Evening star., 1947-12-28

IF Panama denies us the right to
maintain troops to protect our canal
defenses, we would be foolish to
continue to let her citizens hold
good United States Government
Jobs" the committee source said.
Old Order Not Rescinded.
There was considerable House
and Senate Civil Service Committee
objection several months ago to
the order making Panamanian citi-
zens eligible for civil service jobs.
but no action was taken to rescind
the order when State Department
officials explained that this was IN
conformance to treaty We signed
with Panama several years ago.
Now. however, another attempt to
abolish the order can be expected
to take place shortly on the argu-
ment that cancellation of the leas-
ing agreement by the Panamanian
Assembly also should result in the
cancellation of the civil service
order.
During the recent House and
Senate hearings the argument was
advanced by members OF the COM
mittee and representatives of AFL
unions that foreign agents might
qualify for Panamanian citizenship
and therefore become eligible for
vital security jobs in the zone.
ARMY LOYALTY PROBLEM-1t
isn't generally realized that at least
400 900 Government employees do not
have the protection of the Federal
loyalty board, which will be the last
court of appeals in loyalty cases.
The Army Department, which en-
ploys this number of workers, is
undecided on whether or not it
should allow its employees the right
to appeal to the board, in cases
where they have been found guilty
of disloyalty.
Together with Navy, State and the
Central Intelligence Agency, the
Army Department has specific con-
gressional authorization to operate
independently of the board. How
ever, the first three agencies have
indicated they will allow employees to
use the boards facilities, although
the agencies reserve the right to
dismiss employees even If. the board
may find them blameless. e
In these cases, the boards action
would make the absolved employees
eligible for employment in other
Government agencies.
But the Army, up to now, hasn't
made up its mind about the board
Right now, Army officials are hold
ing meetings to decide what to do.
Insiders predict that eventually the
department will decide to give It's
employees the right to appeal to the
loyalty board. s4s.,,,. !
sassossF .sss1ss4 - i Il
,s':'CAREERs RssaPRoTEGTIoNscf,atr2
man Rees OF the House Civil Service
Committee has sounded warning
that unless something Is done soon
there will be additional career e>l-
ployes losing their jobs during l948.
In letter to President Harry B.
Mitchell of the Civil Service Com
mission, Mr.. Rees says that legisla-
ton may be needed to protect per-
manent status employees from the
same fate that befell some of their
colleagues during the past year.
There is little evidence that
Federal agencies intend voluntarily
to separate war service and tempo
rary employees to provide for the
orderly return of qualified career
employees in the Federal service"
Mr.. Rees declared in his letter.
Rees Gives Warning.
Warning that there are bound to
be Federal personnel reductions in
1948, Mr.. Rees declared that the
number OF career employees who
would be affected would be "con-
siderable" unless agencies were COM
PEELED to first dismiss war service
and temporary employees.
In the event that the commission
doesn't have the authority to rem
edy the current regrettable situa-
tion," Mr.. Rees asked that it sub
NIT to his committee specific rec
ommendat tions for legislation to
take care of it.
Thus far, the commission reports,
it has found jobs for about half of