Evening star., 1936-05-15
10000 c. c. c. Jobs
SAID TO Be ON
POLITICAL SLATE
$308, 900, 900 Deficiency Bill
Item Has Non.CiviI
Service Clause.
WOULD BAR QUALIFIED
WORKERS FROM PAY
Pet Projects Threatened and
President Reported Deeply
Concerned by Report.

In an effort to head of a new pa
tronage raid in Congress, the Civil
Service Commission, it became known
today, has protested to the White
House and the Senate Appropriations
Committee against provision in the
pending deficiency bill which would
permit political appointments in ap-
proximately 10000 positions under the
Soil Conservation Ccmmission-half Of
which already are under civil service.
The commission acted after the bill
passed the House and it was reported
today that President Roosevelt Is pre-
pared to inject himself into the situa.
ton If it becomes necessary.
Non-CiviI Service Clause.
The trouble arose over a clause in
the deficiency bill role37, which
appropriated s3oS.0o0, 900 for the adj
ministration Of Civilian Conservation
Corps camps and provided that the
personnel should be non-civil service.
Under this wording, about 5000 Soil
Conservation Service workers brought
under civil service last December 27
could not be paid, and the prohibition
also would halt one of the pet projects
Of President neutrality-suspicious.
of qualified c. c. C. workers to civil
service posts in forestry service.
This latter project has been under
way several months. it being the de.
sire of the President to give enrollees
chance to gain foothold in Cow
ernment service. Competitive tests in
which $4,000 will participate are
scheduled in C. c. C. camps all over
the country tomorrow, and from these
it was intended to make about 5000
appointments. In the preparation for
the examination, thousands of dollars
already have been spent and should
the present prescription in the def
cheney b.l prevail. this money would
be wasted.
President Concerned.
The President today was repre-
sented as being deeply concerned over
the entire situation. The action Of
the House in passing the bill is. not
only In addition to the long succession
Of abuses Of the merit system that has
been worked on the Hill, but in this
instance actually compounds the evil
by removing from civil service one of
the new establishments put under the
merit system since 1888. 1t was said
that development of this sort un-
doubtedly would have widespread po-
litical repercussions.
Concurrently, a vigorous attack on
another House bill came today from
the National Federation of Federal
Employees. The measure in question
would provide for creation of a per.
manent staff Of court reporters in Fed
eral courts who would be exempt from
civil service and at the same time
would have the leave and retirement
privileges Of civil service employees.
Assailing the measure as another
blow to the merit system, Miss Ger
trude McNally, secretary of the feder-
alton, said there was no reason why
court stenographers should not be
chosen by civil service. She was par
ticularly positive in pointing out that
sponsors of the bill were entirely will
ing to exempt applicants from any
test of fitness, but wanted to make
sure that they got the allowances Of
other workers.
Customarily now court Stenograph-
ers are employed directly by the court.