Evening star., 1951-08-30

Coincidentally, his speech came
about the same time the Senate
Civil Service Committee opened
hearings today on the bill to de-
centralize hiring and examining
authority from the commission to
the individual departments and
agencies.
Mr.. Ramspeck told the VFW the
commission will support the meas
ure only if its recommendation
are incorporated into the bill.
'We have no intention of allow
ing any agency to grab the bit m
its teeth and run wild on the
hiring Of Government personnel"
the commission chief declared.
If strong safeguards aren't ap-
piled in tha proposed decentraliza-
ton of authority, the merit sys-
tenn as well as veterans preference
in Government would suffer, Mr..
Ramspeck stated.
Noting that the commission is
supporting the general principles
in the original Hoover Commission
proposal for personnel decentrali-
zation, Mr.. Ramspeck told the
veterans convention:
1--WE also have always main
tanned that the Civil Service Com
mission should have complete con-
troll over the recruitment, exami-
nation and selection procedures in
securing Federal personnel. with
final authority to carry out its
rules and regulations, and we still
maintain that policy"
The commission chief added, "As
a safeguard to your rights and
as protection to the merit sys-
tenn in general, the commission
is insisting that the present word
ing of the bill be changed to give
the commission the primary re-
sponsibility and authority in the
administration of the merit sys-
tenn, and to eliminate any inter-
pretation that, with respect to
hiring personnel, would place de-
partments on an equal basis with
the commission"
Mr.. Ramspeck declared the COM
mission is insisting that "all opera
tions Of a department under any
decentralized employment plan
shall be subject to such Supervi-
sion and direction by the commits
sion as may be necessary for the
commission to do the job that is
required by law"
"We intend to police the work
of all agencies to the extent
necessary to insure that there is
no failure to carry out provisions
OF the law and principles of good
personnel administration, includ-
ing veterans preference" he said
"and we want the bill changed in
that particular, so there will be
no doubt about it.
The commission chief indorsed a
provision of the bill eliminating
the one-out-of-three rule in ap-
pointing scientific and professional
personnel. While this rule has
worked we'll in most Government
jobs, it handicaps agencies in
selecting the top people for the
scientific and professions, he said.
The commission chief praised
the current veterans preference
law and the only change he ad-
vocated was to give 10 points pre-
ference only to veterans who have
compensate disabilities under
Veterans Administration stand
ards. He said nothing about
modifying veterans preference
somewhat in Government reduc-
tion-in-force programs to give
greater job protection to nom
veteran careerists. Some months
ago Mr.. Ramspeck and the COM
mission asked Congress for such
a change.
| X X
PRAISE-In the weekly newslet-
ter sent to his constituents, Sem
ator Kerr, Democrat, of Oklahoma
declared:
II hear a lot of wisecracks about
'loafers' and 'slickers' on the Fed
eral payroll. However, accord
ing to my observations, most Gov
ernment employees Congress in