Evening star., 1942-03-06
Farming Out
OF War Work
Foreseen
Non-Defense Units
May Be Held Intact
To Accept New Duties


To Accept New Duties
President Roosevelt's plan to as
sign non-defense personnel to war
functions as one step to relieve
the congestion here. contemplates
an arrangement under which, to
an appreciable extent, work will
be "farmed out" by defense units
to other agencies having the facili-
ties and staff to handle it, it became
known today.
This would not be unprecedented,
as several organizations already
have been called On from time to
time to assemble reports or do
research for the war program, but
1t is intended to use the procedure
much more freely, once the current
Budget Bureau survey has deter
mined what agencies are in posi-
ton to curtail their ordinary &C
tivities and correspondingly turn
their attention to defense needs.
In an official quarter it was said
there has been a tendency among
non-war establishments to demand
additional personnel when called
upon to do a job for one OF the
defense groups, instead of trying to
do the work with their regular
force. The truth of this would
seem to be borne out by the fact
that virtually every department and
INDEPENDENT agency in the execu-
tive branch of the Government has
added personnel since the defense
program was started in the middle
of 1910. no matter how remote its
connection with the arms effort
might be. Now, however, once the
Budget Bureau has decided now
much individual groups must set
aside from this years approprla-
tions as a reserve, those for whom
this action will create a surplus
of personnel will have the alterna-
tive Of absorbing such war work as
they are capable of performing, or
of having their excess help shifted
elsewhere to do it.
Point to Advantages.
Oficials believe that the farming
out" process is by far the most
effective for dealing with the situa-
ton. For example, it was amplf1ed,
TO cut of a miscellaneous lot OF en-
ployes from various establishments,
and scatter them into other organ
tzations that needed help would be
both inefficient and wasteful be-
cause of the time required to fit
them into the new surroundings.
On the contrary. if they could con-
tinue to function within the frame
work of their own establishments
while in effect serving as units OF
war groups to perform duties COM
parable to those on which they
previously had been detailed, 1t
would prevent dislocation and CORE
spondingly make for efficiency.
There will be, of course, instances
where so few persons are avallable
for other work that the only prac-
tical way of using their services
would be through transfer. But
where 1t is possible to hand a JOB
over to a group Of amateurs instead
of shifting them, officials prefer the
latter method.
Stable Shift Foreseen.
While the Budget Bureau will
hazard no guess as to the size OF
the reserves that the various
agencies will be required to set up,
thereby releasing personnel foT war
work, there is a feeling in some
quarters that the outcome will be a
shift of sizable proportions. The
bureau already has ordered savings
approximating s380,0OO00O cut OF
1912 appropriations, for personnel
and other needs, and the current
survey ordered by the President is
designed to disclose how much more
can be set aside Hundreds of in
dividual items are being scanned in
the bureau study, which is expected
to be completed within two weeks.
The reductions which the bureau
decides are justified then will be
passed on by the President.
The Civil Service COMMISSION,
which has charge of the transfers
from n-defense to defense work,
also is awaiting the Budget Bureau
study before putting its entire pro-
gram into operation.
Some 500 or 600 inquiries are be-
ing received daily from employees
seeking to get into war work, and
the commission has approved its
first application for a shift AS a
result, Miss Lillian E, Garrett, a
Junior clerk -stenographer in the
Agricultural Marketing Service, will
20 Monday to the Selective Service
Ssytem, at a salary advance OF 81, ,440
to s1,62O. The commission also has
authority to initiate transfers, and
1t was said today that when the
Budget Bureau has listed those
groups in which there is surplus per-
sonnel, steps will be taken to get
the employees into agencies where
they are needed.