Evening star., 1953-04-16

d WCCh.
The General Accounting Of
flee ordered the gun factory to
stop this practice and to take
steps to recover the erroneous
payments. Gun Factory officials
today are checking their records
to see how many OF their 11,0OO
employees were involved.
The gun factory situation was
discovered by the GAO during
a routine payroll check. The
GAO plans further audits to see
whether other agencies are pur-
suing such practices.
GAO officials said the decision
is an extremely important one,
since employees in other depart
ments might have sought such
benefits If it had been permitted
to stand.
GAO officials point out that
the law specifically provides that
Federal workers shall receive
overtime only when they work
more than 40 hours a week. This
permits agencies some leeway in
their work schedule.
The Naval Gun Factory situa-
ton arose as a result of an exec
utive order by President Tru-
man on June Z, 1851, in which
the eight-hour day was sus-
pended for mechanics and
laborers in the Defense Depart
ment because of the emergency
program. The order said these
employees could get overtime pay
for all work over eight hours a
day. On the basis of this order.
the Judge Advocate General of
the Navy on May %, 1852. said
these overtime payments were
proper and this was concurred
in by the Assistant Secretary Of
Defense on September /. 1852.
However, Acting Controller
General Yates declared that the
law passed by Congress and
signed by President Roosevelt
| on March %, 1884. specifically
limits the payment of overtime
to Federal workers for work in
excess of 40 hours a week and
not on the basis of work in ex-
cess of an eight-hour day. There
fore. the presidential executive
order of 1851 that set up pro-
visions for overtime in excess of
an eight-hour day was not legal,
the Acting Controller General
ruled.
AFGE-The executive council
Of the AFL American Federation
of Government Employees will
meet next month to select a
successor to Berniece B. Heffner
as secretary-treasurer. In a
surprise move. Mrs. Heffner an
nounced her resignation yester-
day to accept the job of assistant
to the president of the AFL
Te2mSterS Union.
Mrs. Heffner has been secre-
tary-treasurer of the AFGE
since 1885. almost from its in
ception. AS the second top Of
fetal in the AFGE during all
those years, Mrs. Heffner was
widely known in Government
circles and highly regarded.
The AFGE probably will ap-
point a temporary successor to
Mrs. Heffner until the executive
council meets next month. Mrs
Heffner's resignation was so un-
expected that it caught her col
leagues by surprise. Conse-
quently the selection of her per-
manent successor is up in the
air.
.PROPOSAL-The Good Gov
ernment Institute has proposed
an interagency attrition system
in the filling OF Federal Jobs
Under the proposal vacancies
would be filled almost entirely
by transfers within the Govern
ment.
The institute said such q plan
would aid displaced career en-
ployes in the current economy
program and would also help
the Government by eliminating
the necessity of "bumpings" that
occur in reduction enforce pro-
grams.
The institute said its plan
while aiding civil service en-
ployes to remain in Government
also would mean a substantial,
decrease in Federal employment
1t was explained that many
vacancies occur through regular