Evening star., 1942-02-26
Further Shifts
Of Agencies
Mapped
Budget Chief Points
Again to Coming
Influx Of $4,000
BY ]. A. FOX.

Government establishment here t.
make way for the arrival of thou.
sands of new employees was in pros.
pect today.
Announcing last night that tht
shift of agencies to other parts Of
the country was proceeding accord.
ing to the schedule laid down ir
December, when the breakup firs
was charted, Harold D. Smith, bud
get director, repeated an earlier
forecast that 5000 more worker.
would be imported into the Capita
by June 80. Even new war agencies
will be transferred to make way fol
other war functions OF presumably
greater importance, according to Mr.
Smith, who named the Once OF
Emergency Management as one Of
the defense groups which will bt
shifted in part to the field.
In an effort to ease the shortage
OF office space and transportation
facilities created by the tremendous
influx of personnel, Mr.. Smith saic
that the twa and three shift plan
are being studied, but apparentl!
they are feasible primarily for jobs
which are largely routine, requiring
no large degree OF expert super
vision or coordination Of work be-
tween agency heads or between
agencies"
May Further Stagger Hours.
"Some Government employees are
already reporting for work at 7:3C
am. and it may be that an earlier
starting hour than at present will
be adopted in other agencies to re-
lieve the traffic congestion" he
added.
That the budget directors figures
as to the prospective increase here
are not out of line was shown by q
check OF Civil Service Commission
records, which indicated that ap-
proximately 10000 stenographer-
clerk positions had been filled here
in January. Normally, this type OF
work accounts for about two-thirds
OF new employment.
Mr.. Smiths statement detailed
the progress Of the decentralization
moves ordered in December. as well
as Of several decided upon later, the
total involving $4,000 persons. These
new additions include:
Agriculture Adjustment Admin
istration: 300 employees going to
Columbus, Ohio, and the balance
to other regional Offices of the
Agriculture Department. The move
will start about March Is. A. A. A.
personnel as of September 30-the
last figures available-totaled 1850.
Farm Credit Listed.
Farm Credit Administration, Agri-
culture Department, moving to
Kansas City about April Is. About
200 employees OF the solicitors
ONCE going to Cincinnati, st. Louis
and Kansas City. September en-
ployment, 1,155.
Three more regional Offices OF the
United States Housing Authority to
set up offices In the field. One
already has gone to Boston.
The statement was silent as to
the probable date of departure OF
the Bureau Of Old-Age Insurance
Social Security Board, scheduled to
go to Philadelphia with staff OF
1,75o, and the Fish and Wild Life
Service, National Park Service. and
ONCE of Indian Affairs, Interior
Department, ticketed for Chicago
with $50 employees.
Completion of the move of the
Patent ONCE to Richmond and the
Wage and Hour Division, and por-
ton of the office of solicitor OF the
Labor Department, to New York,
was reported.
These transfers are pending:
Employees Compensation Commits
sion, New York, February %; I'm
migration and Naturalization Ser
vice, Justice Department, Philadel-
phia, March 1; Securities and Ex-
change Commission, Philadelphia,
March S; Rural Identification Ad-
ministration, Agriculture Depart
ment, st. Louis. March IA; Railroad
Retirement Board, Chicago, March
.15-with about two months neces-
sary to complete the transfer; Farm
Security Administration, Cincinnati,
March 81.
O. E. M. Affected.
Decentralization of war agencies
as we'll as the older agencies is being
pushed" Mr.. Smith said, adding
that as of December 81, 10 per cent
of the employees of the ONCE OF
Emergency Management and its
constituent agencies were in Wash
ington and 80 per cent in the field
but that by June 80, the division
will be equal. There are more than
10000 employees in the o. E. M.
which is the overall war agency.
Decentralization under the pro-
gram already announced, plus new
construction, will relieve the short
age in office space. .around June 80
according to Mr.. Smith, but II the
anticipated growth in demand oc-
ours, another shortage looms unless
relief Is provided. Earlier, the bud
get director had estimated that
40 900 employees would be brought
In here after June 30, for a total
for the year of $4,000. This would
mean q total executive agency force
of approximately 300,o0o-less, OF
course, what is taken out by de-
Capitalization.
Mr.. Smith said that another prob
lem the Government faces is to
move agencies from apartments and
other leased quarters. THE Gov
eminent now occupies 100000 feet
of such space" he said. 1--WE would
like to get those agencies under
Federal roofs to help relieve the
housing situation, which is now
Washington's greatest municipal
problem"