Evening star., 1937-09-09
RamSpeCk DisCIoses Pro-
gram of Changes Sum-
mitted to Roosevelt.
RETRENCHMENT CLOUDS
BETTER PAY FEATURE
Civil Service Committee Chair
man Calls for Spreading of
Merit System.
BY ]. A. FOX,
STAFF Correspondent of The Star.

under consideration by the White
House, were available for study by
the National Federation of Fed
eral Employees today, following an ad-
dress last night by Representative
Ramspeck, Democrat, of Georgia,
Chairman of the House Civil Service
Committee, who disclosed the program
that was formulated by a special
committee earlier this year.
Embodying improved examination
procedure, a more adequate promo
tional system and better pay, the plan
was set up by a group composed of
Leonard D. White, former civil service
commissioner, and some other Federal
officers.
Ramspeck said that because of the
retrenchment ordered by President
Roosevelt, the pay feature-exclusiv
OF the proposal to set $1,000 mini
mum for full-time employment-ap-
pears to be out of the picture now.
Other principal items could, however.
be made effective if the President de-
sired.
StIHenS lest PROCEDURE.
Briefly, the program calls for
strengthening the examining staff
and procedure of the Civil Service
Commission; extending the probation
ary period from six months to a year,
requiring two reports on the employe
In that time, and then an affirmative
recommendation as prerequisit to
granting permanent status; in-service
training and promotional examina-
tions. Employees with competitive
status would be permitted to take non
competitive tests to determine eligi-
bility for transfer to any position for
which an open competitive register
exists.
Yearly pay increases and extension
OF classification to be field, with an
upward revision of pay scales to
ceiling OF $4,000, were the major pay
provisions of the plan.
Ramspeck spoke at the convention
dinner following an appearance at
business session in the morning in
which he scored Senator McKellar.
Democrat, of Tennessee for tying up
the bill to put postmasters under civil
service, and criticized both House and
Senate for patronage activities.
Hits Emergency Agencies.
In the same militant vein last
night, the Georgian raped officials
of emergency agencies who, he said,
created jobs for the benefit of men,
bers of Congress in position to help
the agencies
The convention still faced mass
Of work today. so much so that ad-
Journment seemed out of the question
until some time tomorrow.
There was a chance that the day
would see officers elected and a con-
vention city for 1889 chosen. The
present slate, headed by Luther C.
Steward, who has been president al
most since the organization was
formed 20 years ago, was expected
to be returned, although there have
been run1ors that some of the nine
vice presidents might have a little
opposition.
Three cities seek the next gather
dng-San Francisco, San Antonio and
Atlantic City.
The convention today also heard
an attack on congressional patronage
hunters by Robert L. johnson of
New York, president of the National
Civil Service Reform League, whose
message was read by H. Eliot Kapla,
executive secretary of the leagle.
para cir,U
recommendation for extending civil
service upward, downward, outward,
johnson pointed to the legislative
record of the Seventy-fiftli Congress
and said that its real concern was
for extending the spoils system up
ward, downward, outward.
Set Retirement Goal.
After the talk yesterday by Rams
peck. in which he went over the field of
pending employe legislation, the con-
vention adopted a retirement liberal
tzation program differing Importantly
from the measure backed by the ad-
ministration and introduced in the
closing days of Congress by Rams
peck.
The convention favored voluntary
retirement at the age of so after 80
years service and at age 81 after
Is years as an immediate objective
and voluntary retirement after 80
years of service, irrespective of age
as its ultimate objective. Ulrey j
Biller, Washington vice president and
the federation's actuarial expert
warned that Government emploves
could not expect changes in the law
at present that would add to this
mounting cost of retirement. The
convention resolution also favored re.
serving the right to retire to the EN-.
ploye alone, instead of giving thS
option to either employe or Govern.
ment, as the Ramspeck bill provides
III would also give the employe tht
option of making increased contribu
tions to the retirement fund, as op
posed to the plan to raise the con,
trioution rate from 81 per cent Il
in the Ramspeck bill. A 30-da,
notice Of dismissal and payment o
dismissal wage also were advocated
Argue Over Union Term.
A brisk argument was stirred lat,
In the day when delegates from Geor
gia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Louisiana ant
Michigan urged resolutions proposinI
that the federation drop the tern
union" as the designation of its 10
Gals, their contention being that il
some sections of the country recruitin
work was handicapped because of an
tagonism toward militant unionisn
Belle Trouband of Washington. presi
dent OF the woman's union at tn
Bureau OF Engraving and Printing. le
the fight against the proposal, whicl
was showed under on vote.