Evening star., 1933-05-17
QUOTA D|SM|SSALS
PLAN IS MODIFIED
Clause for Consideration Of
Efficiency Inserted for
Senate Action.

The independent ofices appropria-
ton bill, with the apportionment clause
amended to require department heads
to consider efficiency as well as state
quotas in acting on dismissal Of Fed
eral employees, will be taken up in the
Senate within the next few days.
As 1t passed the House, the bill made
no reference to efficiency, and would
have endangered the status Of employees
from the District OF Columbia and q
number of over-quota states by direct
ing the departments to give due regard
TO apportionment quotas in making dis
missals.
Although the Senate Appropriations
Committee did not follow the recon-
mendation Of the subcommittee III
charge of the bill, which favored strlK-
ing out the provision entirely, the COM
mittee reWrote 1t to require that Dotn
ef1iciency and apportionment be con-
sidered.
Retirements Allowed.
The committee made another cnange
in the bill which recognizes an appeal
to Congress for many years, namely, OF
allowing employees with 80 or more years
of service to go on the retired list VOL
UNFAIRLY before reaching the regular re-
tirement age.
The House bill contained q section
providing that whenever an empioye
with 30 years Of service Is inVoluntar}iy
separated from the service he could
begin receiving an annuity, but would
have to continue to pay 3l2 per cent
into the retirement fund until the regu-
lar age of retirement is reached. On
motion Of Senator Byrnes. Democrat. OF
South Carolina. the committee amended
the section so it would apply whenever
an employe is voluntarily or involun-
tarily" separated from the service.
There was a feeling In the committee
that II there are employees with 80
years of service who want TO 90 on
the retired list, they should be allowed
to do 20.
Garden Change Asked.
Senator Robinson Of Arkansas. Demo-
cratic leader, filed in the Senate late
yesterday an amendment which he Will
offer to the bill when 1t comes up. 10
transfer the Botanic Garden to the
Department Of Agriculture. This pro-
pCodl W6S lCNOiAlAISAlOSa ~ eAN NANo>s
Bureau. At present the Botanic Gar
den Is under control Of the Joint Com
mittee on the Library. The proposed
transfer would be a step toward CO.
ordination of the Governments green
house facilities. Senator Robinson s
amendment reads as follows:
The Botanic Garden. together with
all records, property and personnel per-
tanning thereto, is transferred to the
Department OF Agriculture, effective the
first day of the second month following
the enactment Of this act. and the ap-
propriations for the support thereof are
, hereby made available to the Depart
ment Of Agriculture"
Among the changes made In the bill
by the Senate committee vas the strik-
ing out Of the authority granted to the
President by the House bill to modify or
! cancel mail-carrying contracts. This
feature Of the bill probably will provoke
considerable discussion on the fioor.
The bill, as reported, appropriates
| approximately $543.000,000, of which
slightly more than $500. .000, 900 Is for
the various requirements OF the Vet
! erans' Administration. The remainder
is for the independent bureaus and
commissions of the Government The
Senate committee added only S167,000
to the House total, Of which $50, 900 IS
for field work Of the Interstate Com
merce Commission.