Evening star., 1946-01-13
Federal Liquidation
|0f Jobs Increases
Problem Of Veterans
By MIRIAM OTTENBERG.

An increasing number of veterans
who worked for the Government
before the war are returning to find
their jobs no longer exist because
agencies are cutting down their
staffs. a selective service re-employ-
ment official said last night,
He said the problem of veterans,
whose Government jobs have disap-
peared, is becoming increasingly
critical all the time" and is causing
"a great deal of concern"
State selective service directors,
he added, have been instructed to
try working through regional civil
service Offices to get the men with
Government unemployment rights
back to work and If these efforts fail,
national selective service head
quarters will take the problems up
with the Civil Service Commission.
Lack Right to Sue.
The official pointed out that, un-
like men with unemployment rights
in private industry, veterans who
held Government jobs can not sue
to get their job back nor can they
be compensated for wages lost
through the delay, even if the COM
bined efforts of the Civil Service
Commission and Selective Service
finally win unemployment for them
The problem of suing the Gov
ernment because of failure to re-
employ a veteran, has come ur
most recently in the case of Will
liam Clark of Princeton, N. J..
former judge of the Third Circuit
Court of Appeals, who left the
bench to serve under Gen. Mac
Arthur and has demanded reap
pointment. His appeal was denied
in an opinion drafted by Assistant
Solicitor General Harold Judson.
Judge Clark was reported con.
sidering a suit to regain his life
time Federal judiciary status, but
the Selectiye Service spokesman last
night raised question about whom
he would sue.
He said the case had not beer
brought formally to the attention
Of selective service but that /
would be investigated.
Not Limited to Draftees.
When the unemployment officia
was informed that Mr.. Judson sale
reinstatement provisions of the Sc.
lective Service Act do not apply tt
Federal judges, since they wer,
specifically exempted from the draft
the official said re-employmen
rights were not limited to draftee'
but to anyone who entered tn,
armed forces after May /, 1910.
He said no cases of elected pub
4 lie officials had come to the at
tention of selective service, be
couse I'VE can't do anything TO
them"
Congress had indicated that tn
mayor of a city, for instance, shoul.
|, get his old job back when he leave
. the service but he has no recours
to the courts, unless there is som
State legislation to help him." h
, said. Some States have passe,
laws giving State and municipa
employees the right to enforce thei
unemployment privilege"
i Election Held No Bar.
) A number of cases of elected of
flcials Of business firms and organ
. izations. who can't get their job
back have been brought to Selec
tive Service, the official said. H
cited the cases of bank cashier
/. company vice presidents, labo
union secretary = treasurers an
others, who may be elected ever
year but have held the same posi-
ton for years.
/ Under our Interpretation, tn
fact that a man is elected to serv
a term doesn't defeat his claim t
return to that job" the spokesmal
said. 'It is inconceivable that
bank cashier who has been electe
regularly every year for Is years
in a Temporary position, and if he
not in a temporary position, he
is entitled to his old job. More case
like that are coming in all tn
time"