Evening star., 1943-06-26
Rannspeck Unit
Ends Probe Of
Army Personnel
Committee Adjourns
To Sturt Work on
Interim Report
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

yestigating Committee of the House
today completed its hearings on the
War Department and adjourned In
definitely to take account of its find
ings. Next week it win start writing
an interim report for the House.
The report viii include hearings
touching on the Civil Service Com
mission. the Budget Bureau, the
General Accounting once and the
War Department.
Chairman Ramspeck said that
some War Department ofiicials may
be called back later to answer few
questions, as result of some in
complete surveys and a contem-
plated inspection trip by members
Of the committee
Committee members. on compile
ton Of the testimony today of Col.
Gordon E. Clark, chief of the
Civilian Personnel Division of the
Army Air Forces, said that while
conditions at some of the air service
depots had been bad" that the
off1cials have been making a strenu-
GUS effort to correct them, and the
committee Is satisfied that much
improvement has been made"
Placed lin Small Towns.
The complaint was that the depots
had been placed in small commun-
tiles, close to congested industrial
centers, which resulted In difficult
living conditions for many thousands
of civilian personnel. Congress had
to appropriate many millions of
dollars to relieve the situation, mem
bers of the committee said.
Col. Clark assured the committee:
I'VE intend to continue our efforts
to simplify procedures and record
keeping; to improve selection place
ment and training techniques;' to
foster sound employe relations and
welfare programs and to improve
employe morale"
He emphasized as very impor-
tant' the determination of his di-
vision Ito continue to work closely
with those charged with civilian
personnel administration at each
and every Air Forces station, to give
them technical advice and assistance,
because in the final analysis these
civilian personnel officers at field
stations are carrying the load and
the value of our total program will
in large part, be the value of the
sum of their efforts"
4,5OO Civilians Stationed Here.
There are now some $500 civilian
employees, 76 per cent female and "a
per cent male, in the departmental
headquarters of the Army Air Forces
in Washington. In the Air Forces
field activities there are 10000 ci-
william employees, So per cent males
and A per cent females. There are
about 800 Air Forces stations. 1t is
the policy of the Washington head
quarters to have only small group
of liaison representatives working
out of Washington.
OF the total of $4,000 civilian
employees in the field, 27o,O0o are in
the Air Service Command, whose
duties are to organize and operate
air depots and sub-depots; repair
and maintain aircraft; distribute
aircraft equipment and supplies to
air units within and outside of the
United States. A major control
depot employs from 5000 to $4,000
employees and is a large industrial
establishment, with complicated per-
sonnel problems.
nnA ss,
The Materiel Command has
about 81 900 civilian employees, and
conducts research and development
work on aircraft equipment and
supplies and supervises all procure
ment.
These employees are stationed at
Wright Field, the largest expert
mental station, or at procurement
district headquarters, or as inspec-
tor at plants producing for the Army
Air Forces. The Technical Training
Command employs approximately
$4,000 at its technical schools. The
Flying Training Command employs
about 5000 civilians at flying
schools all over the country, to turn
out pilots, bombardiers, navigators,
observers and aerial gunners.
The Air Transport Command has
about 1000 civilian employees re-
sponsible for ferrying aircraft, oper-
ating air routes and transporting by
air personnel, material and mail for
all War Department agencies.
This civilian field force has grown
from 1000 in June, 1899, to 330, 900
today, and the civilian department
tai force from $50 in 1889 to 4,500
today. The military strength of the
Army Air Forces in June, 1910, was
$1,000. Today there are approx
mately 100000 military personnel.
Civilian personnel has been multi
piled Al times and the military per-