Evening star., 1952-03-22
Of $4,000
In Federal Jobs
|lsUp 10 Senate
Independent Agencies
Funds Reduced More
Thun 20% by House
By Joseph Young

BY Joseph Young
The Governments independent
agencies today turned to the
Senate in the hopes it will restore
part of the funds slashed by the
House which would wipe out about
$4,000 jobs in the bureaus.
The. House last night trimmed
the operating funds of the in
dependent agencies by more than
20 per cent and sent the measure
to the Senate.
The $6,254,215,62 bill is $724,-
471,415 less than President Tru-
nan requested.
The House bill-the most severe
economy voted by it in more than
four years-imposed 10 per cent
cut in the personal funds of more
than score of independent
agencies. A part of this included
a proviso that the entire cost of
last years Federal pay raise be
absorbed by the agencies.
Limit ON Filling Vacancies.
In addition. the House adopted
an amendment by Representative
Jensen, Republican, of Iowa that
would impose a limitation on fill
ing Federal personnel vacancies.
The Jensen amendment would
allow only Is per cent of vacan-
cies to be filled until another 10
per cent reduction in personnel
is achieved above and beyond
those voted by the House Appro-
priations Committee in reporting
the 1853 independent Offices bill.
Since the committees bill
already imposed a 10 per cent
cut, the effect of the Jensen pro-
posal would be a total reduction
in personnel funds of 20 per cent.
In adopting the independent
office bill, the House also voted
an end to annual leave accumula-
tion by Federal employees. Under
the bill. Federal employees would
have to use all of their 1852 annual
leave by June 80. 1858, or lose
the unused portion.
Earlier Accumulation Threatened.
The wording of the leave ban,
however, raised a threat that
lGovernment employees could lose
the leave accumulated in former
years. Government legal experts
said the wording did not make it
clear that only 1952's annual leave
lis involved.
Chairman Thomas of the Inde-
pendent Offices Appropriations
Subcommittee assured the House,
however. that the amendment
would simply prevent further leave
|accumulations, starting January /.
|of this year and would not affect
any employees rights to collect for
accumulations earned before this
year.
House members said that, II
necessary, the amendment can be
clarified, either in the Senate or in
later House-Senate conferences on
the bill, to make sure the amend
ment applies only to this years
leave.
Agencies Withhold Action.
Federal personnel officials said
they will wait and see what the
Senate does with the measure be-
fore taking any steps to apply per-
sonnel reductions.
The Jensen plan limiting the
filling Of vacancies does not apply
to Veterans Administration medi.
cal personnel, the General Ac-
counting Office and Grades CPC
l, 2 and 3 in the custodial service.
The bill also applied a 80 per
cent cut in the agencies travel.
printing and communications ex.
penSeS.
Besides the VA and the GAO.
other major independent bureaus
In the bill include the Atomic En-
ergy Commission. General Services
Administration, the Civil Service
Commission, the National Ad.
visory Committee for Aeronautics
and the various regulatory agen-
cies.
All but $16.922, ,72o of the re-
duction in the measure was made
on recommendation of the Appro-
priations Committee. The House
actually cut $22, 2,718.550 below the
committees figures but gave the
Veterans Administration $5,795,.
$50 more than the committee had
approved.
May Close 200 Offices.
The extra VA money is to keep
in operation orle-man contact of
fees now operating In almost
every State. Without the new
fund. the VA claimed 1t would
have to close all 334 of these Of
uCeS. AS IL is, the VA claims IL
win have to close 200 offices be-
cause the Budget Bureau refused
to give it enough money.
The VA would receive $3,827,.
828, $50 Of the bills total. This Is
$3.50. .844 $40 less than the Presi-
dent requested.
The iva was allotted $l7I,.
270,000 Of the 5000, OPT 900 the
President budgeted.
The Acc budget was shaved
from $I.s12.000 to $1,I37, ,727, 500.
Biggest blow to the adminis-
tration was q House order cutting
70 5000 the number Of new pub
lic housing units that may be
started in the coming fiscal year
or in following years. The Presi-
lent had planned on $4,000 starts.
Army Grenudes Kill Four