Evening star., 1947-06-13
Tendency to Lay Off
Lower-Poid Groups
AssoiIed in Report
By Joseph Young

Committee today recommended
elimination of approximately
100000 Government jobs, about
5,100 of them in Washington, as
it reported out the 1948 inde-
pendent Offices appropriations
bill.
In approving the measure the
committee criticized what it charged
was the tendency of Federal agen-
cies to concentrate their dism1ssals
among lower -salaried employees. The
committee asked the Budget Bureau
and the Civil Service Commission
to order Government departments
to step up the dismissals ana
downgradings among high-salarled
personnel.
Here are the number of agency
dismissals that would occur mere
under the committees bill:
War Assets Administration, 2,40o;
Veterans Administration, LOU;
Maritime Commission, 500; Civil
Service Commission. 100, and Pubic
Buildings Administration, 1,lO0.
Biggest Overall Cut for WAA.
WAA was given the biggest over
all cut under the committee Dill.
1t will lose 10000 employees during
the coming year if the committees
recommendations are approved.
WAA was sharply criticized by the
committee as being overstaffeo. In
cutting the agency's budget request
the committee acted on the recon-
mendations of its investigators, VINO
carefully scrutinized WAA's opera
tionS.
A total of about 5000 Veterans
Administration employees would lose
their Jobs under the committee Dill.
The bill calls for the dismissal or
10000 workers, but VA earlier this
week anticipated some OF the dlS-
missals and issued notices to o.ooo
of it's employees. Thus VA now mas
to fire 5000 employees.
The 1000 VA employees slated Tor
dismissal in Washington are IN adol-
tion to the 400 employees here VINO
we're handed dismissal notices carrier
in the week.
Personnel Practices Criticized.
The committee sharply criticized
the personnel practices OF the
Maritime Commission as it elm
mated an estimated $500 jobs IN
the agency. a
The committee criticized the
to,,,dipo racordS as to the upgrad-
ing of Maritime personnel. IL
ordered an immediate DOWNWARD
revision of salaries in the agency
The committees bill wipes out
Maritime's Office of the Historian
and the Public Information DIVISION.
Another agency which had Its
budget estimates reduced snarply
was the Federal Works Agency.
Most affected is the Public Bulla-
inps Administrator staff in WASH
ineton whose salary items were cut
more than 80 per cent,
The Civil Service Commission
salary estimates were cut by D
per cent. ss
Other independent agencies 1areo
rather we'll in salary items, even
though some of them didn't get
the increased budget items for l94o
that they sought.
Agencies Escaping Slashes.
Those agencies getting all they
asked for-and this means there
will be nc personnel reductions-ln-
cluded the White House Office stan,
the General Accounting Ofhce, the
United States Tax Court and the
National Capital Housing Authority.
The National Advisory Defense
Council got practically everything
it asked for and there would be no
dismissals in this agency.
Those agencies that had their
1948 budget requests cut, but whose
l948 salary appropriations are as
much more as their 1947 grants, in
clude the Federal Communications
Commission. the Federal Power
Commission, the Federal Trade
Commission, the National Archives,
the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion, the Security and Exchange
Commission, the Smithsonian lnstl-
tute and the Tariff Commission.
In all probability, there will be
little or no personnel reductions in
the above agencies.
The Budget Bureau took slight
cut in salary items and it may be
necessary to dismiss handful of
employees. perhaps 10.
The National Advisory Committee
for Aeronautics received S. $50, 1000
increase in salary items to hire more
employees.
The independent Offices bill was
the last of the major appropriations
measures that will be reported by
the committee this VEAL