Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-03
Agreement Forecasts
Quick Passage Of
Ramspeck Measure
Non Competitive Tests
To Give Thousands
Civil Service Stotus
By j, A. FOX,

with speedy passage preQlcleu,
the Ramspeck civil service bill
turned into the last lap of its long
legislative journey today. With diff
ferences between Senate and House
ironed out in conference yesterday,
Senator Mead, Democrat, of New
York in charge of the measure in
the Senate, hoped to bring it to
the floor this afternoon and prompt
disposition then and in the House
afterWard was anticipated. Rep
resentative Ramspeck, Democrat, of
Georgia. chairman of the House
Civil Service Committee, the author
of the bill. said debate in the House
would be limited to one hour.
The bill will not be taken up in
the House before Monday, Speaker
Rayburn said today. This course
was recommended. he explained. by
House Leader Mccormack because of
the absence from the city OF large
number of House members.
Defense and deficiency bills get
first call in the Senate today and
the civil service measure comes next.
The Civil Service Commission esti-
mates that from $4,000 to 10000
positions in "old line" and New
Deal agencies will be eligible for
civil service status under the legis-
lation which, pending for months,
is to be effective Immediately upon
enactment. A special provision also
gives clerical employees of Congress
an opportunity to enter the civil
service when dropped from their
legislative posts.
The bill also extends to the field
service the Classification Act rates
of pay now applying only to de-
partmental personnel.
Nom Competitive Tests.
The machinery of the bill is
simple The President is empowered
to bring into the competitive Serv-
ice positions heretofore exempt by
law, and the incumbents, meeting
certain requirements, will qualify
for the civil service status enabling
them to retain these places. They
must be recommended by super
visory officers, have had at least six
months service and pass nom
competitive tests devised by the
Civil Service Commission. These
tests, it is estimated, will disqualify
something better than 20 per cent:
vacancies in the positions thereafter
will be filled by the customary open.
competitive examinations.
In its completed shape, the bill
was the product of eight conferees,
two Republicans from the House
Representatives Edith Nourse Rogers
of Massachusetts, and Rees of
Kansas-refusing to sign the con-
ference report and vigorously
criticising the legislation. Mrs.
Rogers has insisted throughout the
lengthy consideration of the bill
that it should call for competitive
rather than non-competitive ex-
aminations, because so many of
those benefitting by it were political
appointees. Approving the report
were Mr.. Ramspeck and Representa-
tives Randolph, West Virginia, and
Fries, Illinois, Democrats, and Sem
ators Mead, Bulow. South Dakota,
chairman of the Senate Civil Serv-
ice Committee, and George, Georgia,
Democrats, and White, Maine, and
Frazier, North Dakota, Republicans.
Senate Amendments Die.
In reporting out tine bill. the
conferees rejected three Senate
amendments that would have made
several thousand additional employees
eligible for its benefits. The princi-
pal provision stricken out would
have given 5000 Census Bureau
employees on temporary duty trans
fer status. These persons come from
civil service registers, but because
of the impemanence of their duties
do not get the usual benefits of
civil service employment, and, when
the census assignment is completed,
return to the registers and await
their turn for reappoinment. The
unemployment. Another amend
ment killed would have made sew
eral thousand furloughed non-civil
service employees eligible for civil
service and the third proposed to
permit employees who had had Is
years service anywhere in the Gov
eminent to qualify.
The conferees also went along with
the House in denying civil service
coyerage to w. P. A. employees, but
struck language from the bill that
would have applied this ban to all
workers paid from emergency funds.
It is generally agreed, however, that
this proposed liberalization is Of
doubtful value; because the relief
appropriation. which also was aim