men and wom-
en- have taken examinations, and giving
the women the standing to which they
are entitled
President Campbell PORTED out there
are thousands Of jobs in the civil serv-
ice for which women are not qualified,
citing those in the postal service and
similar jobs where hard labor Is re-
quired. For all others where they are
equally capable with men, they will
have the same chance.
Another Change Due.
In this connection. the Civil Service
Commission plans to make another
change in operation. 1t is customary
now when advertising an examination
to say that man or woman, as the
case may be, is preferred" for the
position.
Now the Civil Service Commission
will specify straight out those exami-
nations where either men or women
will not be acceptable. This will save
expense for those who otherwise might
take the examination without any hope
OF getting the position, Campbell point
ed out.
Under the new order, the department
still will have the right of selection, but
now If they seek to choose a man who
stands lower than a woman who is
! qualified for the job. they will be forced
to give the commission some cogent
reason for their action As President
Campbell pointed out, it would be pos
sible that the three top names on the
register which always are submitted to
the departments proposing to fill va
cancy might be those Of women. Then.
if the department heads wish to go
further down the list to pick out a man,
+, he would have to establish to the full
satisfaction of the commission that none
of the women was fitted for the position
Issue Of Long Standing.
While the subject matter of the new
order has been at issue for long time,
Commissioner Jessie Dell having pressed
for it, it has been only in the past few
months that action has been taken
looking toward bringing it about
Last Summer President Campbell un-
dertook a study of the feasibility OF
! consolidating the registers. making a
survey to determine if there had been
discrimination against women in max
| ing appointments. His study con-
vinced the head Of the Civil Service
Commission that men had been favored
| over women and he lined up with Miss
Dell in recommending to President
| Hoover that an executive order be Is
sued to merge the registers.
While the matter has been pending
before President Hoover for several
months, it is thought that his delay In
acting was occasioned by the inter-
vention of his campaign for reelection
| There was a feeling that the President
NAV have thought that affirmative ac-
| ton prior to the election would have
been construed as political move and
that because Of the nature of the mat
| ter it was not desired that it be given
! political tinge.
The Executive Order.
The executive order signed by the
President follows:
Amendment of Civil Service rule T.
Civil Service rule 7, section l, para
graph (a), is hereby amended to read
as follows:
"(a) Certifcation-The nominating
or appointing officer shall request the
certification of eligibles, and the COM
mission shall certify, from the head OF
the register of eligibles appropriate for
the group in which the position or posi-
tions to be filled as classified, q number
of names sufficient to permit the nomi-
mating of appointing officer to consider
three names in connection with each
vacancy. When so provided by regula-
ton of the commission, selection shall
be made from the register by the nomi.
mating or appointing officer without
preliminary certification of the COM
mission. Certifcation Of eligible for
appointment shall not affect his certi-
fcation or probational appointment.
Certifications shall be made without re-
gard to sex unless the nature OF the du-
ties Of the position to be filled are such
as. in the opinion of the commission,
can be performed cnly by men or
women as the case may be-"