Evening star., 1943-10-12
Health Officials
Seek TO Speed
Hiring Methods
Commissioners Hear
Of Vacancies at
Institutions
BY DON S. WARREN.

Emergency steps to meet increas-
Ing manpower problems of the Dis
trict's health. welfare and correc-
today by the Commissioners As they
heard detailed reports from agency
chiefs on their inability to get or
keep anywhere near enough quail
fed workers.
The possibilities of taking steps to
cut red tape to employ qualified
workers when they can be found,
placing employees on a 48-hour week,
of reducing-for the duration-the
26-day annual leave to IS days, and
OF partly meeting the competition in
pay were among the ideas explored.
District Budget Officer Walter L.
Fowler, whose office includes the
District Personnel Division, revealed
plans now are being developed for
means of speeding up location and
placement Of persons found eligible
for District jobs.
Seckinger Protests Delay.
This development came after
Deputy Health Officer Daniel L.
Seckinger protested the delay in
getting personnel on the payrolls
because of present employment
practices.
They don't wait long today" he
said
DR.. Edgar A. Bocock, superintend-
ent OF Gallinger Hospital, said the
arrangements the Commissioners
have with the Civil Service Com
mission, while having proved desir-
able in prewar days, now are con-
sidered cumbersome
District agencies must apply first
TO the Federal agency for eligibles
II usually is three weeks before a
reply is received Sometimes the
reply has been that the commission
has no eligibles and sometimes they
have had a few but not all the
District needed
Would Revive Old Plan.
DR., Bocock urged that for the
dura ton, the District be permitted
to 60 back to the Old plan tprior
to 1881 under which District could
hire and put to work at once ap-
plicants found eligible by the Dis
trict agency, the personnel paper
work being done later
The assets resulting from the
present plan do not in any measure
counterbalance its disadvantages"
he said
Commissioner Young suggested it
might be wen for the District to
set up its own civil service, but Act
Ing Engineer Commissioner Joseph
D. Arthur, jr., reminded that this
would require major changes in
governmental machinery.
Corporation Counsel Richmond B.
Keech. when questioned about the
present arrangement, said it was
q mutual agreement between the
Commissioners and the Civil Serv-
ice Commission, and if the District
sought to depart too far from it, the
Federal agency might give notice
1t would drop the plan altogether.
Many Posts Vacant.
DR.. Bocock reported that Gallinger
Is authorized to employ 901 persons,
but that 1873 jobs are vacant. The
hospital is authorized to have 16l
graduate nurses, but lacks 65; to
have 1l3 attendants, but lacks d;
33 internes, but is unable to fill the
Jobs of II.
DR.. Seckinger said the Health De-
partment authorized staff numbered
76l. but had ia vacancies. including
"a physicians, Is nurses and 10
food inspectors.
DR.. Daniel Leo Finucane, super
intendent of the District Tuber-
culosis Sanitorium at Glenn Dale,
Md, reported his authorized staff
was 376. but had 81 vacancies, the
latter including 80 general duty
nurses whom he said he did not eX-
pect TO be able to obtain during the
war
He said his problem was accentuat-
ed oy the transfer from Glenn Dale
10 the tuberculosis convalescent
home at Fourteenth and Upshur
streets NV. of all but six of his
former convalescent patients.
He said these patients were mostly
able to care for themselves and their
replacement by patients confined to
beds required more care.
Training School Hit.
DR., James Lewald, superintendent
ot the District Training School for
Feeble minded at Laurel, Md, has
an authorized staff of 169, with As
vacancies. His problem is worse, he
said, because the institution had lost
all of its really able bodied attend
ants, now having to depend on older
men and women.
His staff was working Sc hours.
he said, in an attempt to care for
the agencys $50 patients Numerous
times this year the patients have
escaped" from the home.
Daniel F. Ahern, superintendent
of the Industrial Home School for
White Children, said he had 81 au-
thori5ed regular workers, with six
jobs vacant and three part-time
which he never had been able to
I'LL.
DR.. Bocock brought out that par
ticularly in the mechanical and
clerical classes of workers the Dis
trict government is unable to COM
pete with the Federal Government
or private industry for job appli-
cants, largely due to differences in
wages.