Evening star., 1941-04-24
President Authorizes
Civil Service Status
For Ex-EmpIoyes
Way Cleared Earlier
J To Bring 10000
] Under Merit PIon

Under Merit PIon
President Roosevelt today supple
nented the order putting the Rams
peck Civil Service Extension Act
into operation with an order per-
mitting persons who have lost Fed
eral positions through no fault of
their own to acquire civil service
status
The order signed yesterday is eX-
pecIed to bring approximately 150.-
900 persons under the civil service.
Today'S order will allow inclusion
OF persons who lost their jobs
through abolition of the positions.
reduction of force or liquidation of
any agency.
AS a condition of the supplement
tai order, the person applying tor
civil service status must have given
six months of satisfactory service
before his involuntary separation.
and must have the unqualified rec
ommendation of his most recent
Federal employer. He also must
qualify through a suitable competi-
tive examination and must apply
within one year following the in
voluntary loss of position.
President Roosevelt. signing the
long g-aWaited order. which in
eorporsted the controversial plan
A" for filling legal positions. called
II "a significant milestone in civil
serVlce reform
Partly Effective July |.
The order followed along lines
predicted several days ago. In ad-
dition to putting the appointment
OF lawyers in the hands of a quasi
governmental committee in a
marked departure from traditional
civil service standards. the order
carries these salient provisions:
1t prohibits appointments outside
OF civil service after June 30 unless
permission is granted by the Civil
Service Commission.
The effective date of the order
that is. the date on which the thou
sands of positions will be brought
under civil Service-iS January I
next That means that all persons
appointed outside of civil service
before July l will have an oppor-
tunity to qualify fC- classification
under the terms of the RamSpeck
Act The law provides that in
cumbents OF positions covered in
must have six months satisfactory
service and then pass non- COM
petitive examination to acquire the
new status
Temporary positions are excluded
by the order, as are those places
excepted by the act itself. These
latter include: Offices of a policy
making nature: the administrative
force of the Work Projects Ad-
miniStration: the Tennessee Valley
Authority; assistant United States
attorneys. and appointees who must
be confirmed by the Senate.
Revision for A and B Schedules.
Provision also is made for the con-
tinued exceptions under schedules A
and B. composed of groups and in
dividuals which it is not deemed
advisable or feasible to recruit by
competition. These schedules will
be revised by the Civil Service Com
mission and the agencies in which
the positions are located. between
now and the first of the year. when
the other exceptions also will be
decided upon. An appropriation bill
rider will continue the Federal
Bureau of Investigation outside of
civil service.
The additions to civil service per-
mitted by RamSpeck Act go from
the top to the bottom of the execu-
tive agencies. particularly the So
called New Deal" Adjustments
which generally were set up on a
patronage basis The law also
brings into the competitive system
deputy marshals. Covered in. too,
are approximately 1000 administra-
tive, scientific, professional and
technical positions which never have
mad civil service status. although
there was no legal barrier 10 it.
Must Meet Suitability
Those persons who take nom
competitive examinations under the
order must meet such reasonable
standards of physical fitness and
personal suitability as the Civil
Service Commission may prescribe. "
The law provides that persons who
are to take these tests must be rec
commended by the employing officer
within a year after their position
gets civil service status. and failing
the examination, lose their position
within six months. They also are
required TO be in pay status on the
date the position is covered in.
Those who are on furlough or leave
without-pay on that date. the order
saws, may be recalled within a year
from the date when their service was
broken "and may be continued in
such their) positions thereafter. but
shall not thereby acquire classified
civil service status. If they are not
recalled to duty within the time
specified herein. they shall be
separated from the service"
Permanent employees honorably
discharged from the armed forces
will acquire civil service on the same
basis as other workers upon theiI
return to civil life.
Split Developed on Plan A.
The Plan A" selective system for
lawyers was a product of the COM
mittee beaded by Supreme Court
Justice Reed which recently COM
pleted a comprehensive report or
civil service procedure for President
Roosevelt. Supported by four mem
bers of the committee - Justices
Reed. Frankfurter. Attorney Gen
eral Jackson and Gano Dunn, ar
engineer member of the committee
as designed to meet the unique