Evening star., 1951-09-01
LeaVeCut Is Law
As Truman Signs
4 Money Bills
FederuI Employees Set
6-Doy Vacation Slash ;
Personnel Funds Less.
washington, p. G.
SATURDAY, sEPTEMBER 1, 1881
By Joseph YOUNG


The Governments classified and
Wage Board employees are now on
the 20-day-a-year annual leave
system.
The new system became law last
night when President Truman
affixed his signature to the 1852
Independent Offices bill which
contained the leave cutting pro-
vision.
Approximately is million Fed
eral workers are affected by the
reduction in leave, including about
265, 900 Federal and District gov
ernment employees in the Wash
ington area. The bill did not
change the leave status of postal
workers, who continue to get only
Is days annual leave.
Mr.. Truman signed the bill q
scant six hours before the mid
night deadline he had in which
to act. Otherwise the bill would
have become law automatically.
Annoyed at MEAT Ak" Cut.
There had been no doubt that
the President would sign the bill,
which also provides for a max
imum 10 per cent cut in agency
personnel funds. However, the
President was known to be an
noyed at the meat ak" personnel
cut approach.
Administration officials say he
is particularly concerned that the
FerguSon-JenSen personnel cut
rider also applies to the Atomic
Energy Commission. Acc Off
cials say the rider will force the
diSmissals Of 1000 employees.
The 10 per cent personnel cut
provision also is in the Interior,
Agriculture, Labor-Federal Sc
curity Agency appropriation bills
signed by the President yesterday.
A total of $6.162,825.175 is ap-
propriated in the Independent
Offices bill. $675.077. .290 less than
the President had requested for
the score of Federal agencies
financed by the bill for the fiscal
year ending next June 80.
VA. Atomic Energy Get Most.
Largest allotments are $3,964,-
100000 for the Veterans Admin
tstration, $1.139,932,750 for the
Atomic Energy Commission and
$238,389,600 for the Tennessee
Valley Authority.
The Interior Department bill
provides $511,841,816, which is
52.344.1S4 less than the Presi-
dent requested.
Other money bills signed yes
terday appropriates $802, ,988, ,626
for the Agriculture Department /
and s2,512, ,400, POT for the Labor
Department and Federal Security
Agency. The Agriculture Depart
ment allotment is $17,216,9 800 less
than the President requested. The
fund for the Labor Department |
and the Federal Security Agency /
was cut $232.249. .430 by Congress.
Cut Is Retroactive.
The leave reduction is retro
active to last July /. Annual
leave for Government employees
is counted on a calendar rather
than a fiscal year basis. Conse-
quertly, Federal employees in 1851 |,
will receive % days annual leave,
since they will get credit for the
former leave system for the first
six months of this year. This
totals Is days up until June 80
and 10 days for the last six
months of the year.
Starting next January /. the
employees will go on a 20-day-a- /
year annual leave basis. Il
The new leave system also re- I
Iulres employees to use all of their
leave each year and not
accumulate any further leave. 7
.or example, all leave for 1851
hat has not been used by June e
10. 1852. will be forfeited. t
3 In this connection, Congress di-
'ected the various departments I
md agencies to give employees t
very chance to take all of their t
cave.
Leave accumulated in former S
years can be carried over. The Is
leave accumulation ban applies y
only to this year and succeeding
years.
Sick Leave Left Intact.
The present Is days sick leave
remains the same.
The Perpendicular rider ap-
plies a maximum 10 per cent re-
duction in the various agencies
affected
The agencies personnel funds
are cut at least 5 per cent below
original budget estimates.
In addition, the bureaus may
I'LL only one out of every four
personnet vacancies occurring dur
Ing the next year. Once an
agency achieved a 10 per cent
reduction through this method, "
the proviSo would no longer apply
However, Congress provided a |
Ioophole whereby agencies may
ill vacanjes without regard to the
rider through transfers from other
agencies or from other units of