Evening star., 1933-05-31
VOTE COMPROMISE
ION WORKER QUOTAS
Senate includes Efficiency as
Well as State Status as
Dismissal Factor.

The Senate today adopted without
debate the recommendation Of the Ap-
preparations Committee In the inde-
pendent Offices bin requiring Govern
merit departments to consider efficiency
as well as quotas under the apportion-
men, lag IN selecting employees to be
dismissed when reductions in force be-
come necessary.
As tie bill passed the House several
weeks ago. 1t made no reference to ef-
ficiency. but would have required State
quotas under the apportionment law to
be considered in making dismissals. The
House provision would have placed
Government employees from the District
Of Columbia and q number Of States
that happened to be over their quotas
in greater danger Of dismissal than
other workers.
Decided to Compromise.
Some members of the Senate were in
favor of eliminating entirely the House
effort to apply apportionment quotas
to dismissals, but when the bill came
up in the Senate they decided to 60
along with the compromise recon-
mended by the committee, namely. of
considering both efficiency and quotas.
While the Senate made no change in
the committee amendment regarding
dismissals, 1t added to the amendment
new provision advocated by Senator
Black, Democrat, of Alabama, intended to
make sure that any new appointments
to civil service jobs hereafter shall be
given to persons on the eligible list
from States having less than their
quotas already in the service.
Resuming consideration of the inde-
pendent Offices bill at 10 am, the first
step the Senate took was to vote, 35
| to %, to put back in the bill power to
enable the President to modify or cancel
air and ocean mail contracts. By this
vote the Senate reversed its committee,
which had recommended the elimina-
! ton of this power from the House bill.
J At the request of President Roosevelt,
! the Senate added S48.50 to the ex-
j perses of American participation in the
! International Institute of Agriculture
at Rome.
Approve Retirement Plan. ~
Before adjourning last evening, the
committee amendment to allow Govern
ment workers with 80 years OF service
| to retire voluntarily with annuities
without waiting to reach the regular re-
| tirement age limit.
This is in line with the fight Govern
ment workers have been making for
! years for optional retirement at the end
of 80 years. AS passed by the House,
the bill provided for payment OF annui-
| ties to those 30-year employees who may
be "inyoluntarily" separated from the
| service before reaching the regular re-
| tirement age. The Senate amendment
allows the same privilege to those who
! wish to step out voluntarily.
! Another amendment adopted late yes
| terday eliminated the Budget Bureau
recommendation which would have
given the President authority to fur
Tough on half Fay officers of the military
services. This change was taken on
] motion of Senator Byrnes, Democrat, Of
South Carolina, who Is handling the in
dependent Offices bill on the floor.
Senator Byrnes had another amend
ment adopted modifying the section
which seeks to deny pay Increases to
employees reallocated to higher grades.
/ The purpose Of the change made in the
j Senate is to prevent this ban from being
retroactive. -
Among the committee amendments
adopted yesterday was one setting up q
different standard of military fight pay
than was provided in the House bill.