Evening star., 1948-08-24


cies to make leave recommended
tions to it. Presumably, the council
subsequently will make its own
recommendations to Congress on
Government employees leave priv
ileges.
There has been considerable criti-
ciSm by Congress of leave abuses IN
the Government, particularly sick
leave. Rather than face the prospect
of having Government employees
leave benefits drastically curtailed,
top Federal officials are trying to
work out their own solution to the
problem.
Those advocating the 81 days a
year vacation benefits for Govern
ment employees make the following
arguments:
l. 1t will benefit, rather than
hurt, most Federal employees, most
of whom hardly use any of their
sick leave privileges. BY giving
them 81 days year, they will ac-
tually get more of vacation than
they have been getting.
9 1t will end the abuse of cur
rent sick leave privileges by a small
minority of Government workers,
who are making it tough for the
rest of their colleagues.
Much will be heard of the Gov
ernment leave problem in the
months TO come as the council tries
to work out a solution that will
please both Congress and Govern
ment employees 1t won't be easy.
HOW TRUE-Civil Service Com
missioner Arthur S. Flemming, just
back from a trip to England, re-
ports that the British civil SER
wants are making determined ef-
fort to end the use of "gobblede-
gook" k"-bureaucratic doubletalk.
Alas, Government officials here
seem to thrive on that sort OF talk.
For example, after a Federal Of
fetal the other day brushed OF a
query about some bit Of Govern
ment business with the oft-heard
answer The matter is under ac-
tive consideration" one Of his aides
cracked:
What he really means is We
lost the Ale"
SOMETIME YET-Officials of the
Civil Service Commissions fourth
regional loyalty board say it will be
weeks before they finish their in
vestigation of William w. Reming-
ton, Commerce Department oficial
who was accused by Miss Elizabeth
Bentley in the Red spy case.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Remington re-
mains on the suspended list.
incidentally. Chairman Rees Of
the House Civil Service Commit
tee Is certain to re-introduce his
own loyalty bill next year. The
measure passed the House this year
but was pigeon-holed in the Senate.
Mr.. Rees feels the events of the
past month have proved conclusively
that this proposed loyalty program
would be far more effective than the
current loyalty program in ridding
the Government of subversives. His
bill would set up an independent
five-man loyalty board that would
make the final determination on
each loyalty report prepared by the
FBI.
AS Mr.. Rees sees it, the "glaring'
weakness of the present system is
that departments and agencies have
the final responsibility of determin-
ing whether or not an employe
should be removed from the payroll
because of disloyalty.
If an agency decides to white
wash" an employe, nothing further
can be done about it. The present
Federal Loyalty Review Board has
Jurisdiction only over those cases
where employees have lost their jobs
and are appealing.
That's why Mr.. Rees is anxious to
have his bill enacted into law. He
believes the events of the past few
weeks will make it easier for the
measure to get final approval by
Congress next year.
| X * y
NO MERGER-Latest word Is
that the powerful AFL postal groups
have decided against merger with
other Government employees.
What chilled the proposal was
the opposition of the rank-and-f1le
postal employees, most of whom are
100 per cent organized. WELDING
powerful political influence on Cap
itol Hill, postal employees don't want
to jeapordize their position by
Joining forces with the relatively
unorganized Federal employees.
William c. Doherty, president OF