Evening star., 1933-09-17
A. G. 0. bARR|CADED
IN SILENCE AS 45
D|SM|SSALS.
Gen. Mckinley Stands Pat on
Order Letting Out Married
Women October IS.
RECORDS ARE BARRED
FROM FRYING PUBLIC
Secretary Lern's Absence for Week
Leaves Situation With No One
to Meet Complaints.

Beseiged on behalf of the As married
woman clerks slated for dismissal from
the adjutant generals Office October
Is, the War Department dug itself in
yesterday behind a barrier of official
red tape and sought refuge from in
QuirieS in stolid silence
Until Secretary Dern returns from
Western speaking tour in about a week,
Maj. Gen. James F. Mckinley, the ad-
jutant general on whose recommended
tion the Secretary approved the dis
miSSal notice. has ordered Subordinates
not to disclose any of the records in
volved. Gen. Mckinley, himself, was
standing pat on this order
From the first tntimation that the
adjutant generals Office contemplated
wedding out married woman clerks
whose husbands also were on the Gov
ernment pay rolls, Secretary Dern has
been subjected to a steady lombard
ment from official and unofficial quar-
ters. He met all inquiries with the
same reply. The War Department. he
explained, would take no action until
the cases had been given full and i'm
partial consideration.
With the announcement that notice
of dismissal had been served on the
SIS married women, the bombardment
was renewed with vigor by officials Of
the National Woman's Party, long time
champions of equal economy rights for
women; officials Of the Disabled Ameri-
can Veterans Of the World War and
other influential sources upon which
pressure had been brought to bear.
Silence as Retaliation.
The War Department retaliated by
IA Ill
information dealing with the contro-
versy. Not since the days of the evacu-
alton of the bonus army from Penn
sylvania avenue has a censorship on
public information been applied so
vigorously as in the present case.
Gen. Mckinley refused yesterday to
make public the salaries received by
the women slated for dismissal. over
which John Arthur Shaw, past national
president of the American Federation
of Government Employees, takes issue.
Information obtainable at the War De-
partment on Friday was to the effect
that the basic salary of one of the
women was $2,400, but Shaw contended
most Of them concerned are drawing
salaries of $1,440 or sl,560 per annum
without taking into consideration the
deductions made under the economy
act. In at least two cases, the COM
bined basic salary of the man and wife
is less than 5000 per month, he said,
less the Is per cent cut.
Efforts on the part Of a reporter
Yesterday to obtain the salary records
from the Office led up half a dozen
blind alleys" until they met with COM
plete denial of information from the
adjutant general.
Following, at first, the usual chan
nels. the reporter applied for assistance
to the Press Relations Section Of the
War Department. The Press Relations
Section was perfectly willing to assist,
but its hands were tied. William D.
Scarf. chief of the personnel division,
F, had given instructions that all such in
quiries be referred to the secretary's S
Office.
Secretary Dern Absent.
Secretary Dern. who had approved
the dismissal order. was absent and had
sistant. John W. Martyr. who normally
had charge Of the dispute. Frank M.
Hoadley, the chief clerk of the depart
| ment, who is acting in Mr.. Martyrs
absence, directed all inquiries to Mr..
Scarf.
When reporter called at Mr.. Searrs
Office it was announced that he was
| absent for the day. So also was Thomas
| A. O'Brien, chief clerk Of the AdJutant
Generals Department, who had an i'm
| portant part in working out the recon-
| mendations.
Permission having been obtained by
| the reporter to see the adjutant gen.
| eral, he was directed. instead, to Brig.
Gen. Edgar T. Conley. the assistant.
Gen. Conley said it would be necessary
20 @oly hn inf al
concerning the pay records under con-
sideration. Upon returning to his Of
| fee, the reporter was told that it was
| a matter for the adjutant general him.
| self to decide.
Gen. Mckinley explained that he had
made his recommendation to Secretary
Dern after careful consideration of all
| the problems involved in the dismissal
order and could do nothing more. Sec
retary Dern, he said, was the only Off
cial who could make public the scale OF
salaries received by the women clerks.
He. himself. declined to do so.
Since Secretary Dern does not expect
! to return for about week, Gen. NC
Kinley said there was nothing more that
| could be done.
| Secretary pern as well as the adju-
| tant general, it is understood. are Wig
ororusly opposed to furloughing clerks
in the Office for the sake OF retairTng
the IS married women on the roles. Gen
Mckinley stated that he considered 1t
would be unfair to the rest of the en-
ployes.
TIE adjutant generals Office employs
| more clerks, with the possible exception
of the quartermaster generals depart
ment, than any other branch OF the
War Department. It Is an established
fact that the majority Of the clerks
are within the low-pay brackets. Gen
Mckinley would only say that he
thought that only a few of the As mar
ried women involved in the controversy
were drawing paw in the higher brackets
Gen. Conley. his assistant. defended
the custer order on the ground that
| the War Department was compelled 10
obey the law which says, in its erect,
he explained, that there cannot be TWO
breadwinners in family on the Gov
ernment pay roll
"Records Far Behind"
War veterans protest against the Or
dered dismissals on the ground that the
records of the Adjutant Generals Of
Ace are so far behind already that it
is difficult for q veteran to press his
| claim against the Government. To
dismiss Is additional clerks at this
| time. they claimed, would only serve
| further to handicap veterans in press
| ing claims.
| Before the silence" order made 1t
impossible to obtain information, the
War Department had admitted that
tine Adjutant Generals Office was un-
derstaffed by reason of the heavy
slashes made in the appropriations fol
this fiscal year.