Evening star., 1943-06-18
Record Of Absences
OF Army's Civilian
Workers Is Defended
Romspeek Committee
Is Told Employees in D. c.
Troll Those in Field
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

BY WILL p. KENNEDY.
Man-hours lost through leaves
were 2 per cent less throughout the
Army Service Forces as whole than
among the ASF personnel here dur
ing a six month survey, the RAM
speck Civil Service Committee was
told today.
In one Of the most comprehensive
surveys ever made of absenteeism.
James P. Mitchell, in charge of ASF
industrial personnel, told the COM
mittee the record of approximately
$50 900 employees. or nearly 10 per
cent Of the average number on the
civilian payroll, was examined, with
these results:
In the departmental and field
service of ASF combined, the pro-
portion Of potential man-days lost
through annual leave was rs per
cent; through sick leave, l.8 per
cent; through leave without pay, 2
per cent, and on all leave, 81 per
cent.
In the departmental service here
potential man-days lost through an
nual leave was ~ per cent; through
sick leave, 3.4 per cent; through
leave without pay, 8 per cent, and
on all leave, 8.4 per cent. The record
OF the men was better than that of
the women in both surveys.
Calls Record CommendabIe.
Mr.. Mitchell emphasized that the
ASF absenteeism record was COM
mendable as compared with the
rate In industry as a whole. Chair
man Ramspeck commented that the
survey indicated that the civilian
employees as q whole were taking
only about half the leave they were
entitled to. even including the time
on without pay.
The committee was also informed
that the AS, 900 War Department
workers listed yesterday by the Byrd
committee as Clerical actually in
cluded administrative and fiscal
personnel.
About $4,000 Of the total. Mr.
Mitchell told the committee are In
the ASF. Included are those en-
gagged In procurement and shop
AS we'll as shop fore
men. certain skilled workers, ship
pers and inspectors.
Chairman Ramspeck. who vester-
day challenged the Byrd committee
report for referring to the 425.oo0
workers as clerical help only, put
IN that the figure also includes
supervisory and administrative Of
ficialS.
Cites Case Of Foreman.
Mr.. Mitchell used as an illustra-
ton OF those included among the
425, 900 workers = shop foreman at
the Frsnkfort Arsenal, recently
visited by the committee. The fore
man. he explained. is necessa rily a
skilled workman. Under the Classi-
fication Act, he is grouped with
clerical, administrative and f.scal
personnel.
1t was understood that the Byrd
committee report, released yester-
day. Will be revised to correct the
statement on War Department
workers.
Mr. Mitchell emphasized todsv
that 'in the War Department the
increase in the work load has not
been reflected in increase in the
number Of employees"
Questioned by Representative
Rees, Republican, OF Kansas whether
the War Department had not been
handling its own personnel prob
lem independent of the Civil Service
commission. and distinct from other
departments Of the Government, Mr..
Mitchell replica that where thev had
found 1t necessary to dig up'' en-
ployeS for certain Jobs 1t had been
with the permission of the Civil
Service Commission and it's recruits
had to be qualified by the commits
sion.
Welcomed Assistance.
He protested that they had well
coined all assistance they could get
to procure the best help possible.
Mr.. Mitchell explained that the
training was particularly super
visory training of persons to carry
on the many highly specialized jobs
that exist in the ordnance arsenals.
Signal Corps depots and similar
establishments and safety training"
He added that 1t became as i'm
portant in the civil field as military
training in building an army" Since
last August this program, he said,
mas reached 72,000 work supervisors
and 5000 more are being added.
AS an illustration of results he
mentioned that at an ordnance
plant near New York City. q sup-
eestions submitted by employees as a
oyproduct of their Job methods
training will save 437 900 man hours
OF labor or about s34O, 900 per year.
Civilians are also being trained to
lree military personnel. Some of
this work is designed, Mr.. Mitchell
explained. Ito develop good typists
and stenographers out of the insult
hclently prepared workers civil serv-
Ice was forced to furnish as the de-
mand outran the supply. Accord
ing to estimates of the Quartermas-
ter Corps the cost Of training new
employees, where there is no organ
lzed formal training program is
about $3.50 per person. The cost un-
der the War Department training
program has been reduced to $50,
and also cut in half the time of pro-
ducing an equally efncient worker,
Tests show they can be taught to
double their speed in 48 hours of
traininH and that the nnnnhAr of