Evening star., 1939-03-29
Attractive Girl
Case 10 beAired
In Jobs Probe
EIIender Declines to
Reveal Details Before
Civil Service Hearing
By GARNETT d. HORNER.

BY GARNETT d. HORNER.
A special Senate committee in
vestigating charges of favoritism
and discrimination in the Govern
ment service planned to delve today
into the case of IAN unusually at
tractive girl whose rapid promo
ton in the Post Office Department
stirred complaints by her fellow
employees.
Chairman Ellender of the inves-
tigating committee said he had
summoned the girl involved and
other witnesses for testimony Ito
get to the bottom of the CASE at
a public hearing this afternoon, but
declined to reveal details of the
evidence to be presented in ad-
vance of the hearing, scheduled for
2 pm.
The investigation turned to al
legged favoritism in the Post Office
Department after airing some of
the difficulties faced by Navy De-
partment employees in seeking pro-
motion.
Much OF the trouble lies in the
failure of the Budget Bureau and
Congress to provide funds for ad-
ministrative promotions under the
Classification Act, Edward Henkel,
chief clerk of the Bureau of Navi-
cation, told the committee vester-
day afternoon.
Seven Pay Levels in Grade.
He pointed out that Congress
had provided seven different pay
ranges in one grade under the Clas-
siflcation Act, leading employees to
expect that money would be forth
coming to give them the pay they
were entitled to under these rates.
1T makes me feel bad to see peo-
pie growing old in the service with
out the pay raises they are entitled
to- Mr.. Henkel said. I've pleaded
with the Budget Bureau year after
year to give us the money to make
promotions, but have been turned
down until this year, when thev
are giving us enough money to pro-
mote Sc employees out of about zoo
in the bureau" {.
Charles Piozet, Navy Department
director OF personnel, said the pay
OF 30 per cent of the departments
2,750 employees was below the aver
age under the Classification Act and
SO the ''so-called average clause
would not affect US for number of
years
Mr.. Henkel also said many en-
ployes fail of promotion because
they lack ability, education, ex-
perience or the initiative to take
Civil Service examinations that
would make them eligible for pro-
motions to higher grades. This, he
said, explained the cases of nu-
mercus employees who have been
on the same jobs at the Navy De-
partment for Is or 20 years.
"No Favoritism" in Bureau.
Replying to question by Senator
Ellender, who declared he was con-
vinced from the complaints he had
received that there is a lot OF
favoritism" in the handling of en-
ployes throughout the Government
service. Mr.. Henkel said there "ab-
solutely is none in the Bureau OF
Navigation. He said he had heard
of some favoritism elsewhere, but
had no personal knowledge of it.
Bulk of the testimony yesterday
concerned complaint by Miss Mary
E. North, a erk-stenographer in the
Bureau of Navigation for 20 years,
that she was treated unjustly in
trying to get promoted to a higher
grade.
Mr.. Henkel admitted that he
recommended she be reprimanded
for INSTRUMENTATION in carrying
her appeal directly to the Civil Serv-
ice Commission in violation of spe-
cific instructions about its prepara-
tion.
Mr.. Piozet said he prepared a let
ter for the Secretary of the Navy S
signature to carry out this recon-
mendation, in November of 1887, but
it never was signed. He produced
the original unsigned letter, which
bore a notation by William D. Berg
man, administrative assistant, .nat
Secretary refused to sign this
action
isn't it fact that this letter
did not 60 through only because OF
the introduction Of my resolution
for this investigations" asked Sem
ator Ellender.
Mr.. Bergman said he did not know
If the investigation resolution had
any bearing on the matter, but un-
derstood the Secretary just did not
think it would be proper to discip
line an employe for such an
infraction of the rules.
instruction Misleading.
Miss North's difficulty arose from
an admittedly misleading instruc-
tion on the forms of her promotion
. appeal, which designated certain
blanks to be filled out by her i'm
mediate superior" Her immediate
superior was Capt. E. A. Duff III
the chaplain's division and he filled
out the blanks recommending her
1or promotion to a higher grade
But Mr.. Henkel said she had been
instructed that under the regula-
tions these blanks were reserved
AVA SSAAAAAASAA9 Ny VIC bureau CIlltL
and that if Capt. Duff wanted to
make any recommendation it would
have to go on a separate piece of
paper.
Miss North insisted that she was
following the letter of the instruc-
tions in getting the blank filled out
by Capt. Duff, and that he was the
only one with sufficient knowledge
of her work to answer the specific
questions.
She appealed for advice to Sena-
tor Ellender, who submitted her case
to the Civil Service Commission. 1t
advised her that if by patient en-
deavor" she could not get her appeal
through the regular channels it
might be sent direct to the commits
SiOn
Miss North then took it directly to
the commission, which sent it back