The Washington times., 1935-10-07
WOMEN VOTERS
URGE MERIT
SYSTEM
By ]. EARLE MOSER


Issued today by the National
League of Women Voters, strong
plea for merit system appoint
ment in Federal and State Gov
eminent consumer agencies is
advanced in a survey entitled
Government and the Consumer" "
by Mrs. Beatrice Pitney Lamb,
New York economic expert.
After making a study Of con-
Sumer problems as chairman Of
the feminine organizations depart
ment of government and eco
nomic welfare, Mrs. Lamb
stressed the need of trained per-
sonnel, particularly in an admin
tstrative capacity. Touching on
conditions in State food and drug
administration, she wrote:
TN most cases the admins
trative personnel is not ap-
pointed on the basis Of merit,
has no permanent tenure of Of
flee, but is constantly being re-
placed with every change Of the
political party in office. Be
cause Of the highly technical
nature of the work, unframed
personnel may completely defeat
the purposes Of the Food and
Drug Act"
Mrs. Lamb, who is the daugh-
ter of the late U. S. Supreme
Court Justice Mahlon Pitney, de-
clared consumers have not yet
achieved proper representation IN
working out of Government poll
cieS toward industry and agricul-
ture, and advocated a new food
and drugs law, with funds and ef-
ficient personnel for enforcement.
E. Claude Babcock, president Of
the American Federation of Gov
ernment Employees, today is at
Atlantic City, where he will rep
resent his organization at the an
nual convention of the American
Federation of Labor. He is &C.
companied by several high AFGE
figures.
Before leaving Washington Mr..
Babcock expressed his conviction
that the A. F. L. would indorse
the entire AFGE legislative pro-
gram, which has the Ramspeck
leave bills as its No. l item. An.
other problem to be ironed out
at the Atlantic City conference
will be acquisition Of city, State
and municipal rganiZe d en-
ployes by the Federal group.
Such a spread, which will add
thousands of eligibleS for AFGE
membership, is still haZy as to
its formal set-up, according to the
AFGE leader but it is known
that organized workers in Wis
consin and Ohio have already
indicated their desire for affilia-
ton. Mr.. Babcock is a member
Of the A. F. Of L. legislative
committee.
Approximately 1000 office work
ers would receive employment for
a year or more if the AdminiStra-
tion approved General Hugh S.
Johnson'S idea of an "unemploy-
ment" census, Census Bureau Of
ficialS said today, and during the
enumeration period 125, 900 would
be needed for the count.
The idea, which the General
urged in a recent speech in Cal.
ifornia, was brought up by Direc-
tor William L. Austin some time
ago but turned down by WPA
when it was revealed sixteen mil
lion dollars would be needed for
the project.
Because the workers must be
taken from relief rolls, however,
the unemployment census prob
ably would be located in Chicago
or New York, as there are not
enough white collar workers on re-
lief in Washington.
Three appointments in the
Children's Bureau, Department Of
Labor, have been announced by
officials following several Civil
Service examinations.
Miss Hester B. Crutcher, juve-
nile delinquency expert, has been
given a temporary appointment
as director Of the delinquency
division of the Children's Bureau,
while DR.. Doris A. Murray has
been appointed to the medical
staff of the unit as a specialist in
maternal and child health. The
third appointment involves DR..
Albert McCown, of Lexington,
KY, who will serve in a temporary
capacity as consultant in mater
nal and child health and acting
director of the division.