Evening star., 1947-03-18
D. {. Post Office
Starts Replacing
1900 Workers
Temporary Employees
Give Way to Those
On Permanent List

The washington Post Office is en-
gagged In progressive replacement of
about 1900 temporary wartime en-
ployes by men from a permanent
civil service register, Postmaster
Vincent C. Burke said today.
Both men and women among the
temporary workers are being dis
missed, but only men are being
hired, Mr.. Burke said. More than
80 per cent of the new permanent
employees are veterans, he added.
Despite the threat of slash in
it's appropriation for the next fiscal
year, the Post Office Department
has not started an overall personnel
reduction program.
Treasury Cuts Under Way.
A spokesman said the department
had not followed the Treasury De-
partment in planning staff cuts.
The Treasury, which receives its
funds from the same appropriation
as the Post Office, passed out dis
missal notices to 1T Secret Service
employees yesterday. House cuts in
the Treasury-Post Office appropria-
ton bill prompted the move.
The postal official said his de-
partment preferred to wait for final
congressional action on the measure.
THE bill hasn't been passed yet,
and we don't want to alarm our
people unnecessarily" he said.
Mr.. Burke said the total of Wash
ington Post Office workers had
dropped "only a hundred or so"
below the wartime peak. About 4,500
are employed here.
All Women Barred.
The temporary workers were per-
n1itted to take civil service exam
nations, but none of the women
will be given permanent positions,
since only the male register is being
used, Mr.. Burke said.
He estimated 500 Of the 1900
temporary employees had passed
civil service tests and said many
of the men among these had a good
chance of receiving appointments
Many of our 'tempts' are vet
Grams themselves" he pointed out.
He explained the relatively small
overall reduction in force since the
war this way:
Post office employees are expected
to work a five-day, 40-hour week.
They are supposed to receive COM
pensatory time off on other days of
the week If they work on Saturday
or Sunday.
Mail Volume Watched.
During the war, this overtime was
paid in cash. .Now, the Post Office
has returned to payment in time off
The reduction in man-hours worked
has about kept even with the easing
in mail volume. Therefore, it has
been necessary to make only a small
cut in the overall personnel total.
Naturally, we are watching mail
volume carefully" Mr.. Burke said.
The Post Office Department Is
sponsoring legislation to permit in
cerases in certain postal rates in an
effort to overcome its operating
deficit. This has brought the promise
from several members of Congress
that its personnel requirements
would be examined closely.
Most Treasury Firings in Field.
All the Secret Service agents who
have been given dismissal notices
are in the field Offices outside Wash
ington, James j. Maloney, chief of
the Secret Serevice, said today.
Nevertheless, 10 clerks at head
quarters. % members of the uni
formed White House Police and SO
uniformed guards serving at the
Treasury and Bureau of Engraving
and Printing buildings are being
dropped! he said.
Mr.. Maloney said that 63 agents |
and IL clerks are being dropped in
the field Offices. Twenty-Five of the
agents, he said, are prewar ap-
pointees with permanent status, and
the majority of the 63 are veterans.
In all, he said, lit Secret Service
employees are being dropped in the
slash.
In addition, half the 63 employees
of the personnel Office will be
dropped. Their notices have not
yet gone out.
Last week, the House trimmed
1882, ,716,750 from the Treasury-Post
Office appropriation bill-the first of
the big 194S appropriation bills to-
come before it. AS accrued leave
will have to be paid out of the cur
rent fiscal year, those dropped were
given notices effective April l ana
and April Is.
Secret Service is believed to be