Evening star., 1941-08-31

- CURLY duIIll1llSJIdlOI. LII SWllG IlOl
Chicago and all over the country,
the Food and Drug Act and the
public health, defense and medicinal
activities of the social security
agency.
! Early this month her long resi-
dence in Washington and admin
$ istrative experience in the field of
medicine led to Miss Switzer's ap-
pointment by President Roosevelt
to a six-year term on the Board OF
Visitors of st. Elizabeths Hospital.
She was recommended by Mr.. Nc
/. Mutt to succeed Assistant Secretary
of the Interior Oscar L. Chapman,
. whose term expired in June.
Only woman ever to be appointed
assistant to an Assistant Secretary
T, of the Treasury, professional
! reader of newspapers for such
! clients as Andrew w. Mellon and
Herbert Hoover and thoroughly
: happy Washingtonian into the bar
:. gain. Miss Switzer offers great en-
: couragement to the college girl seek
I. ting not just job, but career, in
: the Government service.
Washington Is fluid now, she says.
There Is turnover in Government
= tobs as there seldom was in the quiet
wears from 1920 to 1882.
, HNowadays anything can hap
PEN she declared. Its been hap
pening for eight years"
Remuneration Is Better.
Salaries are bigger now, she con-
tanued. She worked for 10 years
at 1890 to s2,1OO a year, and did
not reach $1,000 until after 1882.
In addition, she said, the stigma"
of working for the Government is
gone because opportunities are Of
fered in so many fields.
Explaining that a college degree
has become an essential even Tor
many tipping jobs in the Govern
nent. Miss Switzer said that colleges
should chart the avenues for ap-
proach to Government careers for
their students.
Highly specialized training is
needed in many research jobs, she
pointed out, but the broad base OF
general training required for the
A. B. degree is adequate for ad-
fvancement in the administrative
iAeld.
Adding that "you never know
when you're going 10 use some
thing" Miss Switzer mentioned
the general science and chemistry
courses which help her now in ad-
ministraion Of the Food and Drug
Act and health services. They sup
DIV. not the answers to technical
questions, she said, but knowledge OF
places in which TO find the answers.
Learned to Evaluate News.
A major in government, history
and economics herself, she took a
newspaper evaluation course in col
lege which served her later when
Secretary Of the Treasury Andrew
w. Mellon asked her to read ana
eysluate for him the Nations rep
resentative daily newspapers. Her
bert Hoover, sensitive to editorial
opinion" set up similar service
In 1929, and Miss Switzer read news
papers for Secretary Mellon in the
morning and for President Hoover
In the afternoon.
Miss SWitzer described her own
wears of experience in governmental
work as "the best road" She OBJ
served that workers coming in today
are smart" and have information,
but little experience"
Nothing can telescope expert
ence," she believes. She urged that
new workers not consider as value
less hours of routine work at ''un-
satisfactory" jobs. Such long hours
will give a sense of security and
background in administrative pro-
cedure in the future.
Sees Social Services Expanding.
Painting a picture of community
and social services which will ex-
pand rather than be curtailed by
national emergency efforts, Miss
Switzer urged that workers enter
municipal and State government
services as we'll as Federal.
$50 many services are conducted
on Federal and State cooperative
basis" she pointed out, that the
person with experience in both is
lust so much better off"
A native of Massachusetts,, Miss
Switzer concluded her picture of
satisfactory Government service
with praise of Washington as a
home. She has been happy and
comfortable here. Despite the art
critics who think such taste the
sign of a dying era, Miss Switzer
said, she loves to walk down Con-
stitution avenue and look at the
massive Government buildings.