The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1942-04-03
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EDITOR and PUBLISHER
1901 - 1894
NAVY DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES

There seems to be at least indication that
color barriers in the Navy beginning to give way In
statement to the Presidents Committee on Fair En-
ploymen Practice the Navy Department disclosed that
between October 1941 and February %, 1912, coored
civilian employees had increased from 511 to 1851 in
that Department. Included in the largest number of
colored workers-776-are messengers elevator opera
tors and janitorial help; 271 employed in the cler
CAL administrative and fiscal" Observation-Disclosures,
clerks stenographers and other white collar workers;
three are classified professional and one as Sub
professional" The 1851 coored employees constitute
II per cent of the total of 14745 civilian workers on
the Navy Department payroll. The largest number Of
coored employees are the Office of the Secretary of the
Navy which has S5 in the CAT classification and 257 in
the custoda classification The list shows that others
included in the CAT personnel distributed as follows
In the Office of the judge advocate 3 bureau of navlga
ton 40; photographic office 1; bureau of ships g. bu
reau of ordnance "a bureau of supplies and accounts
&c. bureau of medicine and surgery, q office of naval
operations bureau of yards and docks 26 bureau OF
aeronautics 81 headquarters, US. Marine Corps, IL
The three professional employees each in the
naval observatory the bureau ships and the bureau OF
ordnance.
In making public the figures this week, Executive
Secretary Lawrence Cramer of the Fair Employment
Practice Committee said The list shows that the Navy
Department in its CIVILIAN employment has taken steps
to use all available workers regardless of their race
ooN-
issued by President Roosevelt last June 1t will be re-
called that as 'follow-up'' of his famous Executive
Order President Roosevelt in September sent letters to
all department heads asking the INTO take immediate
steps to facilitate and put into effect this policy of nom
discrimination the end that in the federal service the
doors of employment shall be open to all loyal and quail
fed workers regardless of race creed national origin
The Navy Departments figures show that while
white employees during the period above mentioned have
increased $3.50 per cent colored employees have increased
125 per cent Nevertheless, the government is going
to persist the nvidous practice of regulating the num-
Der of participants the counrys service according to
the proportions of white and colored in the total popua-
ton then the Navy Department, despite the noteworthy
increase of coored civilian workers. is yet far behind the
coored quota which should be at least ten per cent OF all
employed there. The progress already made can be
Interpreted as guarantee that hundreds of other coore
applicants will later be accepted in the Navy Depart
ment's army of civilian workers.
The sharp rise in colored employment coming soon
after President Rooseves action against discrimination
should be source of fresh encouragement to all OF us
who are conendng for democracy in the Army Navy ana
Military Aviation Since the intervention of the Presi-
dent so speedily disposed of the color bar in civilian en-
poyment can there be any further doubt that by similar
action the entire caste system eaboished wherever
it exists in the National service?