Evening star., 1939-10-22
Hospitals Fight
Stirred Up by
Seal Plan
District Civil Service
Droft Would Shift
Group to Welfare
By DON s, WARREN.

BY DON S. WARREN.
Controversy over the proposed
transfer of municipal hospitals back
to the control of the Board Of
Public Welfare came to the surface
yesterday at the District Building
as Corporation Counsel Elwood H.
Seal completed another section of his
tentative draft of the District re-
organization bill-to establish mu-
nicipal civil service.
Officers and employees of the pub
lie schools and libraries now SUBJ
ject to their respective merit sys-
TENS would not be included in the
new municipal civil service, in keep
ing with the almost universal agree
ment at the District Building that
the Board of Education and the
Board of Library Trustees should
be left in their present independent
status and not involved in any de-
DECENTRALIZATION plan.
Commissioner Melvin c. Hazen
declared he felt supervision of the
hospitals should remain with the
Health Department to which it was
transferred July /, 1887, by change
in the District Appropriation Act.
Il believe the care of the INDECENT
sick is Health Department mat.
ter" he said.
Rutland May Oppose Change.
At the same time, DR.. George G.
Rutland, health officer. made public
paper he delivered last week be-
fore the convention of the Ameri.
can Public Health Association at
Pittsburgh in which he contended q
more efficient and economical serv-
ice can be rendered when clinic and
hospital services are not separated
from the general health department
program. He is expected to wage a
fight against the change when the
Seal plan reaches the Commission.
ers for action. '-
Mr.. Seal said he had proposed the
hospital transfer because: Il be-
lieve hospitals operated for the in
digent are more closely related to
the welfare problem than to the
Health Department"
Commissioners George E. Allen
and David McCoach, jr., so far
have refrained from comments on
the Seal proposal, planning to wait
until his draft, or the combined re-
port of the Commissioners Com
mittee on Reorganization, k re-
ceived. Mr.. Seal said
IF the Commissioners should see
fit to make any changes, that won't
hurt my feelings. I am drafting
such tentative plan as believe
will serve best
| Draft to Be Ready Soon.
Mr.. Seal hopes to have the tenta-
tive draft ready for consideration by
the Commissioners Kitchen cabi-
net by sometime next week. Other
members are Maj. Daniel j. Dono-
van, auditor; Capt. H: C. White
hurst. director of highways. and
Richmond B. Keech, vice chairman
of the Public Utilities Commission.
The Seal bill provides for the
establishment Of District civil
service system, separate from the
United States service except that
the United States Civil Service
Commission would be directed to
perform, at cost to the District, the
work of preparing examinations for
positions, holding examinations and
grading applicants, and prepara-
ton and certification of registers Of
persons eligible for appointment.
A department of personnel would
be created in the municipal gov
ernment, headed by director. A
Board of Civil Service Appeals
would be appointed by the Commits
sioners to hear, investigate and de-
eide all complaints of employees, or
to investigate on its own motion.
Its decisions would be final. The
board would consist of five members,
one an assistant corporation coun.
sci, two from among other Dis
trict officials, and two from among
other District officials, and two
from among employees of the Dis
trict other than subordinants of any
of the appointed officials.
The system would apply to all en-
ployes Of the District whose COM
pensation is paid from District
funds, other than officers and en-
ployes of the school and library sys-
TENS now subject to their own merit
systems and other than persons ap.
pointed for definite terms under ex.
listing law. The District surveyor,
now appointed for a definite term.
however, would be brought under the
act and the provision for his spe-
cial appointment repealed.
Area Has 12-Mile Radius.
Preference would be given to bona
f1de residents of the "metropolitan
area" of the District for appoint-
ment to District jobs. This area is
defined as being within a 12-mile
radius of the United States Capitol,
A three-year bona fide residence in
his area is a stated requirement.
However, if no such applicant quail
f1es, non-residents would be eligible.
In cases where non-residents are
candidates in competition with bona
f1de residents, the latter would be
given a credit of 10 points on their
earned ratings on examinations.
The same preference given veter-
ans or their dependents by existing
law in the United States Civil Serv-
ice would be allowed to them in the
District system.
While the Commissioners would
be empowered to adopt necessary
rules and regulations, the bill
would contain a number of "cardi-
nal principles" to be followed. These
include: -
1.-Open competitive sxamina.
tions, practical in nature.
AL original entrance appoint-
ments shall be filled by selections
according to grade, from among
those graded highest as the result
Of the examinations, all such ap.
pointments to be probationary for
q period of at least six months.
Promotions Encouraged.
to-. D. -