Evening star., 1938-02-13
u. S. CIVIL SERVICE.
URGED FOR. THOSE
IN DISTRICT JOBS
PROPOSAL to Be Made Rath.
er Than Create Sepa-
rate System.
RESIDENTS TO RECEIVE
PREFERENCE IN JOBS
Seal Plans to Provide for Full.
Pledged Merit System as an
Amendment.
BY DON s. WARREN.

BY DON s. WARREN.
Application Of the. Federal civil
service system to the District gov
rather than creation OF q
separate system. will be proposed in
a bill to be offered soon for con.
gressional consideration, Corporation
Counsel Elwood H. Seal announced
yesterday.
Hopes for extension of full civil
service status to all regular employees
of the District is based on the current
interest manifested in both the House
and Senate in proposals for reorgan-
ization of :he municipal government.
Mr.. Seal said he had decided not to
recommend a separate District civil
service commission or bureau because
he had been convinced that the same
objectives could be obtained by ap-
plication Of the Federal system to the
District, at much less expense.
Residents of the District, or Of
metropolitan Washington, he said,
could be given definite preference
and priority for jobs in the municipal
government under such a plan, Just
as surely as they could under the
separate commission plan.
Would Duplicate Work.
He added that If separate
District commission were set up, it
would have to duplicate much of the
work of the United States Civil
Service Commission in compilation of
records, giving of examinations and
classification of jobs.
While details of the bill have not
yet been drafted, Mr.. Seal plans to
provided for the full-fledged District
merit system as an amendment to the
organic act of the District govern
ment. His plan Is to have Congress
direct the United States commission
to hold examinations for jobs in the
municipal government, and to apply
the full force Of the Federal merit
system to all regular municipal en-
ployes.
The bill is being prepared, after
months Of study. by direction of the
Commissioners. However. the plan is
different from that suggested some
months ago by Commissioners Melvin
c. Hazen and George E. Allen, who
proposed q separate District agency
SO as to preserve District jobs for Dis
trict residents. They held the belief
that II the District had reached its
job quota under the Federal system,
local appointments might of necessity
have to be given to residents of other
jurisdictions.
Priority to BE Provided.
Mr.. Seal, however, believes this
point can be covered in q wording OF
the law, so that residents of the Dis
trict would still have priority as to
jobs with the District government. SO
long as such applicants could meet
qualifications.
Mr. Seal also believes that this Dis.
trict priority for District jobs should
be extended to residents of the metro
politan area, since the District, as .
city, has overf1owed its boundaries as
many suburbs have sprung up in
nearby Maryland and Virginia.
The bill, in tentative form, probably
will be laid before the Commissioners
in the near future and, if they ap-
prove, will be forwarded to committees
Of the House and Senate.
Chairman King of the Senate Dis
trict Committee recently urged the
Commissioners to hasten the prepara-
ton Of bills proposing reorganization
Of the District government. Refer.
ence was made to the long list recon-
mendations in the report Of the Citi-
zens' Efficiency Committee, which wa.
headed by E. Barrett Prettyman, for.
mer corporation counsel.
To Consult Commissioners,
Mr.. Seal said he would ask th<
Commissioners. probably early thi.
week, to designate what reorganiza.
ton plans they wish to be placed IL
the form Of proposed legislation.
It IS likely the Commissioners will
designate the proposal to free the Dis.
tr1ct government from domination b,
the Budget Bureau. merger Of the
Park Police with the Metropolitan Pc.
lice and probably several Other
changes. They are already on record
in favor Of the granting Of representa-.
ton in Congress to residents Of the
District. Bills dealing with this sub.
ject are already before Congress.
In the preparation Of the District
civil service measure, Mr. Seal is be.
ing aided by Assistant Corporation
Counsel Chester Gray and member.
of a special committee Of the Wash.
ington Board of Trade, headed by
Francis w. Hill, jr.