Evening star., 1934-05-23
SEEKS T0ENF0RCE
MARITAL BANS IN
EMERGENCY UNITS
House Committee Acts in
Spite of Opinion by
Cummings.
MEASURES OF WORKERS
NOT TO RECEIVE ACTION
Bill Offered by Representative
Celler to Knock Out Law
Entirely Is Rejected.

In the face of an opinion by At
torney General Cummings that emer-
gency agencies are not subject to the
marital status clause of the economy
act, tie heads of these new Federal
groups today were called upon by the
House Committee on Expenditures in
the Executive Departments to invoke
this legislation.
The action was decided upon yester-
day by the committee in rejecting
bill offered by Representative Celler,
Democrat, of New York, to knock out
the law entirely, and Chairman Coch-
ran today advised the agencies ac-
cordingly.
At the same meeting, the commit
tee also decided against seeking ac-
ton on some other remedial legisla-
ton sought by Government workers
on the ground there was insufficient
time left at this session of Congress
to do anything about it.
Thirty-Day Leave Sought.
These proposed measures would re-
store 30 days annual leave; stand
ardize sick leave and apply the 40
hour law universally to the Bureau of
Engraving and Printing. where now
only about TOO workers come under its
provisions.
Cochran, a Democrat from Missouri,
has been one of the foremost pro-
ponents of the marital status law,
which provides that in any reduction
of force, dismissal must first be made
Of men or women whose husbapds or
wives also are employed in the Gov
ernment.
The legislation is a hangover from
the first economy act passed In the
Hoover administration.
The letters. dispatched today,
pointed out that while the clause ap-
plies only to the classified civil service
it was clearly the intent of Congress
that its provisions should affect all
Federal Departments. Special atten-
ton was called to the fact that
emergency bureaus created after en-
actment of the law should not be
considered exempt.
Action Of the committee Is under
stood to have followed a survey of the
extent of employment of married
workers in the emergency services.
Only the Agriculture Adjustment Ad-
ministration Is said to have adopted
the policy Of disnissing married en-
ployes when reductions were made.
Cummings opinion that 1t did not
apply to the emergency agencies was
rendered several months ago, when it
became necessary to clear up the REIN
statement status of this class after
President Roosevelt had let it be known
that he wanted workers with competi-
tive civil service status who were
dropped from the regular agencies in
the general retrenchment program
given preferred status for re-employ-
ment in the new groups, which were
exempt by law from civil service and
classification.
Seek Repeal Of Law.
Organized employees have been
seeking repeal of the law ever since
enactment two years ago. They also
have been working actively to obtain
the other legislation that the commit
tee has decided to shelve.
The rejection of the 40-hour week
for the great majority of Bureau
of Engraving workers-some 5000
means that it will be necessary to con-
tinue the staggered employment there
to keep the plant operating on the
regular 44-hour schedule. These en-
ployes have their pay fixed by the
classification act and consequently do
not come within the scope of the new
short work week, which applied to the
group of skilled trades whose pay Is
set by a wage-fi: ing authority.
Because the new law created the
two classes of employment, Treasury
officials staggered the hours of these
employees on the short shift to keep a.
certain number on duty at all times
when the plant is open.