Evening star., 1951-06-20

I'll. FUSVnnGl IuI
Will CurtaiI Services
Continued From First Page.)
would have to curtail many Of its
activities.
S. The Health Department woulc
find some Of its services performed
for the health of District residents
wrecked. A cut at Gallinger Hos
pital would nullify the work ir
recent years of building the hos
pital up.
6. The Welfare Department, con.
Sidered down to bedrock at pres.
ent, would have to abandon some
of its services-which ones de-
pending on how the cut finally wa:
applied by the welfare director.
7. The Public Library would have
to stop opening in the morning
because of lack Of personnel.
This dire picture of less service
to the public was painted over anc
over by each department heac
questioned.
The cut, as advocated by Sen
ator Ferguson. would be applied
to the budget as submitted to Con-
gress and before cut by the House
The Senator late yesterday indi-
Gated willingness to modify his
formula as it applies t. the District
budget, stating he felt teachers
and hospital employees were in a
different category from Govern
ment clerks.
Cut of $6.7 Million.
The slash would be in money,
not specific jobs, and would pare
some $6.7 million, from the SGT
million called for in the budget
for personnel. This would mean
from 1000 to 1900 employees cut
from the rolls of the District Gov
ernment, one city official esti-
mated. depending on how the cuts
were made.
School Supt. Hobart M. Corn
ing declared. ANY blanket cut Is
an extremely serious thing"
He pointed out that if it result
ed in a 10 per cent reduction in
actual personnel, 500 persons,
school employees. would be affect
ed. He said that all of the extra
teaching positions asked-12S in
Guiding IA teachers to reduce class
size in colored schools-were for
colored buildings.
The Board of Education met in
special session yesterday to state
officially its objection to any per-
sonnel cut. The resolution the
board adopted said:
"Any such action would un-
doubtedly interfere seriously with
the careers of teachers. and other
employees on permanent tenure
and it would undesirably affect
the educational standards of the
, schools because of the under
stating that now exists"
Set Strength for Firemen.
Capt. A. j. Patrick, fiscal officer
for the Fire Department, declared
the department must operate at
its set strength in order to man
the equipment. An engine COM
pany takes five men and truck
company six men, he said.
"In other departments, work can
stay on desk until the next day
but in the Fire Department. the
men must be there. The work
can't wait" {
He said that the authorized
strength of the department is 1903
men. Only one uniformed man
additional was asked. A 10 per
cent cut would mean the loss of
salaries of about 100 men.
The result would be the f1remen
would have to go back to the To-
hour week which they abandoned
last year in favor Of the 60-hour
week. To put the shorter week
into effect, 146 men were added
then.
It'll put us just about back
where we were before" Capt. Pat
rick said. "It will mean less leave
and an extra days work each
week"
In the Police Department, the
situation is a little more compli-
Gated. Some 200 new positions
were requested above the presently
authorized strength of 2.228 men.
The House eliminated the item.
200 Vacancies.
At present, a Police Department
spokesman said, there are about
200 vacancies under the 1928
authorized strength. The vacan-
cies are being filed by policemen
voluntarily working a sixth day
for pay.
This is possible because last
year the five-day week was au-
thorized and money appropriated
to pay the salaries of the extra
men it involved. The department
had been on a six-day week. But
the House eliminated money de-
signed for this purpose. Thus
under the budget as it now stands
before the Senate, the five-day
week would have to be forgotten.
A 10 per cent cut of personnel
in the budget sent to Congress
which included the 2,228 author
lied strength and the 200 addi-
tional jobs-would leave the police
a little less better off than they
are now. It would allow for NJ
increase in the number of police.
men patrolling the streets. fol
which 180 of the new position.
were intended.
Health Director Daniel L. Seek.
niger said 10 per cent cut ir
the Health Department personne