Evening star., 1950-10-13

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nOunced their engagement he
marry some time after the first
gan three years ago in a BIRTHS
Jobs
(Continued From First Page.)
able when considering housing fol
out-of-town workers." Mr.. An
dress said. Housing is an i'm
portant factor in both recruiting
and morale. The advantage Of 9
project like Arlington Farms is
that the Government can provide
better supervision and protection
for girls recruited outside the
CITY,"
Limited at Present.
Out-of-town recruiting for Of
flee workers by the military
services is limited at present, and
most jobs are being filled by per-
sons already living in the Dis
trict area. Each department has
it's own arrangement to provide
quarters for a few days until the
recruit can find permanent hous-
! ing.
Civil Service Commission sta
tistics for August show that the
number of Federal employees
throughout the country increased
1885 to 2.o60,4 400, while Govern
ment employment in the District
rose 3,627 to a total of 218.100
Further data are not yet avail
able, but a Commission spokes-
man said the September increase
is expected to be about the same
The result is that the supply of
Washington stenographers and
typists-which has not been large
for 10 years-has been reduced to
the point where employment
agencies have 10 or more jobs for
each applicant. Private employ
ers find themselves bidding against
the Government, which offers
5000 a month and other benefits
to inexperienced girls.
Girls Leaving Businesses.
Private industry just cannot
compete with the Government,
and the problem in business Offices
is being complicated by girls leav-
ing for better-paying Federal
jobs" Miss Elizabeth Young of
Personnel Services, Inc, said.
"Our agency has 100 jobs paying
5000 to $225 a month for junior
stenographers with high school
education.
Other agencies report the same
conditions. One business school
which finds jobs for its own grad
yates, reported three times as
many job listings in the first week
OF October as it had for the entire
month of September. Good jobs
are so plentiful, the registrar said
that students have been leaving
school after attaining the mini.
mum Government standards.
Mrs. Kathryn Fox, manager Of
the District clerical and profici.
ency office of the United State.
Employment Service. said hel
agency has 10 to / ratio o
jobs to qualified applicants bu
does not encourage girls to leave
school before graduation.
THE are lured into the marke
by well-paying jobs requiring
lower-than-usual standards" Mis-
Fox said, "but they will have littl'
chance Of competing against bet.
ter-trained workers when norma
conditions return. We are re-
peating the experience of the las
war, and the situation does no
encourage high proficiency"
USES Aids in Canvass.
The USES is assisting Gov
eminent agency which is nov
canvaSsing District high school,
for February graduates. TIL,
agency signs up satisfactory stu
dents and gives them a securit,
check, which takes about 80 days
Miss Fox said. Then, shortly be.
fore graduation, the USES test
them. If they pass, they get job.
with grade GS ratings at $2,45(
a year.
Other agencies also have beer
recruiting in schools, but only al
graduation time.
To increase the number o1
eligible applicants, the Govern.
ment has lowered its standard tt
the World War II level. At one
time, the required shorthand
speed was 120 words a minute
then it was reduced to 90, ane
finally to 80-the present speee
rate. The passing tipping grade
Is 4O-45 words a minute, depend
ing on accuracy.
Mrs. Dorothy Jacobsen, chief o1
the employment branch of tht
Navy's administrative office, sale
she had requests for 1900 work
ers for the October-November pc
riod. So far she has been able tc
find fewer than 100 eligible girls
although all urgent requests have
been filled. The situation is eased
slightly because some hiring is
done in the Navy bureaus them
selves.
Many Failing Tests.
'The standards are lower than
they have been," Mrs. Jacobsen
said, "but even then only one out