Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-07-18
Special Board of Cabinet
Officers to Take Up Ques-
ton of Unemployment.
CIVIL SERVICE EXPLAINS
INTERPRETATION OF LAW
Relaxation of Provisions to Restore
Positions Not Expected in View
of Specific Wording.

The proposal to liberalize applica-
ton of the marital status law so far
as regards employment in the new gov
ernmental agencies is expected to be
thrashed out next Monday at the reg
ular meeting Of the Special Industry
Recovery Board of cabinet officers and
other officials, headed by Secretary OF
Commerce Roper.
The question of liberalization was
raised some time ago by Secretary
Roper, who. it is understood, asked At
torney General Cummings II the
law might permit retention in service
of both husband and wife where the
combined salaries do not exceed $4,000
annually 1t is assumed, however,
that this query had to do with the
regular establishment. and it is the
consensus in informed quarters that the
law Is so specific in this regard that
no relaxation is possible.
On the contrary, it is thought that
there might be something done in the
new emergency agencies which were
to be stated without regard to CLASH
fed Civil Service requirements, and this
point is expected to be cleared up
Monday.
League Backs Reinstatement
According to information given out
Saturday at a meeting OF the Civil
Service Reinstatement League, which
is fostered by the American Federation
of Government Employees, President
Roosevelt favors, If possible, interpreta-
ton of the law to permit re-employ-
ment in the new agencies of persons
who are being dropped because Of
marital status where husband and wife,
still employed, did not receive more
than $4,000 salary last year.
The Civil Service Commission, how
ever, in the absence of instructions to
the contrary, is. as has previously been
said, barring from its e-employment
register those with marital status. Be-
cause of the apparent misunderstand-
ing the commission issued a formal
statement for publication today.
1t follows:
The Office of the Civil Service Com
mission has been overrun by dismissed
married workers as result of news
paper reports that If the employed one
OF married couple receives salary of
not more than $4,000, the dismissed
spouse could be entered on the re-
employment register and thereby be-
come eligible for reappointment.
THE names Of dismissed married
employees are not entered on the re-
employment register. Under the act OF
June 80, 1882, the Congress made plain
its intention that the Civil Service
Commission should not certify married
persons for Unemployment under the
Federal Government where the husband
or wife, as the case might be, is en-
ployed by the Government Of the United
States or Of the District Of Columbia
The Civil Service Commission Is, OF
course, proceeding accordingly.
IF it should so happen that both
the husband and wife are dismissed
one or the other could be employed"
Pay Question Raised.
The unemployment register is the
principal source Of personnel for those
new agencies using workers with civil
service status.
A somewhat contrary view was taken
In a statement by John Arthur Shaw,
president of the American Federation
Of Government Employees, who held that
the law only applies to Unemployment
in the regular Government agencies.
The statement also expressed the hope
that the next Congress will wipe this
disgraceful legislation once and for all
off the books"
In view of the imminence Of CONSOLE
dalton Of number of Government
agencies, the question Of the pay to be
received by those employees taken from
the old into the successor agencies has
been the source of speculation and in
one establishment today the opinion
was expressed the scale would be un-
changed.
This reasoning was based on recent
ruling Of Controller General McCarl
that the new commissioner of immigra-
ton and naturalization, who will pre-
I,a nf Tvo-
migration and Naturalization, will be
paid under the classification act. That
bein gthe case, it was thought logical
the staff would fall under the CLASH
fication act and be paid accordingly.
It would follow then that other consol-
idation would be treated In the same
manner.