Evening star., 1951-06-24

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be the reason why Congress this
year has come UP with plan foi
. painless" reduction of Federal
personnel in the non-defense
agencies.
Leaders of the economy drive or
both sides of Capitol Hill say that
a substantial number Of Govern
ment jobs can be eliminated with
nobody on the Federal payroll
getting hurt.
The plan is to achieve person
mel reductions by not filling the
huge number of vacancies that
occur In Government each year
Current estimates are that SO per
cent of the Governments en-
ployes win leave the Federal serv-
ice during the next year. This
large turnover is caused by re-
tirements. designations. flrings for
cause, deaths and other factors.
Economy leaders in Congress
declare that merely by not filling
some of these vacancies. the Gov
ernment can achieve a consider
able reduction of jobs without
having to dismiss single employe
now on the rolls.
Holding the Line
The Government now has "a
million employees. It plans to hire
100000 additional workers-most-
ly in the Defense Department
during the next year. As a re-
suit, the economy drive in Con-
gress is aimed not so much at re-
ducing the size of the Federal
payroll, as at trying to hold the
present line. The idea is to trim
the employment of the various
non-defense agencies enough to
Offset the personnel increases that
will take place in the defense
agencies.
Senator Ferguson. Republican,
of Michigan, who led the success
full move in the Senate to impose
a 10 per cent cut in personnel
funds asked by agencies for the
new fiscal year, told his colleagues
the other day: "It just about al
lows us to stand still"
The Senate has adopted the 10
per cent personnel reduction for
mula in the form of riders to the
1852 appropriation bills for the
Government independent Offices
and the Labor Department and
Federal Security Agency. A sim
liar cut is expected to be tackled
on to the other agency money bills
when they come up for Senate
action.
The Houses formula for trim
ming Federal employment is the
SO called Jensen amendment,
which allows agencies to fill only
25 per cent Of personnel vacancies.
However, once an agency has
achieved a 20 per cent personnel
cut by this method, the ban
against filing vacancies would be
lifted.
Ten Per Cent Cut Sure
Representative Jensen, Repub-
iican, of Iowa. sponsor of the rider
which the House has attached to
the various 1852 money bills, says
that this provision would elm
mate several hundred thousand
jobs. And he also makes the
argument that this method of re-
duction by attrition would not hurt
present employees.
House and Senate conferees
will have to adjust the differences
between the two versions adopted
by their respective Houses. But
1t appears certain that whatever
formula is agreed on will impose
at least a 10 per cent overall per-
sonnel cut in the non-defense
agencies.
Most rank-and- file Government
employees naturally enough pre-
fer the Houses version, since it
2 would require that all reductions
be achieved through not filling
vacancies.
While Senator Ferguson and
others who drafted the Senate IS
10 per cent formula say that the
reduction can be achieved by not
filling vacancies, there is no spe-
cific prohibition against agencies
making some cuts through dis
missals of present employees. Most
of the job cuts could be made
through attrition, but this would
not prevent an agency head from
making a few dismissals to round
out the 10 per cent.
Not Necessarily PoinIess
7"','-'-nt personnel officials
say that the House and Senate!
action won't be quite so pain.
less" for them. The administra'
tors contend that the Houses bar
on filing more than IS per CEN
of vacancies will hamstring many
units that have large turnovers ol
clerical and custodial personnel
Failure to replace most of these
employees will cause serious opera.
tional difficulties, they say.
The Senate's 10 per cent pro.
vision also is frowned on, but it,
rare bureaucrat who ever agreed
with a congressional cut of HI!
agency's budget request.
Several Federal officials hav,
visited recently with members O
the House and Senate Appropria
tions Committee to suggest an al
tentative plan. This would utiliz
the framework of the Jensel
amendment, but the limitation OF