Evening star., 1951-07-13
The Economy Drive Is Not Dead

Refusal of the House to accept watered-
down conference plan for reducing the size OF
the Federal establishment is an encouraging
indication that the economy drive in Congress
is still alive. The drive showed signs of "fzzling
out" as Federal Spotlight" reporter Joseph
Young put it. when Senate and House conferees
voted to ditch two personnel-cut riders on the
Labor-Federal Security appropriation bill in
favor of a greatly modified plan. But the over
whelming rejection of the plan by the House
and its insistence on the original Jensen amend
ment shows that majority of the House is
determined to get some real action.
In the past the subject of forcing a reduc-
tion in the number of Federal employees has been
talked about year in and year out, but-as in
the case of the weather-little or nothing ever
is done about it, There has been lot Of talk
at this session of Congress, as in the past, about
reducing the size of the Federal colossus or, at
least, holding the present line. Two riders to
accomplish one or the other of these objectiyes
received House or Senate approval. But the
traditional bureaucratic attitude of economic
wherever you please, only stay away from my
door" has been having some effect at the Capt.
tol The conference report obviously was con-
cessfon to this attitude.
It is reported that the conferees lost little
time in throwing out the Jensen rider and in
modifying the Ferguson amendment. The Jensen
plan, which now has received double indorse-
ment of the House, provides for an overall per-
sonnel reduction of 20 per cent through pain
less" attrition system, under which only Is per
cent Of vacancies could be filled until the total
cut had been attained. The Ferguson rider, ap-
proved by the Senate, called for an outright 10
per cent reduction under budget estimates, to
be achieved either through failure to I'LL vacan-
cies Or by discharges The confereeS changed the
Ferguson amendment so that it was almost un-
recognizable An across the boards reduction
was rejected in favor of selective application
of the cut to a few bureaus. The net effect
might be a reduction Of no more than per cent
In employees of the Labor Department and Fed
eral Security Agency, perhaps less
The House by it's rejection of this modified
plan, evidenced an understandable reluctance to
sanction the selective approach, however desir-
able It may be from the standpoint of admin
istrative efficiency. Experience has shown that
one exemption leads to others and, in the end
tends to result in so many exemptions that
nothing is gained. If the precedent Of applying
cuts to only few parts of each agency is estab-
lished in passing the Labor-FSA bill, the stam-
pede will be on for exemptions for every unit
throughout the whole establishment. The pres
sure will be hard to resist. Congress will fore
stan that sort of pressure by insisting on an
overall personnel reduction, effected through
normal attrition Of the payroll. There is not
much chance of any appreciable reduction
through the plan proposed by the conferees.
dazed figure wandering street in the
West in pajamas is identified as local poll
hcian Escaping from strange bedfellows is o
theory.