The Washington times., 1937-05-03
BY ]. EARLE MOSER

The decision, on which there was
no other recourse available, has
cost young woman her perma
nent position in the Public Health
Service on the technical fact that
she lacked few months of being IL
years old when she took her origl
nal Civil Service examination.
Accordingly, the Treasury De
partment has been notified that
any salary payments to her after
March 80 will be diSallowed by the
General Accounting Office, and she
consequently loses a junior clerk
stenographer status after passing
one of the Civil Service Commits
sion'S painful tests and serving
more than six months SatiSfactor,
lily and efficiently.
Carrying out the rules under
which it operates, the Civil Service
Commission tracked down the
young clerks case and forced &C.
ton. Long after she had gone to
work for the Government, it was
discovered that in applying for her
examination she had given May Is,
1915, as her birthday, but when ap-
pointed and medically examined
she submitted a birth certificate
reading May Is, 1916. Asked for
an explanation, she replied:
"My only reply can be the
circumstances under which
executed the Civil Service APP
plication in question. After wait
ing some time for announcement
ment of an examination for
StenOgrapherS and typists, did
not learn that one was pending
until the date on which receipt
of applications closed. In my
hurry inadvertently typed 1915
instead of 1916. / have made
this error repeatedly inasmuch
as it seems easier to write May
Is, 1915, than Is. AS to the
statement age on last birthday
-1S,' 1 am afraid 1 did not read
that correctly for l thought the
question was age on nearest
birthday and as six months had
passed since my last birthday it
was natural to answer 49,"
81 had been informed by re-
liable sources that if l were 10
years old by the time took the
actual examination I would be
eligible. 1 was also informed
that the examination would not
be arranged for some months"
Civil Service declared the eX
PLANTATION unsatisfactory, writing
Treasury that it appeared the en-
ploye "miSStated her date of birth
in her application in order to ap
pear eligible to compete in the eX
animation" and demanded that
Treasury remove her. Possibly
hoping the matter would be for
gotten, Treasury took no action
for two months, and after send,
ing a second letter, Civil Service
put it up to the Comptroller Gen
eral and was upheld.
The case illustrates the grief
which Civil Services academic
rules sometimes cause. The fact
that an employee is under age when
he or she successfully passes an eX.
animation would seem to be I'M
important as long as the employe
has reached the minimum age
when appointed. The commits
sion's registers move so slowly that
there is ample time for many folk
to become eligible as to age be-
tween taking the test and getting
the job. But rules are rules. and
making a beneficial correction
might force somebody to 60 to
work.
Federal Housing Administration
today announced the appoint.
ment of Miles Colean as deputy
administrator in charge of large.
scale housing operations and
Charles McGehee, likewise a dep,
uty administrator, in charge of
relations with other Government
agencies.
A Peoria, ILL.,, man, Colean is a
graduate of Columbia University
and practiced architecture in New
York, Washington and Chicago
before he entered the service of
FILA in May of 1884, holding the
posts of director of the technical
division and low-cost housing di.
vision in sequence. He has writ
ten extensively for magazines on
housing and land improvements.
McGehee is an Albanian, with
degrees from Massachusetts, Uni
versity and Harvard, and came
with FILA in February of 1885
after an independent business
career in real estate and insur.
ance. He served in a number of
field positions and was brought to
Washington January is as special
assistant to Administrator Stew.
art Mcdonald.
The Civil Service Commission
has raised the age limit on the
test for estate tax examiner, In.
ternal Revenue Bureau, from As
years to SO. The test will close
receipt of applications May "a.
Events on today's Federal calen.
dar:
Agricultural Authorization.
cert, Agriculture Orchestra, di
rected by DR.. Walter Bauer, $3.50
p. m. Repeat performance to-
morrow
National Museum-Annual ex
hibition of work, Association OF
Federal Architects, 8 p. m.