Evening star., 1933-05-27
ID: c. WANTS SHARE
IN INDUSTRY BILL
Civil Service Provision Also
to Be Sought in
Senate.

The Senate will be urged to make
two changes in the industrial recovery
bill which passed the House yesterday,
one to include the District of Columbia
along with the States and Hawaii in
the Federal highway part of the public
works program, and the other to place
the employees who are to administer the
bill under Civil Service and the classi-
fication law. ~. =
A delegation made up Of representa-
tives Of the Board of Trade and of the
District Government will appeal to the
Senate Finance Committee Monday to
put the District on parity with the
States and the Territory of Hawaii in
the distribution of $4oo, 100000 allotted
for highway work in the bill.
The hearing will be attended by DR..
Llewellyn Jordan, George Graham and
Robert J. Cottrell of the Board Of
Trade and by District Auditor D. J.
Donovan and Corporation Counsel Will
liam w. Bride.
Part Of System.
The Senate's attention will be called
to the fact that number of streets in
Washington are links in the cross
country Federal-aid highways, and also
that the District of Columbia Is heavy
contributor. in proportion to its popu-
lation, in the payment of Federal taxes.
Meanwhile, Federal workers, backed
by the National League Of Women Vot-
ers. have started a drive to give prefer
ence in appointments under the legisla-
ton to workers with civil service status,
who are separated from other Gov
ernment agencies by the economy pro-
gram, and pay the scale called for by
the classification act.
In its present form, the measure pro-
vides for appointments without regard
either to the civil service law. or rates
OF compensation fixed by the classical
ton act.
The attitude Of the workers was set
out in letters from the heads OF the
National Federation of Federal En-
ployes-Luther c, Steward, president,
and Miss Gertrude McNally, secretary
| treasurer-to members of the House, in
which 1t is declared that the principle
| they advocate is based on real eco
nomy. sound business administration
and fair dealing to Federal employees. y
Federation Letter.
This letter, in part, says:
LAS a result of recently enacted leg
islation, substantial curtailments have
already been made in the number OF
civilian Federal employees, and large
numbers of employees will be released in
the near future, in addition to extended
application of furloughs. The employees
who have been dismissed or are about
to be dismissed, entered the service as
result of competitive tests. have given
satisfactory service, and their dismissal
is due not to their own shortcomings,
but to conditions over which they have
no control Sound business judgment
requires the utilization, where possible,
Of trained employees rather than to at
tempt to build up administrative Or
ganizations with inexperienced and un-
trained personnel.
I'VE ask, in the interests of real
economy, sound business administra-
ton, and fair dealing to Federal en-
/ ployes, that H. r. 5755 be amended
so as to provide for the appointment
| of the necessary personnel, through
competitive tests, and that rates OF
compensation be fixed in accordance
with the classification act of 1923. as
amended"
With the measure out of the House
| the fight now will center in the Sen
ate, and it is there, to the Finance
Committee, that Miss Belle Sherwin,
president of the League of Women
| Voters, has addressed communication
! of the same tenor as that from the
| Federation of Federal Employees.