Evening star., 1953-09-09
Lowe Requests
Funds 10 Add
5NeW Jobs
Administrative Chief
Seeks $3o2,435
Extru in IS Budget


istration Department to add IS
new jobs to its overall staff.
The estimate, 1892, ,435 higher
than the current years appro-
priation, was made yesterday in
the teeth of a net cutback of II
jobs in the department when
Congress pared the fiscal 1854
budget last session.
Congress voted the reduction
after the Appropriations Com
mittee voiced doubts about econ
omy through reorganization.
This Is the department created
under the District Government
Reorganization Plan, and which,
in addition to handling central
administration matters, oversees
putting the reorganization pro-
gram itself into effect.
Should the 1855 estimates be
approved by the legislators, it
would mean a net gain of 68 new
jobs since fiscal 1858, the first
year of the administration de-
partment's existence.
Total of 636.
In that year, the department
had 568 employees, about SO of
them in four new Offices created
under reorganization, and the
remainder in seven old-line
agencies which the department
absorbed. The total size of the
staff would be raised to 636 en-
ployes under the 1855 request.
The biggest slice of the budget
would go to the Assessors Office.
The amount asked here is $751;
222 over the present appropria-
ton and would raise the total
assessors budget to $1.1 million.
Most of the increase would go
to provide SO additional work.
ers. By expanding enforcement
of tax laws, it is argued, these
men would bring in more reve-
nues to the city government.
Personnel, one of the newly
created Offices, would get the
next largest increase, $79,785
Most of this sum would he used
to create II new jobs for the
purpose of employe training and
placement.
OF the three other reorganiza-
tion-bred Offices, Administrative
Services would get an increase of
$33,822 for nine new jobs; Man
agement, the Office which con
ducts the reorganization pro-
gram, would get $4,000 more,
to hire two more "organizational
methods experts, and the Office
of General Administration Di-
rector Schuyler Lowe would re-
main the same.
Here is an office-by-off1ce
breakdown of the Administra-
ton Departments requests:
AsseSsOr-Among the requested
33 new jobs, three would be
$7,040-per-year assistant asses
sorS in the real estate tax divi-
sion; five would be examiners
for the Personal Property Tax
Division, and six would be ex-
aminers for the Income and
Franchise Tax Division.
In the justification for the
new jobs, Assessor James L.
Martin pointed out, as he has
previously pointed out to Con-
gress, that if his Office were
given more personnel to enforce
existing tax laws, District tax
revenues might obviate the ne
cessity of increasing the annual
tax burden. It was further
pointed out that the District has
a smaller number of real estate
tax assessors per parcels of land
than has either neighboring
Montgomery County or Milwau-
kee, Wis.
Speaking of business taxes,
Mr.. Martin declared cit is man
ifestly impossible for seven ex-
aminers to audit substantial
portion of the business property
returns" The requested addi-
tional examiners for this de-
partment "are required if any,
thing approaching adequate
auditing is to be performed" he
said. The assessor declared that
the workload in the Income Tax
Division is such that periodically
''all personnel in the division,
including the examiners, are re-
quired to do ordinary clerical
work"
The total staff would be 269.
PersOnnel-The requested new
II jobs here would include one
training officer and one place.
ment officer at 81, ,04O each. These
men should be provided to meet
a serious need" for employe
training programs and to carry
on studies that would result in
a fully effective" merit system
among District Government
workers. Other jobs, like position
classiflers, methods examiner and
employe relations assistant are
also provided in the estimate.
Total size of this staff would be
46 employees, and the total opera
ton of the Office would cost
$232,487.
AccOunting-An increase of
$51, ,430 for total budget of
$471,279 would provide 10 new
jobs as well as about $4,000 for
equipment and other charges.
The additional personnel would
be used to help tabulate the ap-
proximately 10000 documents
that go through this Office annu-
ally and would audit annual and
sick-leave records. Since 1949,
these auditS have extended over
only one-third of the Govern
ment departments and errors
have been found in IA per cent
of employe accounts-all due to
a shortage of manpower. The
staff would be increased to a
total Of SO employees.
Tov ColIaoknr PanuJeSfad in